During the course of undergraduate studies, physiology (and related STEM) majors should acquire a both broad and in-depth foundation in physiological knowledge along with a distinct range of transferable (professional) skills (e.g., critical thinking, communication skills, data analysis). Previously, through a consultative and iterative process…

The phenomenon in which students enter university under-prepared for the mathematical demands of their undergraduate courses, regularly referred to as the 'Maths Problem', has been widely reported in Ireland, UK, Australia, and the US. This issue has been of particular concern in Ireland recently, with beginning undergraduates' performance of…

The overall aim of the study was to gather evidence on effective policy reforms for broad competence development in school education, including better achievement of basic skills. The six key objectives are: Objective 1: To understand the key features of policy design and implementation of reforms for broad competence development and achievement…

Bridge programs, in which underprepared students gain the academic and technical skills necessary for college level courses and entry-level employment, are a promising initiative for expanding access to, and success in, community college education. For career pathways related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), bridge…

Over the last decade there is an intensive discussion within the Information Systems (IS) and Informatics community about the characteristics and identity of the discipline. Simultaneously with the discussion, there is an ongoing debate on essential skills and capabilities of IS and Business Informatics graduates as well as the profile of IS…

This report of the Basic Studies National Field Task Force is one of six reports by as many task forces on the improvement and reform of American education. The report begins with an introduction and alternative definitions of "basic studies." In section 3, the history of basic studies in American culture and education is traced as a…

In a survey of 48 state supervisors of home economics, 20 indicated that secondary students in their state could gain academic credit through study in home economics. Ten supervisors stated that there were curriculum or materials developed in their state to support home economics as part of academic credit. (CH)

Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA), a joint UNESCO-UNICEF international education assessment initiative, obtains information on the "effectiveness of basic education provision[s] in terms of actual learning achievement." The empirical evidence from the 1999 MLA project countries provides both a diagnosis and possible actions to be…

Discusses textbooks from the 1800s for young ladies versus young men, for the youngest students, more advanced students, and university students. Regards these publications as furnishing a record of the skills thought to be essential at the turn of the previous century. (KHR)

A survey of 354 instructors (196 responses) of advanced technology programs in Illinois community colleges found that instructors believe that strong academic skills are essential for future workers. Their highest ranked instructional priority was the enhancement of students' thinking skills. (Author/JOW)

Contends that empowerment and student autonomy strongly correlate with self-confidence; that this increases with incremental successes; and that any success is the outcome of acquiring and applying appropriate skills. Argues that geography students will be better life-long learners if they are taught enabling skills early in their programs. (DSK)

This executive summary presents information on the design rationale, project coordination, and findings for the first year of the Technology Applications in Basic Skills project (TAES), which was administered by the Merrimack Education Center and designed to implement programs that use the computer and related technologies to increase student…

This study examined the school arithmetic development of three groups of students from an urban school district who differed in performance on precisely described number tasks on entry into first grade. The investigation followed pupils' arithmetic development to the completion of third grade, for those normally promoted each year. The two major…

Based on a search of the literature, a series of eight propositions were derived to describe the basic middle school language arts program being portrayed in the literature. Fifty principals and language arts department chairpersons were asked to rate, on a scale of one to five, the degree to which their language arts department accepted and…

The objective of the study was to determine whether Competency-Based Testing (CBT) schools altered their curriculum differently than Non-Competency-Based Testing schools (NCBT), and, if so, what selected factors were identified as contributing to the differences among the responses secondary schools made to CBT. The data from 410 member high…