This paper presents a series of course modules developed as a high-impact and cost-effective learning tool for modeling and simulating the microfabrication process and design of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices using three-dimensional (3-D) printing. Microfabrication technology is an established fabrication technique for small and…

The article describes the process of incorporating a set of learning outcomes into a geotechnical engineering course. The outcomes were developed using Bloom's taxonomy and define the knowledge, skills, and abilities the students are expected to achieve upon completion of the course. Each outcome begins with an action-oriented verb corresponding…

Given the growing literature on and documented importance of workplace stress, it is suggested that this topic deserves more than a casual mention in introductory management classes. The current article reviews a comprehensive course dedicated to the phenomenon of stress in the work setting, which addresses issues such as theories, demands and…

At Tacoma Community College (Washington) a chemistry course was taught using instructional objectives. This document describes the course in terms of writing the objectives, instructional procedures and student attitudes. The instructor's overall conclusions were: (1) student reaction to the use of instructional objectives was very favorable; (2)…

The author explains the need for validation in instructional television, citing his experiences with the ITV mathematics series, "It Figures," in Dade County Florida. He also describes in some detail the application of validation to the development of a television series, discussing such items as the specification of behavioral…

Specific objectives of this two-phase study included: (1) assessment of design of the behavioral objectives in all secondary level courses; (2) construction of criteria for evaluation of the design; (3) testing of objectives against the evaluative criteria and/or the specifications of the curriculum design; and (4) determination of the validity of…

Fifteen students in a Drawing I class at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College participated in an experimental module on gesture drawing based on operant conditioning theory. Students ranged in age from 18 to 50, all with previous art instruction at the high school level. After responding to questionnaires in which they offered suggestions about…

An "investigative method" can be used by the English education specialist to determine both content of a curriculum and the organization and instruction of courses. Assuming that the purpose of teaching is to produce desired changes within learners, the method of the English teacher is to (1) decide the content of a new course which will develop…

The current philosophical position of the project is reviewed and a variety of issues relevant to educational evaluation and achievement monitoring are enumerated. Various past attempts to model the variables of school learning are reviewed and those adopted for the Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring model are discussed. The student variables…

The teacher developed curriculum guide is intended for home economics programs for boys and girls grades six through nine. Areas are presented sequentially, not by grade level, so that objectives increase in depth within an area. This allows for flexibility within and between schools. Consumer education suggestions appear both in content areas and…

An instructional unit, "Coping in the World of Work: Practice in Problem Solving," designed to assist 11th and 12th grade high school students in developing the ability to solve vocational adjustment problems was developed and evaluated. Instructional goals of the unit included the following: (1) To become acquainted with the range of job…

A model for course planning that provides a way of looking at college instruction and an approach to preparing effective courses is presented. It is suggested that: teaching is an experimental activity, there is no correct way to teach, a teacher sets up the conditions for learning, and both the course and teacher need to assume part of the…

As the first in a series of monographs on competency-based education (CBE), this paper presents background information and exercises to aid instructors in understanding and utilizing performance goals as tools for articulation, program development, and student evaluation. After introductory material discussing the major differences between…

In response to a low passing rate in a general psychology course taught at Howard Community College (MD), as well as to student and instructor dissatisfaction with the course, a systems model was developed and applied to improve course quality. The development of the model involved nine steps: (1) enumerating precise skill objectives which could…

Competence in humanities may be considered in terms of knowledge (the mental processing of information), thinking skills (the organization of knowledge), communication skills, and personal integration (the effect of knowledge upon the individual). Specific competencies to be acquired in an interdisciplinary twentieth century humanities course…