In this article it is described how the department has encouraged learning outcome discussions among the teachers and students. The typical development process of a new course is described. A two dimensional learning outcome model is also briefly introduced. This model is used to discuss what kinds of knowledge and skills are relevant in a…

Many students falter in college because of a gap between their high school experiences and the higher expectations they encounter in college courses. Research has found that college instructors often expect students to exercise higher-level thinking skills, such as interpreting and analyzing information, supporting arguments with evidence, and…

Saint Francis College (SFC), in Pennsylvania, is a private, Catholic, coeducational institution of 1,200 full-time undergraduates. Over 55 percent of the student body is enrolled in pre-professional majors; majors in the traditional liberal arts now account for only 13 percent of the student population. Faculty some time ago began to question…

This paper describes the status of the standards movement in relation to the middle grades and in terms of the policy context of the 1990s. It also outlines the potential of standards-guided reform at the middle level. By the early years of the 1990s, two key assumptions characterized the new wave of proposed reforms: that schools needed to…

A General Education Task Force (GETF) was formally constituted at George Brown College (GBC) in June 1992 as one of four task forces created to develop an academic plan for the college. The charge of the GETF was to develop a philosophy statement on general education, a set of post-secondary general education curriculum guidelines, a general…

This book explores successful teaching and learning approaches in multicultural college or university classrooms. Chapter 1, "Once You Accept, Then You Can Teach" (Juan C. Gonzalez), challenges instructors to think about how the students' cultural backgrounds relate to their educational goals and achievement and describes what faculty…

This document details the development and implementation of a course for teacher education in Poland. The course, "The School in Democratic Society," was prepared between September 1992 and December 1993 as a cooperative effort between the Polish Ministry of National Education and the Citizenship Development for a Global Age Program of…

The project described in this report was conducted at the Community College of Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) to develop, in conjunction with area vocational-technical schools, the second year of a competency-based curriculum in automated systems/robotics technology. During the project, a task force of teachers from the area schools and the college…

A project in Illinois created a 17-member committee, reviewed literature, and conducted a telephone survey of all 51 state home economics supervisors in the United States to create a conceptual framework for secondary home economics. The framework was reviewed and refined by the participants and is being published. Additional materials developed…

The report describes development of an alternative core curriculum of courses grounded equally in both mathematics/sciences and traditional humanities. The alternative core curriculum is based on the belief that mathematics, broadly defined, is the common language and basis for the contemporary revolutions in the physical sciences, social…

This book was developed as a practical guide for use by school personnel in the planning and development of school curriculum. The first two sections present outlines of the statutes, regulations, and policies pertaining to school curriculum and teacher preparation in North Dakota. A description of the curriculum development process includes a…

The state of New Mexico requires all sixth grade students to take the year-long social studies course entitled Eastern Hemisphere Studies. Seventh grade students are required to take two semester-long courses, are in Western Hemisphere Studies and the other in New Mexico History and Geography. The year-long social studies course on U.S. History is…

This paper reports findings from a detailed critical analysis of commonly used curriculum materials and assessment devices for the study of literature in kindergarten through sixth grade. The paper provides descriptive information and suggestions for improved design and use of curricula available to classroom teachers, especially with respect to…

The purpose of this guide is to enable a district or school to develop or select a comprehensive school health education curriculum that is educationally sound and based on research of effective programs. The criteria for a comprehensive school health education curriculum are organized into the following categories: (1) goals and objectives; (2)…

The impact of teaching computer literacy on the social studies curriculum, instruction, and teacher education is discussed. Social studies computer literacy objectives are organized into three components: awareness, understanding how computer technology affects individuals and society; acquisition, knowing how computers work and how to operate a…