This study evaluated syllabi (N = 87) from introductory advertising and public relations courses to examine to what extent and how stated course goals and assignments signal the overall learning orientation of a course and which type of learning orientation--mastery or performance--was most common. Mastery orientations emphasize intrinsic rewards,…

The chemistry department at Washington & Jefferson College implemented an "organic first" curriculum in the fall semester of 2005. Assessment data suggest that the net impact of this change for the department and associated constituencies has been positive: (i) Student outcomes have generally not been impacted by the curricular…

THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE--(1) THE IDENTIFICATION OF KEY VARIABLES IN AROUSING MOTIVATION, AND (2) THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULA WHICH INCREASE ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEED ACHIEVEMENT (N=ACH) THEORY AND RESEARCH IN THIS AREA ARE DISCUSSED. METHODS OF MEASURING MOTIVATION ARE DESCRIBED. PROPOSITIONS BASIC TO THE STUDY…

The e-syllabus is a set of Web pages in which each course in the curriculum is assigned a "course page" and multiple "session pages." Course pages have a standardized format that provides course objectives, course policies, required or recommended textbooks, grading scales, and faculty listings. A separate session page is…

This study examined the relationship between the changes introduced in a course syllabus for a course titled "Instructional Strategies" and the final grades obtained by freshman and sophomore students in three successive academic periods. A sample of 150 subjects was randomly selected from students enrolled in the course at the…

This report describes the educational program and reports on the evaluation of that program in relation to how the faculty members implemented the goals and objectives of the program. The evaluation is concerned with the content, coherence, and power of the curriculum. These qualities of curriculum-building and instruction were studied to…

Nine college classes on Communist political systems were evaluated, according to students' memory and comprehension of information; ability to apply, analyze and synthesize the information; and beliefs and values toward selected Communist States and issues involving Socialism and Communism. (Author/GDC)

An intensive language program in elementary German at the University of Texas in Arlington is described in this article. The program, enabling undergraduates with no previous experience in German to complete the university's four-semester foreign language requirement in a single semester, is discussed in terms of classroom activities, language…

This introductory course, designed to satisfy routine travel needs of U.S. military personnel, serves as a model for preparation of self-instructional foreign language courses. Description of the research and program design focuses on: (1) educational objectives, (2) course description, (3) student schedules and performance data, (4) testing and…

The "Spanish for Communication" (SFC) materials for foreign language instruction developed by Dr. William Bull are described in this article. Two major components are at the heart of SFC: a teacher's Daily Lesson Plan (DLP) and student programed homework. Now in the fourth year of field testing in the Tacoma (Washington) Public Schools,…

This book is intended to help college faculty members, teaching assistants, and prospective instructors to develop their teaching skills and choose instructional strategies that match their personalities and result in improved student learning. The nine chapters cover the following topics: (1) determining teaching objectives (stresses specificity…