Synthesizing the best current thinking about learning, course design, and promoting student achievement, this is a guide to developing college instruction that has clear purpose, is well integrated into the curriculum, and improves student learning in predictable and measurable ways. The process involves developing a transparent course blueprint,…

The Introduction to Sociology course is usually the first contact that students have with the discipline of sociology. This course can determine whether students take other sociology courses or learn to use sociology in their lives as adults and citizens. "First Contact" identifies important issues facing instructors in introducing students to the…

In 2011, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition revisited its 1999 National Survey of Senior Seminars and Capstone Courses to explore the current state of culminating experiences in American higher education. Drawn from a sample of public and private colleges and universities across the country, the…

"The First-Year Seminar: Designing, Implementing, and Assessing Courses to Support Student Learning and Success," a five-volume series, is designed to assist educators who are interested in launching a first-year seminar or revamping an existing program. Each volume examines a different aspect of first-year seminar design or administration and…

Since 1988, the National Resource Center has conducted a national survey every three years to gather information about the nature and extent of first-year seminars on American college campuses. The findings from the 2006 survey administration have been reorganized to make it easier to find information of interest with major chapters focusing on…

Developed for newly appointed or experienced college instructors, this monograph presents a process for specifying instructional objectives. After chapter 1 provides background on the process of writing learning objectives, chapter 2 defines the terms, "goals,""objectives,""instruction," and "learning." Chapter 3 provides the instructor with a…

The author of this paper proposes that a position paper by a course instructor be presented prior to or at the first session of the course in order to provide the student with information if the course will meet his needs. Such a position paper may also serve to provide a basis for dialogue that considers in a theoretical and in a personal way the…

This book advocates providing high-quality K-6 social studies instruction. The text provides practical information on how teachers can conduct high-quality social studies programs in their classrooms. The volume is divided into three parts. Part 1 offers an overview of the formal and informal social studies curriculum, its history, current status,…

This guide is intended for teachers who want to learn more about educational design of college courses. Chapter 1 identifies various pressures for change in designing courses and urges creation of conditions that foster deep learning. Chapter 2 examines various models of the course design process. Chapter 3 discusses beliefs, values and ideologies…

This book, working from an educator-defined set of curriculum tasks and their allotted time frames, provides a mechanism for linking instructional theory with classroom practices. Chapter titles are: (1) The Tasks of Curriculum Development; (2) Developing Major Goal Statements; (3) Assembling a Psychological Model for the Dominant Educable…

During the fall term of 1975, an experimental course was offered at the School of Library Science, Emporia Kansas State College. The objective was to review the general principles of interpersonal relations and to apply them to case studies involving library staff and patrons. Using a brief reading list and a case study approach, students were…

Based on the assumption that good teaching helps students understand how to actively acquire, use, and extend knowledge in an ongoing learning process, this guide presents strategies for constructing learning-centered course syllabi. Following prefatory materials, part 1 reviews implications of shifting from traditional syllabi, which focus on…

The book's focus is on classroom procedures that allow an instructor to meet the needs of individuals while managing the learning activities of a group. The individualized instruction model that seems most appropriate for use with vocational programs is the fixed-content, variable-time, mastery model in which individuals are assisted in developing…

College education is examined with focus on what students need to learn to maximize their full human potential. Part 1, "Teaching, Learning, and the Purpose of Education," examines: teaching styles and effects on learning; the goals of teaching; education as a humanizing experience; and enriching learning through technology. Part 2, "Teaching…

This book provides a rationale for focal points for each grade level, prekindergarten-8. Focal points are important mathematical topics that represent major areas of content emphasis. Building on "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics," this publication is presented to begin a dialogue on what is important at particular levels…