In the constantly evolving career landscape, knowledge about human resource management practices could prove very beneficial for undergraduate college students who want to construct protean careers. With its broad content coverage, the introductory HR course is best suited to teach students about key HR functions and practices instrumental to…

Because students and professors place different values on syllabi components, perceptions of course objectives vary. Previous studies investigated the relationship between students' and instructors' expectations and syllabi content, but do not address the role of explicitly stated course objectives in syllabi. Our study used qualitative methods to…

Course syllabi are a required component of college and university courses. Syllabi present both broader course structuring practices, are a valuable "first impression" of what instructors want to offer their students, and are used as tools in course design. While best teaching practices suggest specific recommendations for syllabi…

WRT 329: Introduction to Writing Studies is a course in Oakland University's (OU) Writing and Rhetoric major program that provides students with a survey of composition studies as an academic discipline. It includes an examination of the history, theories, research, curricula, and pedagogies associated with composition studies in the university.…

This qualitative study examines the teaching of urban education in introductory and foundational college courses. The research positions course syllabi as ubiquitous public documents that socialize students into discourse communities, and is framed within theories of social constructivism. An examination of course objectives, course assignments,…

Background: We report the results of an undergraduate course in astrophotography designed to engage non-STEM majors in the natural sciences to train future amateur astronomers and citizen scientists. Over 200,000 students enroll in introductory astronomy elective classes every year in the US alone, which will possibly be their only encounter with…

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 statistical preparation of in-service teachers, particularly middle school teachers, has been an area of concern for several years. This paper discusses the creation and delivery of an introductory statistics course as part of a master's degree program for in-service mathematics teachers. The initial course development took place before the…

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…

What is "General Psychology?" Is it just one course that could be an elective, part of a minor, or part of a student's major? Or could "General Psychology" literally be the "corner stone" or "foundation block" upon which all the other psychology courses, taken afterwards, add to like bricks upon a "foundation block?" This paper will seek to…

A proposal is presented for a Community College of Philadelphia course surveying basic social science skills and information, including scientific method, map usage, evolution, native peoples, social groups, and U.S. Government. Following a standard cover form, a statement of purpose for the course indicates that it is designed to provide…

This paper, a general introduction to composition class for graduate students (at Illinois State University) not all of whom are necessarily teaching composition at the time they are taking the course, is organized around Andrea Lunford's categories in her essay "Rhetoric and Composition": questions about writers, questions about…

An outline for an introductory course designed to present the fundamentals of Gregg shorthand is given. The objectives listed are: (1) to be able to read Gregg shorthand symbols rapidly and accurately; (2) to develop proficiency in vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar as it relates to shorthand theory; and (3) to develop speed and…

The International Labour Organization assigned a staff member to an Asian country to assist the trade unions in strengthening their workers' education programs. One important aspect of his assignment consisted of establishing and testing a viable course program by constructing a set of syllabi for basic, specialized, and advanced courses that…

Describes a course which provides nonscience students with an understanding of methods and nature of natural science. The course is a seminar organized around a detailed examination of the Copernican revolution, in part through Copernicus's original writings, and in part through contemporary historical and philosophical analysis. (Author/SK)