Surveys of employers continually highlight the need for better communication skills among recent college graduates. Yet, writing instruction in higher education serves far more than a transactional purpose. Writing facilitates learning, helps students gain skills in analysis and synthesis, and supports a range of other personal and intellectual…

At North Carolina State University, inquiry-guided learning offered a compelling framework for integrating the undergraduate curriculum across general education and the major. Rather than adopting a definition of inquiry-guided learning as a prescribed set of approaches, participating faculty and staff members agreed on four overarching intended…

This paper describes classroom activities to help students understand the publication cycle and the characteristics of major publication channels (textbooks, books, encyclopedias, and periodicals) for first-year physics students. When designing these activities, the author considered the intellectual development characteristics and the…

Throughout its history, American education has focused narrowly on practical and vocational issues and has ignored the need for intellectual development. The lesson is not yet fully learned, and an emphasis on critical thinking as a goal of education is only beginning to gather strength. (MSE)

The author defends and clarifies a previous assertion that college faculty may need to be taught to take advantage of classroom opportunities to make insights and awareness clear to their students. (MSE)

The traditional college curriculum is seen as a collection of answers for students who do not yet have the questions; an alternative approach that nurtures students' capacities for inquiry is suggested and outlined. (MSE)

Arons's article on the role of critical thinking in the liberal arts curriculum is criticized for its assumptions about the high level of intellectual development of faculty and its condescension toward students. It is suggested that Arons's proposals for faculty development in critical thinking be extended to include both teaching and scholarly…

A reflective judgment model of adult intellectual development is proposed, for use by college faculty and staff in helping students question their assumptions about knowing and learning and in making more reflective judgments. The model is based on cognitive development theory and has specific implications for the college years. (MSE)

The trend toward a "politically correct" college curriculum and instructional materials is criticized as contradicting the principle of academic freedom, an essential principle of higher education. It is argued that appropriate exposure to controversial ideas is a crucial element in the student's intellectual development and the creation…