Scientific research endeavors are increasingly collaborative in nature. As researchers work together in groups of increasing size to develop project goals and implement plans, traditional 1-1 single faculty-student mentor models are less relevant as students need input and guidance from the multiple faculty members contributing to the…

This chapter demonstrates how Decoding work can be used productively within a curriculum change process to help make design decisions based on a more nuanced understanding of student learning and the relationship of a professional program to the field.

The initiative to revise Texas Christian University's (TCU) general education curriculum was one of the outcomes of an institutional strategic planning process in 2000, the Commission on the Future of TCU. Coincident with this planning process, TCU developed a new institutional mission statement that focused on preparing students for becoming…

In 2006, Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) launched a major initiative, the Top 25 Project, to embed inquiry-guided learning (IGL) into its largest-enrollment courses across the university. These are generally entry-level classes and thus affect many students: 75 percent of incoming students on its main campus in 2010 were in at least one Top 25…

The term "assessment" sends shivers down academic spines. For faculty, it signals marching orders from external parties who may or may not appreciate the subtle and not always quantifiable value of faculty efforts. For administrators, it means the dual challenge of recalibrating internal measures to meet external mandates but also…

Strategies for locating interdisciplinary knowledge and information for development of college curricula and instruction are outlined, including identification of existing curriculum models and syllabi (through publications, networking, and online searching) and finding literature on the concept of interdisciplinarity in the humanities, social…

The characteristics of current U.S. society and the roles assigned to teachers suggest the need for more comprehensive teacher education programs, including breadth in the liberal arts, depth in content fields, and field experience. (MSE)

As concern about the role and performance of teaching assistants grows, universities find themselves initiating training programs. Issues to be considered include: who should provide training, relationships between the different providers, program requirements and curricula, length of the program, follow-up activities, preparation for…

A conceptual framework is provided to help college teachers find ways to include meaningful learning activities in their classes, regardless of teaching style, course objectives, or students' level of experience. Examples are offered from literature and nursing courses. Additional issues discussed include the teacher's role perception and concerns…

Survey responses from 401 community colleges show that many of these two-year, open-admissions institutions have developed writing-across-the-curriculum programs that address the special needs of their faculty and students. (MSE)

The steady emergence of small-college honors programs in the early 1970s and the subsequent rapid growth of community college honors programs after 1978 are reviewed. The many successes in these colleges to capitalize on their existing strengths have avoided the problems of larger, university programs. (Author/MSE)

An examination of the transcripts of over 3,000 graduates of major Southern universities reveals that a more rigorous general education course sequence is necessary, and possible, to strengthen teacher preparation at the undergraduate level. (MSE)

Discussion of the problem-based learning approach in higher education looks at its origins in medical curricula, characteristics of the original method, the variety of educational objectives possible with this approach, problem-based curriculum development, advantages of the method, and its use outside the medical domain. (MSE)

A step-by-step guide to designing interdisciplinary courses is presented. Underlying theoretical rationales and expected educational outcomes are explored, and concrete suggestions and examples are offered. Steps include assembling an interdisciplinary team, selecting a topic, identifying disciplines for inclusion, developing the issues underlying…

A sophomore- or junior-level education course on social diversity in education is described, and techniques used to teach it are discussed. Content includes five subject areas: gender and sexism, race and racism, religious culture and anti-Semitism, sexual orientation and heterosexism, and physical or mental ability and ableism. (MSE)