In the spring of 2021, the Community College System in which the author works was in the middle of a planned three-year pilot of math and English self-placement ("Direct Enrollment") procedures. Concerns about the significant English language learner (ELL) population at one institution led to the development of a corequisite support…

Digital Systems is one of the basic foundational courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The job market is increasingly in need of Electrical Engineers with knowledge of Hardware Description Languages (HDL). Yet most digital systems design curriculum, largely remains based on design using Transistor-Transistor-Logic (TTL) devices or…

Interdisciplinary introduction to quantum information science (QIS) courses are proliferating at universities across the US, but the experiences of instructors in these courses have remained largely unexplored in the discipline-based education research (DBER) communities. Here, we address this gap by reporting on the findings of a survey of…

We present the process our institution used to create a statistics requirement for almost all incoming first-year students. From conception and planning, to hiring and acceptance by the university community, we offer lessons learned should you consider making such a shift in your own curriculum.

Purpose: The whole process of reviewing and redesigning curricula is an exercise in managing change. Given the multiple stakeholders in the educational enterprise, the many forces that impact upon those enterprises, and the organized and complicated activities in which those enterprises engage, the management of curricular change can be a daunting…

Upon the request of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Florida State University (FSU) is required to enact a program designed to graduate students with a certain degree of oral communication competency. While communication majors and minors are required to enroll in a public speaking course, no student at FSU has the option…

This paper presents a review of curriculum-change literature with a special focus on curricular infusion and an analysis of curriculum-change strategies. These strategies were used by 62 social work education programs involved in the national gerontological infusion project supported by the John T. Hartford Foundation. Best practices to achieve…

A study was conducted at Donnelly College, in Kansas, to determine whether taking a math course prerequisite affected students' final course grades in an introductory chemistry course. From a sample of 329 students who finished the chemistry course between fall 1985 and fall 1993, course grades were compared for 30 students who had completed the…

Since 1961, the Department of Speech of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has required all students to take a "Principles of Effective Speaking" course. Some faculty members tried repeatedly between 1967 and 1987 to increase the course from two to three credit hours and to heighten the course's emphasis on listening skills. A 1990…

In an effort to determine whether OR 100, a college success orientation seminar offered at New Jersey's Cumberland County College (CCC), should be upgraded to a college-level course and whether OR 101, a one-unit orientation course, should be required of all students, CCC surveyed 288 two- and four-year institutions in New Jersey, Delaware, and…

Summarizes the results of a survey that revealed several dichotomies between what instructors felt introductory psychology courses delivered and what students wanted. Students desired a knowledge of people and relationships while the instructors felt the courses provided a broad overview of the discipline. Includes statistical data and analysis.…

Indiana University college teacher discusses undergraduate science education and effective teaching in introductory courses. The method recommended by educator Arnold Arons trades passive lecture for hands-on learning and Socratic dialogue. Indiana University began a successful research program which brought Arons' method to large-enrollment…

In the personalized system of instruction (PSI) used in beginning communication courses at George Mason University (Virginia), the students do more than read text materials and master cognitive course objectives. They are encouraged to have experiences that reinforce what they read and to consider how these experiences relate to everyday life. The…

This report describes a three-year project at Hampton University (Virginia) to improve the core freshman year curriculum and, ultimately, to improve student learning outcomes. The project involved the development of annual week-long seminars on the teaching of freshman courses in composition, speech, history, and mathematics. Emphasis was on…