For 12 years, Denise Gillman has taught the course Science on the Stage at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. The plays studied awaken intellectual curiosity and understanding of human nature and complex scientific ideas within the framework of a good story and can do so for students of every major. This article presents how…

Most scientists agree that comprehension of primary scientific papers and communication of scientific concepts are two of the most important skills that we can teach, but few undergraduate biology courses make these explicit course goals. We designed an undergraduate neuroimmunology course that uses a writing-intensive format. Using a mixture of…

Creative exercises (CEs) are a form of assessment in which students are given a prompt and asked to write down as many distinct, correct, and relevant facts about the prompt as they can. Students receive credit for each fact that they include that is related to the prompt and distinct from the other facts they list. With CEs, students have an…

Provides practical, research-based suggestions for improving reading and writing skills of college science students. Describes characteristics of skilled science readers. Explains how to select reading materials that make sense and what teachers can do to improve reading assignments. Lists traits of skilled science readers and offers suggestions…

Describes a college course that integrates science and literature. The primary focus is on the role of metaphor in scientific and literary thinking. Discusses literary works used and how they are related to science instruction. Describes the class format and rules for conducting the class. Student reaction to this course was strongly positive. (PR)

Assessment provides feedback to teachers so that instruction can be modified. It also provides feedback to students during and after the course. Discusses approaches to assessment in geology courses that relate assessment to instruction. Three student assignments are described: (1) Personal Question Sheets; (2) a report on Personal/Social Issues…

An assignment centered on reading journal articles and writing abstracts is an effective way to improve student reading and writing skills in sedimentology and stratigraphy laboratories. Each student reads two articles and writes informative abstracts from the author's point of view. (PR)

Environmental science articles submitted for extra credit by 281 of 677 students in introductory ecology courses were examined to find what types of magazines were used, the range of topics, and which type of student responded. (MKR)

Examines several variables that may interact to affect the success of writing in science courses and provides some student views on these assignments. (PR)

Describes an effective and efficient method to induce students to do physics homework. (CP)

Describes a student field project involving the estimation of a maximum rate of erosion for a local area. Identifies the factors influencing erosion and outlines the method of investigation. (GS)

From June 1980 onwards most home candidates taking University of London Advanced-level Biology are required to submit their practical and field work notebooks to their teachers for assessment. This paper describes a trial run assessment of the practical books of 700 candidates, conducted in June 1979, and the statistical moderation procedure…

Describes and evaluates introductory physics homework problems done in conjunction with student-performed demonstrations. Discusses them within a process approach to instruction consistent with Piaget's developmental theory. (MLH)

Describes a one-semester biology course for nonmajors which explores the interdisciplinary potential of psychology, anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, and religion. Satisfactory results in the 1970 tryout with 126 college students are identified. (CC)

Describes an electrical engineering program in which assignments have been computerized to individualize out-of-class work. (SL)