We designed an interdisciplinary project-based learning course in hydroponics for undergraduate non-science major students. Students worked in teams to design, build, and maintain plants in various types of hydroponic systems over the semester. In three semesters of teaching the course, students consistently demonstrated knowledge of course…

As institutions of higher learning are increasingly held accountable for student outcomes, faculty are faced with the challenge to clearly articulate and assess what students should learn in their courses. We report on the assessment of a liberal studies learning outcome related to the nature of science, which involved 178 students from 41…

The skill set associated with lifelong scientific literacy often includes the ability to decode the content and accuracy of scientific research as presented in the media. However, students often find decoding science in the media difficult, due to limited content knowledge and shifting definitions of accuracy. Faculty have developed a variety of…

A course in breath-alcohol analysis, designed to introduce nonscience majors to the chemical basis of the two breath-alcohol testers widely used by law-enforcement personnel, is suggested for prospective lawyers, journalists, business professionals educators, and politicians. The course would provide exposure to authentic driving-while-intoxicated…

Arts students should be introduced to computers in the nurturing setting of academe where they can experiment and conquer their anxieties. Programs at UCLA and other institutions suggest that artists and scientists are likely to grow closer as the computer becomes a tool on which both depend. (MLW)

A Brooklyn College (New York) science course for nonmajors includes a unit on drugs and poisons using material from television news, investigative reporting, and fictional series. The films make some of the more abstract course material palatable and interesting, and enhances awareness of the hazards and benefits of chemicals. (MSE)

A proposed course featuring the teaching of chemistry to nonscience majors in the context of detective fiction is described. (MSE)

Brooklyn College faculty members in English and chemistry guest teach in each other's core curriculum class, linking scientific and social literacy in traditionally separate courses, creating an arena in which non-science majors can effectively learn science. (MSE)

If science can be taught in a way that makes it accessible to the nonmajor, student fear of science would decrease. The topic of memory allows for an interdisciplinary analysis because films can be selected to complement the science. A course at Brooklyn College is described. (MLW)

Successful small group science teaching techniques at the State University of New York (Plattsburgh) are described, including use of small groups for problem-solving, discussion, and research projects. Majors and nonmajors appeared to profit from this approach, and further use of small groups with diverse populations and large classes is planned.…

Requiring students in one introductory college course on weather/climate to keep logs with articles from popular media was found to produce three types of log topics with three kinds of relationship to course content. The technique helped students think more actively and provided the teacher with new course material. (MSE)

Factors in development of a new introductory economics course, primarily for nonmajors, are discussed. These include selection of course content to capture student interest and reflect societal change, creation of a more stimulating classroom environment, and use of three cooperative learning activities on poverty, inflation, and budget deficits.…