This article discusses the key components of a reform-based introductory undergraduate environmental science course for nonscience majors and elementary teacher candidates as well as the impact of such components on the participants. The main goals for the course were to actively engage the students in their learning and, in doing so, to enhance…

A first year non-majors biology course, with an enrollment of around 440 students, has been redesigned from a course of traditional content and teaching style to one that emphasizes biological concepts in current global issues and incorporates active learning strategies. We were informed by the education literature incorporating many aspects of…

In recent years, short question-and-answer activities known as lecture tutorials that are designed to help students work with and discover concepts for themselves, rather than simply being told about them (lectured to) have become a popular tool for learner-centred teaching of introductory college astronomy. Students on such a course are usually…

This is the final report of the Physical Science for Nonscience Students (PSNS) development project. The report includes five major topics and five appendices. The first section, the History of Organizational Activities, discusses the conferences in 1963-64 that initiated the planning of the course. The remaining sections include Administration,…

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 763 Society for College Science Teaching members to identify problems of teaching nonmajors. Notes the questionnaire had a high return rate. Lists the eight major problems: post negative experiences; motivation; what to teach; abstractions; how to introduce relevance; staying power; inquiry material; and…