Describes the use of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" in an undergraduate course in monetary economics, focusing on the usury theme origins of usury laws, scholastic arguments on paying interest for using money, civil usury laws, and modern theories of interest. It is argued that the play provides an interesting vehicle for an…

Describes a freshman liberal arts honors course on adult development and aging. Contains suggestions for selecting and using readings, films, music, and television shows. Provides examples of how to make connections between these materials and the scientific literature. (DSK)

Describes two exercises that convey the ways in which social biases influence adult development and aging: (1) involves sorting pictures of people by age illustrating the diversity of opinions about how to divide the life span; and (2) demonstrates how physical and social factors shape individual well-being in old age. (DSK)

Employs a graphical analysis evaluating the evolution of the transportation network in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain sections of Georgia and the Carolinas. Concludes that transport expansion appears to support the general parameters of the ideal-typical sequence model and provides useful material for instruction related to the national standards…

Suggests how teachers can approach the Internet conceptually and use it practically as they teach about the American South. Asserts that the Internet should be seen as representing a "place" where students and teachers can appraise the South from multiple, alternative perspectives. Offers lesson strategies and resources. (CMK)

Examines the evolution of American higher education institutions, looking back 50 years [in 1933] to the late 19th century and looking forward 50 years to examine the status of liberal and professional education in the 1980s. Traces the development of professional schools, the nature of undergraduate education, changes in graduate education, and…

Argues that there are special problems associated with designing and teaching a course about authors outside of the literary canon. Traces the development of a course on Victorian women writers from initial development difficulties to final thoughts on restructuring the syllabus. Notes works used in the course. (DSK)

Describes "Teaching the JAH" (Journal of American History), which offers online teaching packages demonstrating the use of JAH articles within the U.S. history survey course. Offers a sample of the material available in the teaching package for the article "Evolution for John Doe: Pictures, the Public, and the Scopes Trial Debate." (CMK)

Describes the Modern Studies Curriculum (MSC) at the University of Kentucky, which integrates psychology with various disciplines and cultural perspectives in 8 courses during the first two years of college. Provides two examples of MSC courses. (CMK)

Examines the effect of participating in a senior capstone course on undergraduates' identification with a university-promoted version of the college student role. Uses a longitudinal study of undergraduate students at a public university. Provides evidence of the effectiveness of the course as a socialization agent. Discusses implications and…

Critiques the use of a comprehensive National Courses Examination (NCE) administered by the Brazilian Government to appraise the quality of undergraduate courses offered by all higher education institutions in the country. Describes the NCE and considers it as an instrument of institutional evaluation. Examines also the key problems underlying…

A study compared evaluations of undergraduate students' oral presentations by groups of peers and faculty teams. Students (n=210), in assessment teams, rated quality of content and presentation using a 22-point guide. Comparison of peer and faculty scores showed no significant difference in averages but did show significant differences in standard…

The Early Patient-Oriented Care Program provides early clinical education for pharmacy students and clinical services for patients. Six students were assigned to visit 12-15 hemodialysis patients monthly under preceptor supervision. Topics covered include approach to patient, medical information retrieval, pharmaceutical care philosophy,…

Interdisciplinary courses are needed to illuminate the meaningful relationship of science to other subjects. Discusses the nature of the geology curriculum and how it is interdisciplinary by nature. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

Addresses the difficulty that teaching assistants and new faculty members may experience in finding a convenient outline of the task of preparing an experiment for undergraduates. Explains all phases of developing a laboratory exercise and includes a list of things to consider for each phase. (DDR)