Increased opportunities for undergraduate students in agricultural and natural resource disciplines to write for diverse audiences besides their instructor may increase motivation to write and improve student writing skills. The objectives of this teaching research were to determine and compare the initial writing experience of students enrolled…

This volume synthesizes the scholarship and practice of the teaching and learning of psychology to create a practical handbook for faculty who work with undergraduates in this discipline. Section 1 establishes the framework with "Principles for Quality Undergraduate Psychology Programs" (Cynthia Baum, and others). Section 2 reviews seven critical…

This study sought to evaluate the goals and functions of practical tests for undergraduate students in the natural sciences in university distance education (DUE) programs in the Netherlands, and to compare the findings with results from similar research conducted in regard to science practicals at the Open University of the Netherlands (OuN) and…

Educational foundations programs remain ill-defined despite generations of discussion. A review of the literature over the past three decades indicates that foundational studies are frequently subject to criticism and devaluation as irrelevant, serving no useful purpose, lacking a rigorous body of knowledge, and in general, poorly taught. Students…

This monograph offers a model for a technology teacher education program that can be used in planning new programs as well as in revising and updating existing programs. A figure illustrates the Technology Teacher Education Model that consists of three elements that are held together with the "rationale." Chapter 1 focuses on the role of the…

This study used an iterative Delphi survey process of about 600 faculty, employers, and policymakers to identify writing, speech and listening, and critical thinking skills that college graduates should achieve to become effective employees and citizens (National Education Goal 6). Participants reached a consensus about the importance in critical…

These proceedings report the efforts of National Science Foundation researchers to disseminate innovations in undergraduate education. Section 1 contains forewords and keynote addresses by Robert F. Watson, Neal F. Lane, and Luther S. Williams. Section 2 contains overviews on dissemination and publishing including "Full-Scale Implementation: The…

This study examined the influence of past life experiences and current life biography on the learning of adult students in the undergraduate classroom. A total of 90 undergraduates at least 30 years old who had completed at least 15 hours of academic course work at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and public universities participated.…

This report presents the results of a survey of senior-level physics majors at U.S. colleges and universities who received a Bachelor's degree between September 1995 and August 1996. Completed questionnaires were received from 1,956 students. It was found that the number of undergraduates receiving Bachelor's degrees in physics continued to…

This report, presented in nine parts, contains an executive summary and recommendations, historical background, the national context, a description of physics programs in Virginia for physics majors and those in other majors, a description of students' experiences in physics programs including alumni, an explanation of distribution of faculty…

Students in an undergraduate course in abnormal psychology annually employ a cooperative active learning model to conduct a 4- to 6-day, values-oriented public policy forum (PPF) within the class itself on a general topic of concern to the field of mental health. A comprehensive and structured five-phase model for a PPF is detailed for course…

Using feature films to teach undergraduate psychology courses can promote active learning for several reasons. Films can reach students with a variety of learning styles, including those with a visual approach to learning. Also, students seem to enjoy commercial films and their use can help decrease levels of monotony from daily lectures. Feature…

This paper presents the long and short versions of the charge to the University Committee on the Undergraduate Curriculum designed to establish Rutgers' university-wide goals of excellence against which each college will be asked to measure its curriculum. The purpose of the Committee's task was to help the colleges meet the challenges of high…

This report lists in tabular form the typical tuition and required fees and room and board charges for academic year 1991-92 at nearly 4,900 4-year, 2-year, and public less-than-2-year postsecondary institutions (collegiate and non-collegiate) in the United States and its outlying areas. Separate figures are given for tuition and fee charges to…

This collection of papers, the fifth in an annual series, presents views of members of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education on improving teaching and learning in higher education settings. Articles and their authors are as follows: "Reflections of a Practitioner: Ten Years of Professional and Organization…