Examines both civic and academic outcomes for 260 students participating in three models of service learning courses (placement-service optional, placement-service required, and a consulting group). Explains that after one semester of service learning, student outcomes were mixed. Suggests that instructors consider carefully whether to require…

Describes a brief, pre-internship, observation assignment that has increased student awareness and provided some of the same benefits as internships. Finds that student reactions and other data support pre-internships as an effective learning tool. Concludes that pre-internships are most beneficial when used in combination with long-term,…

Describes a pilot program in which university faculty and school personnel of a nearby middle school cooperate to prepare preservice teachers for teaching in inclusive classrooms. Describes how the program began, the course content, the importance of observation for preservice students, using classroom teachers as models, and adaptations in…

Discusses how to implement multimedia into the university history classroom and the different functions involved when producing a multimedia lecture and presenting it to the students. Characterizes the benefits of using multimedia through the students' reactions, compiled in course evaluations and an informal survey, and overall student…

Examines ownership issues relating to on-line Web-based distance education college courses, including shared ownership by institutions and professors, approaches copied from the entertainment industry, professors as "free agents," and additional compensation for course development. This issue is central to faculty contract negotiations. (DB)

Examines whether students engage in biased assimilation during in-class debates. Finds that biased assimilation only occurs when the student is arguing for her or his existing position on an issue. Concludes that, in order to eliminate biased assimilation, teachers should encourage students to debate the opposite position of their preconceived…

Describes a method for assessing student attitudes toward studying international psychology. States that 33 seniors participated in a seminar course in which they took a pretest, wrote and presented information on a country, and then took a posttest. Reveals that five months after the course students' attitudes improved significantly. (CMK)

Describes an informal seminar aimed at preparing the best undergraduate psychology students for graduate school. Discusses the rationale and the format, including meeting objectives and the student selection process. Considers student outcomes and feedback and the shortcomings of the seminar. (CMK)

Describes a classroom exercise that enables students to critically examine the myth that "deviants are different from the rest of us." Explains that students consider their involvement in academic cheating and their motivations for cheating. Discusses various sociological arguments, other teaching techniques, and an evaluation of the exercise.…

Discusses the five main tasks of delivering a regional geography course that engages the students in active study of foreign language texts: (1) planning the syllabus and scheduling; (2) selection of texts; (3) study guides and class activities; (4) student recruitment; and (5) course evaluation. (CMK)

Examines a case study relating to the delivering of an environmental law module at Staffordshire University (England) and describes the practices that were implemented to facilitate interdisciplinarity and learning of environmental law. Concludes that the changes to the environmental law course at Staffordshire demonstrate the possibility to…

Explores the teaching of gender history within secondary education, focusing on the creation and development of a course on gender taught at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Addresses why teenage students are resistant to seeing the effects of gender. (CMK)

Analyzes the racial politics within the women's studies course "Women of Color," taught from a sociological viewpoint. Uses Ruth Frankenberg's concepts of whiteness, power evasiveness, and race consciousness to gain insight into the racial dynamics of the classroom. Addresses the implications for teaching and proposes teaching strategies. (CMK)

Describes a service learning project in which students addressed the public health problem of rural sanitation in Alabama, which is related to socio-economic status, by researching, designing, and constructing a pit latrine. Focuses on four levels of inquiry and resolution (the social problem, developing and implementing an intervention strategy,…

The American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 aims to identify the knowledge and habits of mind comprising literacy in science, mathematics, and technology. Panels of experts recommended a common core of learning based on utility, social responsibility, intrinsic and philosophical value, and childhood enrichment. (MLH)