Discusses the groundwork and establishment of credibility needed to start a creative writing program: (1) writing, publishing, and involvement in the writing community; (2) designing courses that fit a variety of student needs and being prepared to teach evening classes; and (3) promoting the program. (VWC)

Describes the course "Introduction to Culture" that is a part of the Ursuline Studies Program at Ursuline College. Explains that the course is derived from the ideas of urban philosopher, Lewis Mumford, and discusses his ideas in detail. Reviews the academic goals of the course and the examines the broader Ursuline Studies Program. (CMK)

Provides suggestions for using active learning as the primary means to teaching statistics in order to create a collaborative environment. Addresses such strategies as using SPSS Base 7.5 for Windows and course periods centered on answering student-generated questions. Discusses various writing intensive assignments. (CMK)

Describes the development and implementation of a cross-listed undergraduate and graduate-level child psychology course taught over the Internet. Describes course content and instructional goals. Outlines the opportunities and pitfalls of teaching in a virtual classroom. (CMK)

Examines the effects of music teacher delivery skills, lesson content, and student academic standing on 511 university music students' perceptions of lesson quality or teacher appeal. Indicates that student interest and preference varied by academic standing, teacher delivery, and lesson quality. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines materials provided to adult, part-time students of the British Open University's language courses and highlights elements of the courses that are explicitly political education. Draws on interviews with course creators to explore cultural content and representations of the target culture. Attempts to make explicit the implicit assumptions…

Describes an exercise used in Sociology of the Family classes, in which students interact with international students through electronic mail to promote cross-cultural conversations. Explains that students gain an "insider" view into another culture and an "outsider" view that helps them see their own culture from another perspective. Includes…

Demonstrates that popular music's potential as a tool for teaching interactive introductory sociology courses is enhanced when a cultural analysis of a specific music genre is incorporated into the classroom. Presents a two-part model for integrating a cultural analysis of heavy metal music and its subculture into the introductory course. Includes…

Analyzes the academic stock-story that portrays ethnic studies classes as limited in substantive content, noncomparative, and only useful if they meet specialized curriculum needs. Discusses how to structure a Chicano sociology class as response to the academic stock-story and addresses the advantage of a diversity requirement in universities.…

Discusses the creation and content of a high school course on popular music performance. Describes how the teacher decided on aspects of the course, such as student background, transcription exercises, the student report on a popular music artist, and opportunities for performance. Reflects on what the teacher learned from the experience. (CMK)

The role of educational psychology classes is often implied because of its inclusion in most teacher education programs; however, the struggle over how to structure courses has often resulted in learning experiences that do not best meet the needs of all students. The major controversy centers on both the course content and methodology used by…

Several student and course characteristics were examined in relation to student ratings of instruction. Students at a major Canadian university completed the Universal Student Ratings of Instruction instrument at the end of every course over a three-year period, providing 371,131 student ratings. Analyses of between-group differences indicate that…

As part of a large-scale instructional intervention research, this study examined elementary students' science knowledge and awareness of social activism with regard to an increased greenhouse effect and global warming. The study involved fifth-grade students from five elementary schools of varying demographic makeup in a large urban school…

Social cohesion is understood as the social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from connections among individuals. When students attend higher education institutions, they go through a process of socialization, and it is vital to ensure that they acquire the core values that underpin the social cohesion. This…

The introductory survey of media course is a standard offering in many media studies programs. Students' points of view about controversial issues treated in this class are quite susceptible to change. Indeed, a deliberately value-added approach to teaching this class acknowledges and appreciates that student opinions are likely to change in the…