Explored student characteristics and course characteristics influencing why college students skip class. Found that attendance behavior cannot be easily explained and that the decision to attend is influenced by multiple factors. (EV)

In this article, the authors describe a method for assuring the quality of curriculum design based on techniques that have been used in industrial settings for over 30 years. Quality Function Deployment assures that the needs of the customer are considered at all levels of product design and a graphical matrix called the House of Quality serves as…

Southern fiction writer Flannery O'Connor once characterized the South as Christ-haunted, and having taught in the South for eight years now, I have come to appreciate O'Connor's evaluation. Most of the students I encounter understand one predominant way to practice Christian faith: assent to propositional theology. Most of them either accept this…

Online learning is expanding rapidly today in many Canadian universities. Fuelled by Canada's unprecedented broadband access, online teaching is creating new challenges for faculty and new responsibilities for educational developers. Although there is adequate literature with regard to faculty thinking about course planning in general, there are…

This article describes the process of design and implementation of a hands-on unit on fractions in the sixth grade. The fraction unit, taught by a classroom teacher with the aid of a university professor, uses pattern blocks to help students develop conceptual understanding of fractions. Student misunderstandings and outcomes are presented, as…

In this article, the author describes an activity he introduced to his engineering drafting students that involved a Tootsie Roll product. In this particular activity, he assigned his students to find out how many licks are needed to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. He first asked his students to do some research if an answer exists for…

Using longitudinal curriculum data which they have collected over a ten year period from a nationally representative sample of primary schools (funded by grants from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority), the authors report on evidence of changing models of subject provision within the primary curriculum. The period 1997-2007 has evidenced…

A British adult educator describes a course whose objective is increasing awareness of contemporary theatrical productions through the study of particular plays in performance. Steps are: preparation for visiting a performance, the actual visit, and the appraisal of the projection. The problems and rewards of organizing the course are discussed.…

Too much specialization and premature segregation of pupils into arts and science groups have long been seen as weaknesses in secondary education. This article describes a recent development in the examination of science candidates at 0-level. (Editor)

The creation and building of an interpersonal communication course varies with the course content and format, the instructor, and the students. Although such courses have changed over the past 10 years and will continue to change, there are five points of emphasis in which these variables figure. The first point or rule is that the course must…

Describes a technique for teaching a composition course by having each student meet with the instructor in a weekly appointment. (RB)

The primary objective of the high school music literature course is simply stated: the course was directed toward the enhancement of students' understanding of the literature of music. It attempted to accomplish this through a set of specific objectives -- development of skills, abilities or knowledges which are all qualified by the term…

The goal of a counselor education program is to educate and train individuals who will be able to fulfill the role and functions of the counselor in a variety of settings. Practicum is viewed as an essential experience in helping students develop the necessary skills to function as a counselor. A behavioral model of supervision for use in the…