Three college instructors, teaching very different content (management, political science, and literature) and using classroom assessment techniques (CATs), compared the results. All found that CATs contributed to self-reflection, that designing CATs helps faculty focus on course and class goals, and that responding to CATs requires students to…

Focuses on technology and the future of higher education. Discusses how technology is forcing change on the roles and models of education; content versus the learner; the role of faculty; and accreditation and value of courses. (AEF)

Develops a theoretical framework for understanding the principles that regulate the expression and reception of "everyday" knowledge (attitudes about sex, drug usage) in the classroom. Investigates three different school-based contexts: the formal classroom, small group interaction during lesson time, and group interviews (outside the classroom).…

Compares the coverage and accuracy of economics in the National Council on Economic Education voluntary standards with the treatment of economics in other K-12 standards. Considers the economic concepts and relationships emphasized in the history, civics, and social studies standards. Includes a table illustrating economic concepts and other…

Argues that, although most K-12 social standards are deficient in their coverage of economic concepts, the National Council on Economic Education standards are equally deficient in addressing history and social studies subjects. Maintains that both disciplines must cooperate and coordinate their efforts for any meaningful educational reform to…

Considers the metaphor of the "bridge" as it applies to Russian-language courses at the university level. The article examines broader curricular issues of technology, innovation, and outside pressures on language teaching. (22 references) (CK)

Proposes an approach to teaching British Studies in an English Language program for foreign students at the University of Lancaster in England. Teachers use ethnographic methods to get students to become "outsiders" in their own culture as a means of teaching them how to assimilate the target culture. Course material is appended.…

Describes a social science methods course where preservice teachers taught a unit on controversial topics involving tolerance and intolerance. Students were forbidden to lecture. Permitted methods included cooperative learning, inquiry, simulations, jackdaws, documents, and sociodrama. Student response was generally positive. (MJP)

Reports on a study that examined the comfort level of eighth-grade teachers who used nontraditional teaching strategies in sexuality education classes. Surveys indicated that most were comfortable teaching sexuality education, though a quarter to a third never or rarely used nontraditional strategies such as role playing, small group discussion,…

A study examined views of five adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instructors of immigrants to Canada concerning their autonomy over curricular decisions, including classroom activities, curriculum guidelines, linguistic elements, teaching materials, needs assessment, assessment of learner proficiency, professional development, staff…

The author's gaming-simulation course at Western Carolina University has been 30 years in the making. Its structure, content, and instructional methods are heavily influenced by the author's professorial aspirations and experience in the use of simulations. In this brief article, the author shares some of his early use of educational games and…

Perceptions of student/professor competence and the reasons for a "chilly" classroom were investigated through a survey of 2,042 students from seventy-seven liberal arts colleges. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests showed statistically significant different responses by gender for all the questions. The perceptions of competence survey showed mixed…

At the core of intercultural communication lies the issue of cultural difference. Textbooks and courses focus on how difference can be approached and ultimately bridged by developing intercultural competence, particularly awareness of intercultural theory, knowledge of specific target cultures, and the communication skills necessary for engaging…

This article presents a model of formative task-based language assessment implemented in the Chinese language program at the University of Iowa. The model was conceptualized from both empirical evidence, namely previous research done by other team members and me, and assessment theory, namely task-based learning and testing. Our formative…

The increasing diversity of learners and their preferences coupled with increasing usage of the computer and Internet prompted the need for testing and verifying the ways that knowledge can be delivered and learned effectively. This research addresses these concerns by comparing the results of a college course, hospitality human resource…