In the late 1970s, it became clear to a group of Kirkwood Community College (KCC) faculty and administrators that fewer and fewer students were taking humanities courses, that students' selection of courses was usually imbalanced, and that most had little idea of what the term "humanities" embraced. With a grant from the National…

A description is provided of the rationale for, objectives of, and unique and innovative features of St. Petersburg (Florida) Junior College's (SPJC's) Interdisciplinary Studies Program (IDS). First, the paper discusses the national context of renewed attention to the liberal arts, the higher education milieu in Florida, and SPJC's general…

This report charts the progress of the attempt at Canterbury College of Technology to develop and implement a fully integrated course--a Business and Technician Education Council (BTEC) General Diploma full-time course in business studies. Section One describes the course structure. Section Two discusses staffing, including the composition and…

Graduates from the Tarkio College (Missouri) school of education were surveyed in an effort to assess the worth of the core course program required of all education majors. Eleven responses were received. The areas included in the questionnaire were career information, required course information, elementary certification information, pre-student…

This bibliography is intended to assist teachers and administrators involved in competency-based, English as a second language (ESL) instruction. The materials included in the bibliography have been correlated with the core curriculum competencies of the Mainstream English Language Training (MELT) Project. The guide is divided into three parts.…

One of the most significant challenges confronting college instructors who teach international politics survey courses is the coverage of current events issues and how to stimulate student interest about the issues. This paper describes two techniques, a current events sweepstakes and a Great Decisions roundtable, designed to infuse current events…

This report examines ways of providing technician training in the operating principles of robotic devices. The terms "robotics" and "robotic arms" are first defined. Some background information on the principal features of robotic arms is given, including their geometric arrangement, type of actuator used, control method, and…

This guide, developed for the chemistry 200, 300 program in Manitoba, is designed to articulate with previous science courses, provide concepts, processes, and skills which will enable students to continue in chemistry-related areas, and relate chemistry to practical applications in everyday life. It includes a program overview (with program goals…

Chinese children must attend school until age 16, and education consists of elementary schools for ages 6-13 and lower middle schools for ages 13-16. While the economic planning of the national government in Beijing (China) dictates what will be emphasized, the school curriculum includes instruction in ideology, Chinese language, calligraphy, fine…

This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs draws on a report by William Clune and others entitled "The Implementation and Effects of High School Graduation Requirements: First Steps Toward Curricular Reform." Evidence from this indepth study of the effects of education policies in six states indicates that state-mandated increases in minimum course…

The Collaborative Probing Model (CPM) is a heuristic approach to writing across the disciplines that stresses discovery, process, and assessment. Faculty input will help the English department design an oral and written communication block that will be unified by a series of interdisciplinary videotaped presentations. CPM also uses flow charting…

This study analyzed the curriculum to which prospective teachers were exposed during their baccalaureate program in comparison with arts and sciences graduates. Transcripts of college graduates from 17 universities in the south were examined; 2,760 were classified as arts and sciences majors not certified to teach, and 3,283 were classified as…

This paper discusses the effects of reestablished or redefined core curriculum requirements on college speech communication programs, based on the survey responses of speech communication faculty members at 104 four-year schools. The following conclusions and recommendations are presented as a result of the survey: Although many employers consider…

General education is the process of developing a framework on which to place knowledge stemming from various sources, of learning to think critically, develop values, understand traditions, and respect diverse cultures and opinions. Its rationale is the freedom enjoyed by an informed citizen. General education has had an unstable history due to…

The University of Minnesota's rhetoric department surveyed other Big Ten universities for the procedures used by those schools to exempt students from the required freshmen writing course and analyzed data about students in their own required rhetoric courses (Rhetoric 1101/1102). The school survey shows that nine Big Ten schools have required…