A curriculum activity was initiated to provide preservice teachers with a personal knowledge base of active research procedures through the use of class-related activities. A research component was included in a required preservice class in assessment. Following the principles of scaffolding theory, students who had studied the elements of…

Increased public interest in education is attracting students and career-changers to the teaching profession. This ERIC Digest is organized into questions and answers dealing with teacher preparation: (1) What do teachers do? (2) What are working conditions like? (3) What academic preparation is needed; (4) Do I take courses after I receive my…

Placing education majors in field-based experiences before student teaching has become a common practice in teacher preparation. Two introductory education courses offered at Northwest Missouri State University were designed to provide education majors with classroom experiences early in their program of study. The courses, Observation and…

A basic public speaking/communication course at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a general degree requirement, is using computer mediated technologies to make the class more innovative and applicable. The basic course should provide experiential knowledge of the fundamentals of delivering an effective presentation, and, in a more general…

Forty students in the Executive MBA (Master of Business Administration) program at Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) completed a required overseas study tour, with approximately half visiting Japan and Singapore and half visiting England, Belgium, and Germany. The purpose of the tour was to explore and assess innovative business strategies,…

Historically, the study of measurement and evaluation has not been highly valued by elementary education majors. In fact, research suggests that only a minority of teachers show evidence of adequate preparation in these areas. To motivate students to have more interest in the subject, this study examined the contents of a tests and measurements…

An analysis of 12,000 1982 high school graduates' transcripts, as part of a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, substantiates the National Commission on Excellence in Education's (NCEE) concern about students' insufficient coursework in the new basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer…

In a new required capstone course for medical students, students at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine were asked to reflect on their relationships with patients, their colleagues, themselves and their families, and the communities they serve, using the humanities, particularly narrative domains, as the primary vehicles for…

This music curriculum guide for the required music component of the fine arts curriculum in Alberta (Canada) covers concepts, skills, and attitudes, as well as enrichment and integration activities. Concepts are the intellectual framework of the music program and are divided into five elements: (1) rhythm, (2) melody, (3) harmony, (4) form, and…

The New Center for Learning (NCL) at East Texas State University (ETSU), now in its 13th year, offers an alternative way for students to satisfy most of the general education requirements at ETSU via an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum. For faculty, it offers a vehicle for expanding their knowledge, improving teaching techniques,…

This paper describes the problems and successes associated with the introduction of a compulsory computer literacy course to approximately 600 professional year students in the Faculty of Education Department at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) during the fall 1984 and spring 1985 semesters. The events leading up to the introduction of…

To investigate the extent to which graduate level education students found a required educational research course helpful, a questionnaire elicited occupation information about the student and about when the course was taken, the degree pursued, and degree attained. Additionally, the questionnaire asked the extent to which the course was…

Part of a comprehensive state study, this report assesses the scope and content of Illinois instructional requirements and offers preliminary recommendations toward improving the public school instructional program. Sources of information include state regulations, interviews, historical documents, statistical data, and analysis of other states'…

The first phase of a study of the effects of new high school graduation requirements in Maryland was conducted in 1986. Interviews were conducted with 182 administrators, teachers, and students about their perspectives on new requirements instituted in 1985. Transcript records were analyzed for 249 students from 5 high schools. Interview data did…

Courses required in four doctoral-level administration specializations in higher education were identified. A questionnaire, which is appended, was mailed to each of the program directors listed in the 1984 Association for the Study of Higher Education Directory. Responses were received from 52 program directors. The four specializations were:…