Examines attributes of middle level classrooms and schools perceived by parents as inviting, and attributes related to student behavior and achievement. Notes that inviting schools/classrooms are characterized by a clean, neat building, student work displays, and pleasant wall colors. Environmental features that parents believe are related to…

A survey of 55 pharmacy schools found that of those offering a pharmacy doctoral program, three-fourths had a separate course devoted to physical assessment of patients, most offered in the third professional year. Most require students to demonstrate use of stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, ophthalmo-otoscope, tuning fork, reflex hammer. Reasons for…

By graduation, all medical students should be able to demonstrate appropriate attitudes, core knowledge, and basic skills in assessment and intervention with patients at risk from or experiencing violence. Postgraduate medical training should prepare physicians with specialized knowledge and skills, and faculty development for medical school…

The United States Bureau of the Census is making the Internet and other electronic systems the primary sources for its statistics and is actively seeking user feedback on its systems design activities. Discusses the design principles of the Data Access and Dissemination System (DADS) and policy issues of pricing/cost recovery, partnerships, and…

Notes that large-scale qualitative research projects tend to produce vast data pools from observation journals, interview transcripts, and other material that often is barely analyzed in the originating project. Argues that this material represents a valuable research resource. Includes six suggested rules for the use of older data. (MJP)

Defines the post-positivist approach to qualitative research as one that characterizes knowledge as neither conclusive, verifiable, or external to the human psyche. Instead it assumes knowledge to be socially and individually constructed. Argues for a more tolerant and creative understanding of the various research methodologies by their…

Courseware was developed to facilitate knowledge transfer between lecture and laboratory for general chemistry at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana). One project uses a tutorial strategy. Another uses tool-based courseware for modeling and manipulation of simulated representations of chemical systems; worksheets guide student use of courseware…

Society, the university, faculty, and student are four key players in the doctoral dissertation process, which is analyzed by examining institutional practices, dissertation obstacles, and management systems. A five-step dissertation system helps students negotiate the complex process: (1) preparation for research; (2) a research course sequence;…

Increasingly, college teachers and instructional designers are exploring use of the technology of virtual reality to enhance student learning in math, science, and the social sciences. It is found particularly useful for teaching psychomotor skills and may have potential to make scientific concepts and abstract subjects more accessible to…

A study investigated medical students' expectations of the medical school environment and opinions of their academic experience in three areas (teaching/administration, psychological aspects of student life, intellectual climate) near the end of their first year in two parallel curricula: a problem-based learning program and a traditional…

A study compared scores on identical tests in internal medicine for two groups of graduating University of Toronto (Canada) medical students: those in a traditional, lecture-based curriculum (TC) and those in a redesigned curriculum with less didactic instruction and more clinical experience (NC). All comparisons showed a significantly higher…

Argues that strong ethnocentrism exists in TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) in Western English-speaking countries, and that teacher educators in these countries neglect the special needs of international students. Specifies the major needs of this group and offers suggestions for meeting them, particularly in the areas of…

Describes the University of Denver (Colorado) Executive Master's in Business Administration (MBA) program, designed for business practitioners and intended to link the classroom and professional experience. The program includes a ten-day sojourn in China, with preparatory research and a post-visit critique of that research. Outcomes are discussed…

Maccia's epistemology of intelligent natural systems implies that computer systems must develop qualitative intelligence before knowledge representation and natural language understanding can be achieved. Emotion and sensation--capabilities which computers do not currently possess are vital to the growth of the mind (Stanley I. Greenspan).…

Institutions spend millions of dollars on computer training rooms yet give little thought to lighting, temperature, ambient noise, furniture arrangement, and other physical factors that affect learning. This article examines some problems and suggests remedies: changing furniture, controlling monitors, and redesigning rooms. Lists selected…