The strategy of getting students to understand science content using critical thinking has been widely used by instructors for decades. The methodology presented here was used to teach and improve critical-thinking skills in an atmosphere that focused on content material and was devoid of educational terminology. (Contains 2 figures.)

A course on AIDS presents many interdisciplinary opportunities as well as interactive pedagogies. In an AIDS course at Whittier College, students learn about the biological basis and epidemiology of the disease, tackle current policy issues in the United States, and study the effect of the disease in Africa.

An Introduction to Research course was modified to better teach the process of scientific inquiry to students who were not engaged in research projects. Students completed several tasks involved in research projects, including making presentations in a journal club format, writing mock grant proposals, and working as teams to evaluate grant…

Instructors can use interactive Java applets to present science in a concrete and meaningful manner to nonscience majors. This article shows how applets can take the place of laboratory work and gives examples and benefits of using applets. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

Classroom demonstrations are a great vehicle for getting students to apply information they have heard in a lecture. Educational research is replete with data showing that concept application in an inquiry setting reinforces long-term science content retention. This means that students learn best when they experience applications of concepts and…

Discusses ways in which college instructors can incorporate both SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) competencies and academic content in classroom teaching, focusing on increased student participation in classroom-management issues, as well as on students' taking more responsibility for their own learning. (MSE)

Describes the design of an interdisciplinary course intended to develop college students' skills in functioning both personally and professionally in a multicultural society. Concepts addressed include the systems and characteristics of culture; individual, familial, community, and cross-cultural dimensions of diversity; differences and…

A college faculty member who has graded Advanced Placement exam essays on U.S. government and politics, taken mostly by high school juniors and seniors, suggests that high school teachers and college faculty who assess the essays are not the best qualified persons to do so and that despite efforts to ensure consistency, the resulting scores are…

A faculty consultant to the Educational Testing Service for advanced placement (AP) test reading in U.S. government and politics responds to an article criticizing essay evaluation methods and criteria, finding in it a fundamental misunderstanding of the AP reading process and explaining why the essays are subject to less scrutiny for style,…

Argues that statistical literacy is a necessary component of a complete college education and important in combating growing innumeracy in American society, and describes a general education course at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) that includes it. Instruction focuses on societal issues, sometimes controversial, for which an…

Discusses the importance of the first few days of a new college course, and offers teachers suggestions for getting off to a good start, including pre-class preparation, establishing and meeting expectations, establishing student-professor and student-student communication mechanisms, and motivating interest in the course material. (MSE)

A college teacher and student describe the rationale behind collaborative test taking and their efforts to implement it in a freshman English course. The approach, in which students learn to work collaboratively from the beginning of the course, allows participants to solve problems related to a writing task and teaches real-world work skills.…

Describes and evaluates a technique used in two science lecture courses (biochemistry and introductory meteorology), in which lectures were interspersed with frequent, brief discussions within spontaneously formed small groups. Some differences were found in the ways the two professors managed the technique, but both felt in-class participation…

To determine objectively the difference between "committed teaching" and "nonteaching" institutions as ranked in "U.S. News and World Report" ratings of colleges and universities, 1,519 institutions were surveyed concerning their selection of faculty, faculty evaluation during probationary period, evaluation for tenure or long-term contract,…

Reports an experiment in collaborative essay testing in a college course, finding some improvement in achievement, significant reduction in test anxiety, and student engagement in reflective thinking similar to metacognition. In addition, partners generally participated equally in test preparation and content. Suggestions are made for implementing…