A course in breath-alcohol analysis, designed to introduce nonscience majors to the chemical basis of the two breath-alcohol testers widely used by law-enforcement personnel, is suggested for prospective lawyers, journalists, business professionals educators, and politicians. The course would provide exposure to authentic driving-while-intoxicated…

A new English teacher at the Air Force Academy describes his experience with students' academic shortcomings and his own expectations, concluding that teachers need training in taking risks, accepting failure, and findings ways to foster new learning and growth, both in themselves and in students. (MSE)

A suggested college classroom technique for motivating and rewarding student learning is the payment of play dollars to students for correct answers, attendance, and success in pop quizzes. The method is designed to encourage, not discourage, class participation, and provides students with immediate feedback on performance. (MSE)

The strategy of paying students in play dollars for class participation and learning is criticized as inappropriate, and its effectiveness is questioned. It is argued that the classroom is different from the real world, and one of the teacher's tasks is to show the intrinsic value of learning. (MSE)

Four naturalistic methods for assessing college student learning styles are discussed: direct observation of student behavior, in-depth interviews with students, analysis of self-directed learning projects, and analysis of the guiding metaphors used by students in describing the teaching-learning process. Each suggests ways teachers can adapt to…

The current debate about the content of collegiate general education is more amicable and more productive when waged in terms of alternative answers to fundamental questions than in terms of allocation of turf. As long as differences are merely tolerated, and their causes not explored, political and educational divisions will deepen. (MSE)

In a method called "cooperative controversy," students team up to study controversial subjects, then synthesize their findings. In a philosophy course, small-groups work on a specific philosophical problem. Group work was as effective as traditional lecture in three cases and more effective in two cases. (MLW)

Project 1992, the Single Market Act that will lift all trade barriers between the 12 member states of the European Community (Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom), needs to be included in the college curriculum. (MLW)

Because language exposes cultural values, it is not surprising that American English reveals male dominance in many overt as well as subtle ways. Many teachers may be unaware of their contribution to the perpetuation of male dominance through their habitual use of the generic "he." (MLW)

Due to the nature of his or her handicap and the need for appropriate, innovative pedagogy, the blind college teacher engages in behaviors that may fulfill both the task and relationships dimensions of Lowman's model of effective teaching. Discussed are teaching techniques found to be effective by a blind professor. (MLW)

Little has been written to help new instructors face, and conquer, their natural insecurities. Ten recommendations to assist new teachers in their quest to become both professionally effective and personally self-confident are discussed and suggested readings are provided. (MLW)

The use of cooperative education as a technique for increasing both test performance and interest in a course of introductory statistics was studied. The hypothesis was that students in voluntary groups would perform better than students in assigned groups and that group learning would be more effective than individual learning. (MLW)

A project at Loyola University of Chicago and Northwestern University has three teams of two students each write papers and present them at a joint meeting. One team from a university writes in support of a particular side, while its counterpart at the other university takes the opposite view. (MLW)

A study of whether true grade inflation existed at a college, the scope of the problem if it existed, and what corrective steps, if any, ought to be taken was limited to the years 1979-1986. Data suggest that true grade inflation probably exists or cannot be ruled out. (MLW)

Broader adult literacy in scientific matters is needed urgently in the United States, to improve education at all levels, to restore American leadership in science and technology, and ultimately, for a better informed population. This responsibility rests with colleges and universities. (MSE)