A system for grading student work based on contracts is examined. Types of contracts, methods for controlling quality as well as quantity of work, advantages of the contract grading system, and the results of research into the use of grade contracts--including student reaction to the system--are some of the topics discussed. (JMP)

A model for cross-cultural and interdisciplinary teaching is suggested to fill the need of community colleges for curriculum and instruction models that can help students of unlike backgrounds and capabilities. This model offers a mechanism for bringing together unlike cultures to enable students to look for parallels and relationships. (JMD)

Described is a student group project involving the development of a slide presentation based on some aspect of human growth and development or educational psychology. Included in the description is a list of project titles and a sample of the project assignment outline. (JMD)

An innovative professional development program created by the Department of Educational Administration at Brigham Young University is proposed, which is unique to the department and includes both principles agreed to by the faculty and accepted development activities. Also included is a sample program submitted by a faculty member. (JMD)

A survey of procedures used to evaluate teacher education department faculty is reported. Results indicate that procedures for evaluating teacher effectiveness and criteria for advancement are not precise; student evaluation of teacher performance is widely used, although inadequate; and accreditation does affect evaluation procedures. (JMD)

The establishment of student advisement centers within each college or department of a university is proposed. These centers would be staffed with professional advisors whose sole responsibility would be the academic advisement of college students. Problems with the present system and advantages of this proposed change are discussed. (JMD)

An encounter group formed by nine prospective teachers and their instructor at Auburn University focused on practicing, rather than just learning about, personal relations that support learning. Several "facilitating conditions" such as empathy and respect are identified along with facilitating behavior such as paraphrasing and responding…

Six issues are discussed: faculty reluctance to innovate; stagnation and intellectual isolation; the dichotomy between teaching and research; difficulties in assessing quality teaching; lack of adequate training of college teachers; and increasing lack of personalized instruction and attention. (LBH)

To determine how a film should be used in classroom teaching, the research of scholars in the fields of education, psychology, and communications was examined. Suggestions are offered for making the most effective use of films in social science courses. (LBH)

To assess student feeling toward large group instruction, an attitude survey of 17 questions was administered before and after participation in such a class. Tremendous attitude changes from negative to positive were attributed largely to effective media use in the class. (LBH)

Parallels between selling and teaching techniques are drawn and specific behavioral suggestions are offered for improving a teacher's relationship and effectiveness with his students. Four steps are noted as significant for each class: attention, interest, presentation, and summary. (LBH)

Social and political changes that have been brought on by technological advances have also had a great effect on education. Education today must have the capacity to create a new renaissance man, who is knowledgeable in many aspects of his social and natural environment and who has the additional capacity to adapt and revise his knowledge. (LBH)

A graduate level course at Ohio University, Organizational Behavior, afforded an excellent opportunity to use the sociodrama technique in teaching. Students used the "living newspaper" technique and acted out a confrontation among student leaders, community representatives, and university administrative personnel that followed the Kent State…

Problems and successes of teaching an interdisciplinary and innovative course on the 1960's are reviewed by the team that taught it at Samford University. The basic framework was chronological, with heavy reading assignments and group discussions used to cover the social and political issues of the decade. (LBH)

An innovation in management education is described that utilizes the multi-media teaching case (MMTC). A MMTC presents concrete situations requiring administrative analysis and action in ways that necessitate students using two or more of their sense organs so the reality of the situation is more authentically experienced. (LBH)