Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical Thinking

Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest design, we show that students who completed the experimental course significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific literacy.     

Redesigning Informed Consent Tools for Specific Research

Consent tools for health research generally are designed without contextual or linguistic factors in mind. This is especially true of university-based research. This case history details our design team's efforts to transform one generic consent form into a set of multimodal tools that will increase patients’ understanding of and participation in a medical study.     

Preparing Preservice Teachers in a Virtual Space: A Case Study of a Literacy Methods Course

This article describes a case study of an online literacy methods course offered at a small, midwestern university. Formal and informal instruments were used to assess students' backgrounds, interests, and dispositions. Archival course data were analyzed to examine interactions among content, course design, and student characteristics. Despite variations in self-directedness, dispositions toward the content, and prior experience with online/hybrid learning, 19 of 20 students who originally enrolled in the course were able to complete a compacted, fully online version of this introductory methods course. However, course evaluations indicated that for approximately one fourth of the students, there was a perceived mismatch between course objectives and online delivery. Findings suggest the need for design experiments that address immediacy in online courses and grapple with the issue of whether or not methods courses can be successfully delivered in a fully online format.     

Redesigning the Teacher Education Technology Course to Emphasize Integration

Abstract

Teacher education programs in the United States are trying to equip tomorrow's teachers with the technology skills needed to impact learning in the classroom. During the past decade there has been a realization that teaching technology skills alone is not adequate-pre-service teachers must also learn how to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. This paper describes BYU's instructional technology course and the design process that a team of instructors went through to redesign the course in order to put greater emphasis on technology integration. An iterative redesign approach was used. Several iterations of the course redesign will be shared along with the strengths and limitations discovered in the design and implementation process.     

理工科大学生信息检索课程教学的创新设计

科学技术日新月异的发展使得信息检索教学赖以存在的基础和对象发生了深刻变化.面对这些变化和目前信息检索教学中存在的一些问题,对信息检索课程教学内容可作以下调整:增加文献保障系统和国内外主要文献信息检索系统的分布及特点等内容;弱化人工检索语言,并强化自然检索语言方面的内容;按功能合并各类信息检索系统使用方法的内容;删减专论信息利用方面的内容;提高教学起点.     

建议高校普遍开设“科学研究方法”课程

在大学一年级，建议开设“科学研究方法”课程，因为它适应了新时代培养创新人才的需要，适应了大学生知识和心理的特点，也是培养创新人才长远系列中的重要一环，培养创新人才，不是仅仅给他创造一些外界条件即可，还须直接开设“科学研究方法”这门课程，以便从理论与实际的结合上讲清方法规律，从内因和外界条件的结合上培养创新人才。     

五年制师范专科体育课程设置初探

五年制师范专科体育专业是一门新型专业.目前仍没有一个完整系统的教学大纲和统一教材.依据安徽省教育厅下发的<纲要>精神和学生现有水平,结合当地实情,遵循教学规律和课程设置原则,合理地设置出五年教学全课程.     

美国大学以优秀教师标准重设教育硕士课程

美国全国教学专业委员会(NBPTS)制定了一系列标准与程序来认定美国的优秀教师,成为重新设计教育硕士课程的指导框架。美国许多大学根据NBPTS的标准重设了教育硕士的课程,取得了很好的效果。     

VFP课程教学方法研究

VFP是高等学校一门重要的程序设计课程。本文提出一些VFP课堂教学方法和体会,旨在提高学生的程序设计能力。遵循以教师为主导、学生为主体的教学模式便于培养具有创新思维和创新能力的创造型人才。同时,要重视实践教学环节。     

基础教育课程改革呼唤研究型教师

基础教育课程改革是否成功，教师是关键性的影响因素。基础教育课程改革要求教师实现从知识传授到学生学习促进的角色转换，教师必须从“教书匠”的角色中挣脱出来，成为研究型的教师。笔从学生研究型学习，校本课程开发，教师专业发展三个角度论述了教师成为研究型教师的必要性。     

新课程期待教师主动参与

我国正在全面进行轰轰烈烈的基础教育课程改革,教师的主动参与是新课程改革成功与否的关键因素之一。本文拟从介绍新课程改革的背景与内容着手,指出新课程期待教师积极主动地参与,并简要阐述了教师主动参与新课程改革的意义。     

提高工科专业课课堂教学质量的探索

针对工科专业课教学特点,为提高课堂教学质量,在备课时,应制作多媒体课件,优化教学内容,选用适用教材,及时更新讲课内容;在讲课时,宜采用以讲授法为主,辅以问答法和自学指导法的教学方法.     

灾难教育：教师的必修课

论述了对教师进行灾难教育的必要性。灾难教育的内容,包括责任意识、灾难知识、组织能力、心理品质的教育。提出了对教师进行灾难教育的形式,如系统培训、专题讲座、灾难展览、情境模拟等。指出对教师进行灾难教育的途径是通过教师进修院校、教师所在学校、社会各种媒体提升教师抗灾避险能力。     

中小学英语教师培训课程的设置

本文应用需求分析原理,以问卷调查结果为数据来源,分析归纳出中小学英语教师培训课程应包括以下三个方面的培训内容:英语语言能力及语言文化的培训;教学能力的培训和现代化教学手段的培训.     

课程理念与教师教学

课程理念是人们对课程的理性认识以及在此基础上所形成的对课程的认同和追求，它直接影响着教师的教学。从某种意义上说，教师教学就是课程的实施，而怎样实施课程、实施效果如何在很大程度上又取决于教师持有什么样的课程理念。从课程理念与教师教学的相关性来看，课程即“文本内容与教师意识”、“教学情境与教学互动”、“价值追求与行为导向”。     

计算机专业留学生的课程教学方法研讨

本文针对长安大学计算机专业留学生这一群体展开研究工作.通过三年多的"Java面向对象程序设计"和"Java课程设计"的教学实践,总结出留学生的总体现状和特点,给出了相应课程教学方法的改进措施和线上课程的应对措施.希望对其他高校的相关老师提供参考性建议.     

网络法学课程实践师生互动式教学方式探究

根据网络法学课程实践教学的特点,针对不同性质和内容的课程,进行教学方式创新探索和试验,可分别采用网上“案例讨论式”教学、网络模拟法庭教学和“法律诊所”式网上教学等师生互动方式.为了强化教学效果,要根据教学目标和任务,精心设计教学方案,细化实施步骤和方法,把握关键内容和因素,突出重点环节,强化师生互动.