One possible approach would be double listing the course as a 200 and
400-level course with additional requirements for the 400-level students,
such as a term paper or project or to serve as tutors/lab aides for the
other students. An advantage of this approach is that it prevents
advanced students taking a lower level course from getting bored.
Students who serve as tutors/lab aides usually take the job seriously and
learn more by having to teach others. One approach is for the instructor
to have an extra hour meeting each week with the advanced students to
either provide a more in-depth coverage of certain topics or to prep for
upcoming labs. In one lecture course using this double-listing, each
advanced student presided over a weekly discussion hour with a section of
regular students.
Such double listing is most often done for advanced undergrad courses so
graduate students can get graduate credit for them.
*********************************************************************
David R. Hershey
Snail mail: 6700 Belcrest Road #112, Hyattsville, MD 20782-1340
Adjunct Professor, Biology/Horticulture Dept.
Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD 20772-2199
Email: dh321 at pgstumail.pg.cc.md.us
*********************************************************************
On 14 May 1997, Cynthia M. Galloway wrote:
> We are currently trying to add more Botany and Conservation-type courses to
> our curriculum and have run up against an interesting problem and were
> wondering if other Universities had the same problem. We offer a 100 level
> Introductory Botany course that is required of all majors. All other Botany
> courses are at the 400 or senior level with the exception of Plant Taxonomy
> which is a 300 level course. The courses we would like to offer we would
> like to offer at the 200 level. These courses may be Ethnobotany or Plants
> and Man or Conservation of Natural Resourses. The problem is that majors
> will not take a nonadvanced course (under 300) because it does not count
> toward graduation and nonmajors won't take an advanced course because they
> think it will be too hard. So, if we try to attract majors by giving an
> inflated course number we will be scaring off nonmajors. The subject matter
> needs to get out but, how?? Our students refuse to take a course they don't
> have to take and no one seems to be taking classes just because they are
> interested in the subject. Is this a general trend across the Nation??
>> Cyndy
>> Dr. Cynthia M. Galloway
> Assoc. Professor of Biology
> Dept. of Biology
> Campus Box 158
> Texas A&M University
> Kingsville, TX 78363
>> (512)593-3790
>>
