changing standards in required courses

[SMeissne at aol.com]

In a message dated 00-03-22 16:29:06 EST, you write:

<< 
 The notion that students should be asked to take only a course that, judging
 from the number of credits, is likely to be a non-lab course is a travesty.
 This is where the line in the sand must be drawn. While I could be convinced
 that a good, interdisciplinary course that deals with science for the
 non-science major is a possibility, it must be a hands-on course.

Call out the dogs. Call out AAAS. Call out anyone who will support you in
this absolutely ludicrous effort.

jim
  >>
 Hear!  Hear!

After all you would not ask an art course to forget about the paints and 
canvas.  Or perhaps there should be computer science courses without PCs!  
And why should those english courses be expecting written words!  Come on, 
all that writing takes time!  Can't they just teach appreciation?

It comes down to whether science is a bunch of facts, or if it is a process.  
If teaching a bunch of facts is what science is, then no hands-on is needed.  
But if it is a process than science without hand-on is as big a mistake as 
trying to teach soccor without a field to on which to practice!

My 2 cents

Scott T. Meissner

Aure Entuluva!


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