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The ABET 2000 criteria have provided the impetus for the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University to re-structure the assessment of its undergraduate agricultural engineering program. We linked ABET student outcomes to validated work-place competencies with key actions that are measurable in academic and experiential education environments. Two tools are being used to assess competencies: an on-line assessment system and electronic portfolios developed by each student as a requirement for graduation. This paper discusses the overall philosophy of our assessment program, how the assessment tools are being implemented, and the implications for change in the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of geriatric dental education programs in the United States and at the University of Iowa over the last twenty years is reviewed. The program at Iowa evolved from a didactic elective program taught by a single faculty person to required didactic and clinical programs that include a special care clinic in the dental school and a mobile unit with portable equipment serving ten area nursing homes with comprehensive care. Factors influencing the curriculum development are identified and discussed, and as no dental schools are the same, some general applications are suggested from the Iowa experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the development of a tool for assessing and revising science curriculum in Iowa schools. The tool is designed to aid local schools in developing a sequential, articulated curriculum premised upon their community, student, and staff needs. The science curriculum is the keystone which specifies the processes, knowledge, and scientific activities which students experience in their formal education. There is also evidence that those teachers affected by curriculum decisions prefer to be involved in the assessment and development of the curriculum.

Introducing critical thinking and evidence-based dentistry (EBD) content into an established dental curriculum can be a difficult and challenging process. Over the past three years, the University of Iowa College of Dentistry has developed and implemented a progressive four-year integrated critical thinking and EBD curriculum. The objective of this article is to describe the development and implementation process to make it available as a model for other dental schools contemplating introduction of critical thinking and EBD into their curricula. The newly designed curriculum built upon an existing problem-based learning foundation, which introduces critical thinking and the scientific literature in the D1 year, in order to expose students to the rationale and resources for practicing EBD in the D2 and D3 years and provide opportunities to practice critical thinking and apply the EBD five-step process in the D2, D3, and D4 years. All curricular content is online, and D3 and D4 EBD activities are integrated within existing clinical responsibilities. The curricular content, student resources, and student activities are described.