This project is enabling the Departments of Geological Sciences and Astronomy to develop a series of new freshmen/sophomore seminars for all liberal-arts undergraduates at the University of Michigan. The goals of these seminars are to enhance the science instruction of potential science majors as well as non- science majors. These seminars are limited in enrollment to twenty students, are taught by senior faculty, have teaching assistants to provide extensive outside-class help to students, and require an oral presentation as well as a written paper on selected topics. Seminars are in-depth treatments of scientific issues (in astronomy, geology, paleontology or oceanography) which are of importance to students' lives; the courses are not meant to he comprehensive introductory offerings. Ample time for in-class question/answer periods and discussions enhance student participation and critical thinking; at the same time, the classes with their small size provide better opportunity for student-faculty contact than our present large lecture offerings. Some of these seminars have hands-on laboratory or computing components, others are planned with short field trips. The teaching assistants associated with these seminars help lead discussions and give occasional lectures under close supervision of the faculty; this allows us to train these TA's in classroom methods. It is hoped that an increase in the numbers of undergraduate concentrators in science fields will be an eventual result of these seminars.
