Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses


Richard Arum - 2010
    A bachelor’s degree is now required for entry into a growing number of professions. And some parents begin planning for the expense of sending their kids to college when they’re born. Almost everyone strives to go, but almost no one asks the fundamental question posed by Academically Adrift: are undergraduates really learning anything once they get there?For a large proportion of students, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s answer to that question is a definitive no. Their extensive research draws on survey responses, transcript data, and, for the first time, the state-of-the-art Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test administered to students in their first semester and then again at the end of their second year. According to their analysis of more than 2,300 undergraduates at twenty-four institutions, 45 percent of these students demonstrate no significant improvement in a range of skills—including critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing—during their first two years of college. As troubling as their findings are, Arum and Roksa argue that for many faculty and administrators they will come as no surprise—instead, they are the expected result of a student body distracted by socializing or working and an institutional culture that puts undergraduate learning close to the bottom of the priority list.Academically Adrift holds sobering lessons for students, faculty, administrators, policy makers, and parents—all of whom are implicated in promoting or at least ignoring contemporary campus culture. Higher education faces crises on a number of fronts, but Arum and Roksa’s report that colleges are failing at their most basic mission will demand the attention of us all.

Foundations of Finance: The Logic and Practice of Finance Management


Arthur J. Keown - 1993
    For the introductory Finance course, given during the junior year and required at all undergraduate business schools.Keown enables students to see the big picture by letting them understand the logic that drives finance rather than having them memorize formulas.

Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article


Howard S. Becker - 1986
    But for some reason they choose to ignore those guidelines and churn out turgid, pompous, and obscure prose. Distinguished sociologist Howard S. Becker, true to his calling, looks for an explanation for this bizarre behavior not in the psyches of his colleagues but in the structure of his profession. In this highly personal and inspirational volume he considers academic writing as a social activity.Both the means and the reasons for writing a thesis or article or book are socially structured by the organization of graduate study, the requirements for publication, and the conditions for promotion, and the pressures arising from these situations create the writing style so often lampooned and lamented. Drawing on his thirty-five years' experience as a researcher, writer, and teacher, Becker exposes the foibles of the academic profession to the light of sociological analysis and gentle humor. He also offers eminently useful suggestions for ways to make social scientists better and more productive writers. Among the topics discussed are how to overcome the paralyzing fears of chaos and ridicule that lead to writer's block; how to rewrite and revise, again and again; how to adopt a persona compatible with lucid prose; how to deal with that academic bugaboo, "the literature." There is also a chapter by Pamela Richards on the personal and professional risks involved in scholarly writing.In recounting his own trials and errors Becker offers his readers not a model to be slavishly imitated but an example to inspire. Throughout, his focus is on the elusive work habits that contribute to good writing, not the more easily learned rules of grammar and punctuation. Although his examples are drawn from sociological literature, his conclusions apply to all fields of social science, and indeed to all areas of scholarly endeavor. The message is clear: you don't have to write like a social scientist to be one.

Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters


Julia T. Wood - 1995
    This text shows how interpersonal communication theory and skills pertain to students' daily encounters with others.

Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction


Douglas T. Kenrick - 2005
    In addition to an overhauled design in the 4e, Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction has two elements that continue to set it apart from other social psychology textbooks. A unique integrated approach to social behavior: Rather than providing a laundry list of unconnected facts and theories, the authors organize each chapter around the two broad questions: (1) what are the goals that underlie the behavior in question? (2) what factors in the person and the situation connect to each goal? The book thus presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior. The new subtitle, Goals in Interaction underscores this integrated approach to understanding behavior.

Electronic Commerce


Gary P. Schneider - 1999
    ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, EIGHTH EDITION covers emerging online technologies and trends and their influence on the electronic commerce marketplace.

Dr. Pestana's Surgery Notes: Top 180 Vignettes for the Surgical Wards


Carlos Pestana - 2013
    But time in the wards is limited, and clerkship covers only a tiny sample of the surgical universe. Dr. Pestana's Surgery Notes, by distinguished surgery instructor Dr. Carlos Pestana, is a proven guide to ensure your surgical knowledge. With a concise, comprehensive review and 180 high-yield surgical vignettes for self-testing, it contains the surgery knowledge you need to excel on the Surgery shelf exam and USMLE Step 2 CK.Features:— Concise high-yield review of core surgery material— 180 vignettes for self-testing— Used by med students for over a decade— Fully up-to-date— Pocket-sized to carry with you in the wards

Business Law: Text and Cases: Legal, Ethical, Global, and Corporate Environment


Kenneth W. Clarkson - 2003
    The book's strong reader orientation makes the law accessible, interesting, and relevant, and the cases, content, and features of the Twelfth Edition have been thoroughly updated to represent the latest developments in business law. An excellent assortment of included cases ranges from precedent-setting landmarks to important recent decisions, and ethical, global, and corporate themes are integrated throughout. In addition, numerous features and exercises help you master key concepts and apply what you've learned to real-world issues, and the book offers an unmatched range of support resources--including innovative online review tools.

Biology [With MasteringBiology]


Neil A. Campbell - 2007
    The book's hallmark values-accuracy, currency, and passion for teaching and learning-have made Campbell/Reece the most successful book for readers for seven consecutive editions. More than 6 million readers have benefited from "BIOLOGY's"clear explanations, carefully crafted artwork, and student-friendly narrative style.Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life, The Chemical Context of Life, Water and the Fitness of the Environment, Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life, The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules, A Tour of the Cell, Membrane Structure and Function, An Introduction to Metabolism, Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy, Photosynthesis, Cell Communication, The Cell Cycle, Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles, Mendel and the Gene Idea, The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance, The Molecular Basis of Inheritance, From Gene to Protein, Control of Gene Expression, Viruses, Biotechnology, Genomes and Their Evolution, Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life, The Evolution of Populations, The Origin of Species, The History of Life on Earth, Phylogeny and the Tree of Life, Bacteria and Archaea, Protists, Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land, Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants, Fungi, An Introduction to Animal Diversity, Invertebrates, Vertebrates, Plant Structure, Growth, and Development, Transport in Vascular Plants, Soil and Plant Nutrition, Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology, Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals, Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function, Animal Nutrition, Circulation and Gas Exchange, The Immune System, Osmoregulation and Excretion, Hormones and the Endocrine System, Animal Reproduction, Animal Development, Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling, Nervous Systems, Sensory and Motor Mechanisms, Animal Behavior, An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere, Population Ecology, Community Ecology, Ecosystems, Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology.For readers interested in learning the basics of Biology.

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach


Stuart Russell - 1994
    The long-anticipated revision of this best-selling text offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the theory and practice of artificial intelligence. *NEW-Nontechnical learning material-Accompanies each part of the book. *NEW-The Internet as a sample application for intelligent systems-Added in several places including logical agents, planning, and natural language. *NEW-Increased coverage of material - Includes expanded coverage of: default reasoning and truth maintenance systems, including multi-agent/distributed AI and game theory; probabilistic approaches to learning including EM; more detailed descriptions of probabilistic inference algorithms. *NEW-Updated and expanded exercises-75% of the exercises are revised, with 100 new exercises. *NEW-On-line Java software. *Makes it easy for students to do projects on the web using intelligent agents. *A unified, agent-based approach to AI-Organizes the material around the task of building intelligent agents. *Comprehensive, up-to-date coverage-Includes a unified view of the field organized around the rational decision making pa

Medical Terminology For Health Professions


Ann Ehrlich - 1988
    The See and Say pronunciation system makes pronouncing unfamiliar terms easy. Because word parts are integral to learning medical terminology, mastery of these "building blocks" is emphasized in every chapter. Organized by body system, chapters begin with an overview of the structures and functions of that system so you can relate these to the specialists, pathology, diagnostic, and treatment procedures that follow. Learning Exercises in each chapter offer a variety of formats that require written answers. Writing terms reinforces learning and provides practice to help master spelling and enhance comprehension.

Organizational Behavior


Fred Luthans - 1977
    Well known author, Fred Luthans is the 5th highest Publisher in Academy of Management Journals, is a senior research scientist with the Gallup Organization, and continues to do research in the organizational behavior area. Organizational Behavior, 11th Edition is ideal for instructors who take a research-based and conceptual approach to their OB course.

Marketing: An Introduction


Gary M. Armstrong - 1984
    Its coverage balances upon three essential pillars: (1) theory and concepts; (2) practices and applications; and (3) effective learning tools. A four-part organization details topics under the headings of: understanding marketing and the marketing management process, assessing opportunities in a dynamic marketing environment, developing marketing strategy and the marketing mix, and extending marketing. For individuals interested in taking an intriguing, discovery-filled journey to the business of marketing--in sales forces, retailing, advertising, research, or any other areas.

Organic Chemistry


John McMurry - 1987
    Why? In John McMurry's words: "I have been asked hundreds of times over the past ten years why I wrote this book. I wrote this book because I love writing. I get great pleasure and satisfaction from taking a complicated subject, turning it around until I see it clearly from a new angle, and then explaining it in simple words. I write to explain chemistry to students the way I wish it had been explained to me years ago." Through his lucid writing and ability to show the beauty and logic of organic chemistry, McMurry makes learning enjoyable for students. The highest compliment that can be given to a chemistry book applies to McMurry: It works! Mainstream in level, McMurry's coverage is concise yet doesn't omit any key topics. McMurry blends the traditional functional-group approach with a mechanistic approach. The primary approach, by functional group, begins with the simple and progresses to the more complex so that readers who are not yet versed in the subtleties of mechanisms are first exposed to the "what" of chemistry before beginning to grapple with the "why." Within this primary organization, the author places a heavy emphasis on explaining the fundamental mechanistic similarities. In this edition, McMurry retains his standard-setting features (including his innovative vertical format for explaining reaction mechanisms) while revising his text line-by-line to include hundreds of small but important improvements. For example, the Sixth Edition includes new examples, additional steps in existing examples, new problems, new phrases to clarify the exposition, and a vibrant new art program. In addition, new icons in the text lead students to a variety of new online resources. McMurry's text is in use at hundreds of colleges and universities around the world, from North America, to the United Kingdom and the Pacific Rim.

A Primer of Ecology


Nicholas J. Gotelli - 1995
    It is intended to demystify ecological models and the mathematics behind them by deriving the models from first principles. The Primer explains in detail basic concepts of exponential and logistic population growth, age-structured demography, metapopulation dynamics, competition, predation, island biogeography, and, in a chapter new to this edition, succession. The book may be used as a self-teaching tutorial by students, as a primary textbook, or as a supplemental text to a general ecology textbook.