Increasingly, college and university planners use "future searches" to find common ground on values, issues, and directions for innovative action. These intensive large group conferences bring together a cross-section of stakeholders, such as school leaders, parents, state education administrators, faculty, students, industry representatives, and…

Six papers from the 1990 CAUSE Conference Track VIII: Managing Distributed Computing are presented. Authors discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in providing user managers with direct access to institutional databases to support their decision making and planning activities. Papers and their authors are as follows: "Rendering an…

This program guide assists in discussions of critical social and political issues by providing a framework for considering which conditions warrant a use of military force. The guide examines the question from two different but related angles: military force and those reasons for war most commonly offered. The document includes the following…

In June 1989, a study group was organized at Nassau Community College to encourage faculty to introduce the works of William Shakespeare in introductory literature courses. When the prospect of teaching Shakespeare to community college students was first considered, faculty expressed concern that their understanding of the issues surrounding…

Cooperative learning is a generic classroom technique that requires students to work and talk together about academic material while learning effective interpersonal skills. This packet, prepared in conjunction with the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program, describes the benefits of cooperative learning and defines its critical attributes,…

The Danes and the Swedes have perfected a form of true community education--the study circle. Sparked by social and political issues, these discussion groups have become an integral part of the democratic process in these countries. The history, theory, and possibilities for American use are outlined. (Author/MLW)

With the purpose of developing caring and capable children, this book offers teachers and counselors a collection of over 75 activities as teaching and guidance tools. Characteristics of caring and capable children, which reflect the development of empathy, compassion, assertiveness, and self-discipline, are described. The activities are grouped…

This program guide provides the information a study circle will need to discuss the death penalty. It offers a balanced, nonpartisan presentation of a spectrum of views. The four positions and the supporting material are designed for use in a single-session program of approximately 2 hours. The four positions are as follows: (1) the death penalty…

A way in which to shift the focus away from lecture and the professor during class time to student-centered discussion groups is presented. An exercise used in a course on chemical process analysis that uses the group discussion method is included. (KR)

Four problem-based tutorial groups (n=23 students, n=4 faculty) in Harvard University Medical School's New Pathway track were studied to determine what interactions characterized student-directed discussion. It was found that students selected most topics discussed, that tutors questioned infrequently, provided limited information, and tolerated…

This study aimed to catalog the nature of written message exchanges on a network computer bulletin board, HSJOURN, which caters mainly to high school journalism teachers and publications advisers. The study analyzed the content of messages between December 1993 and January 1995 and cataloged them in the following categories: announcements;…

This guide was developed to assist teachers and media staff in Winnipeg, Manitoba to work together to plan programs that help students develop independent, resource-based learning skills. The first section of the guide describes how library research projects can be used to teach independent learning skills. The guide discusses opportunities for…

This document consists of a packet of materials published in December 1990 and designed to assist citizens in forming study circles to discuss the crisis in the Persian Gulf. The resources are designed to be nonpartisan, fair, and balanced, and try to make the strongest possible case for four different options, reflecting a broad range of…

For a variety of reasons, including overemphasis on professional autonomy, many classroom teachers experience disillusionment and feelings of isolation. This paper explores teaching clinics as a way to break down barriers and foster dialogue among teachers. The Schenley High School Teacher Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, developed a teaching…

A practical guide and checklists for planning a conference concerning strategies for the advancement of women in higher education administration are presented. The guide is based on the planning of two conferences in Kentucky. Checklists are provided for each of the following 15 planning/implementation steps: determine the size and characteristics…