This book discusses, from a British perspective, the ways in which higher education, and particularly the teaching of undergraduates, responds to the influences of the environment of which the labor market is a major element. It is based on studies made between 1984 and 1987 of 49 departments in nine higher education institutions: four…

Indices and manifestations of quality in undergraduate education are considered and a four-part framework is developed. Context indices represent institutional characteristics that remain relatively stable over time (e.g., expenditures per student and size of student body), while input indices reflect characteristics of entering students (e.g.,…

The academic program review process that accounts for conceptual properties of loose coupling is analyzed, and organizational theory literature is reviewed with regard to program review and loose coupling. In addition, the academic program review process used at Ohio State University is described in detail, and the elements of loose coupling…

This volume focuses on two principal aspects of German studies in the United States: (1) an assessment of the German-teaching profession from primary to graduate school, with attention to its "raison d'etre" in the present academic, social, and cultural situation, as well as its structures, aims, and personnel; and (2) strategies for survival and…

This report uses data from the 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to profile undergraduates who were enrolled in U.S. postsecondary institutions in the academic year 1995-96. The report begins with an essay that explores the extent to which undergraduates work while they are in school. This essay found that 79 percent of…

Trends in undergraduate, graduate, and professional enrollment in public and private colleges since 1976 are charted, and the changes in salient student characteristics are discussed, including the increase in the proportion of part-time and female students. The role of institutional efforts to cultivate new constituencies is emphasized. (MSE)

This paper summarizes evaluation data of at-risk student outcomes within the California State University (CSU) System in terms of student retention and academic performance. Findings concerning student retention are presented in the following areas: retention by ethnicity and by admission basis; retention by entering test performance; and the…

This report focuses on key educational and employment areas that might be correlated with efforts to achieve and maintain racial and ethnic diversity in the Oregon State System of Higher Education. Specifically, the report highlights Oregon high school students' college aspirations, estimated high school graduation patterns and college…

This paper briefly reviews the literature on the common factors in effective college student retention programs, then presents a study assessing the impact of the institution's mission effectiveness as distinct from other determinants of student retention. The assessment of retention predictors and the effects of the school's mission were…

The Reform of Secondary Education carried out in Spain in recent years has given rise to an increased number of options for students. This study empirically analyzed the consistency between options chosen by students in secondary education and the later demand for degrees at the higher education level. The sample consisted of two cohorts of…

This volume explores the role and implications of collaborative learning for the mission and future of higher education and college teaching. Part I discusses the implications of nonfoundational social constructionist thought for colleges and universities. Nonfoundational notions of knowledge and social relations argue that knowledge has no…

This paper reviews participation patterns of migrants, refugees, and permanent residents with language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE), at Australian universities in general, and the University of Melbourne in particular. It critically examines the effectiveness of current measures designed to improve the opportunities and university…

This report examines the extent of undergraduate student transfers and the status of undergraduate program articulation among Illinois higher education institutions. The first section analyzes information from a variety of sources on interinstitutional transfer within the state. These data clearly show that transfer among institutions affects a…

The United States is experiencing a change in the school population at all levels of the education system. There is a compelling need to develop an integrated perspective on the literacy needs of the newly diverse population of speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL), so that all language minorities may develop literacy skills for both…

An interdisciplinary course in problem solving, entitled "patterns of problem solving," and its unique peer program offered at the University of California, Los Angeles, are described. The emphasis in the subject matter and approach is to expose the student to the wide range of alternative problem solving techniques and to enable the…