Columbia University (New York) dental-school study examined educational/patient care effects of changing from a numerical requirements-driven clinical curriculum to a comprehensive-care model driven by patient needs and led by faculty group leaders. Results suggest a significant increase in number of treatment plans completed by students, with no…

Examines court cases involving financial exigency as a cause for terminating college faculty appointments, confirming the role of institutional data on judges' and juries' decisions. Institutions are encouraged to have some type of retrenchment policy in place, be prepared to supply analysis relevant to the specifics of the policy, and to provide…

This article proposes that college students will contribute most effectively to institutional assessment efforts if they understand how meaningful their input is. This can be accomplished if the assessment system is compassionate, considerate, convenient, communicated clearly, cohesive, understandable, concise, committed, attributes improvements…

Two frameworks for educational assessment distinguished, which is quantitative, adequate for construing some kinds of learning, and qualitative, which is more appropriate for most objectives in higher education. The paper argues that institutions implicitly encourage quantitative assessment, thus encouraging a surface approach to learning although…

A study examined the extent to which broad indicators of performance could be used for university program improvement. A survey of 356 graduates of a Canadian research university found perceived teaching quality contributed significantly to ratings of overall academic program quality. The most frequently mentioned meaningful feature was…

A study using both quantitative and qualitative techniques investigated the role of institutional culture in socialization of newly-recruited faculty in social sciences/ humanities departments and compared them with perceptions of current faculty concerning institutional culture and departmental subcultures. Four stages of acculturation are…

Debate grows over the validity and reliability of college and university rankings, which judge rather than describe institutions, as the public's willingness to accept them increases. While many institutional characteristics can be measured, measurement methods need improvement. One solution is to publish the peer studies that the institutions…

A study used price-response measures from recent national studies to assess college and university pricing (tuition and student aid) alternatives in diverse institutional settings. It is concluded that such analyses are feasible. Analysis indicated limits to "Robin Hood" pricing patterns are predominant in private colleges. Consideration…

A study with 288 college psychology students investigated the relationship between students' perceptions of the reasons for their academic success or failure (explanatory schemas) and the quality of instruction. Results are discussed in terms of the role of explanatory schemas as buffers or compensations for ineffective instruction. (Author/MSE)

Findings are presented from a questionnaire-based survey addressing issues in internationalisation and international collaboration of European higher education institutions within Library and Information Science (LIS). Seventy-five percent of the 30 schools in the survey population responded to the questionnaire. Many schools are making special…

This paper describes the network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs), a collaborative partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for disseminating patent and trademark information in every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Typical information sources and services provided at PTDLs are…

Proceedings of the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers which relate to nontraditional programs, including programs for special categories of students, are summarized. Names and institutions of conference participants are included. (MSE)

Discusses the changing role of institutional research in light of: (1) demands for increased productivity; (2) the need to recruit and retain nontraditional students; (3) the high costs of vocational education; (4) the complex data collection requirements of program evaluation; and (5) the growing importance of collective bargaining. (JP)

The methods and considerations in determining computer needs of both academic and administrative computer users in higher education institutions are discussed. It is suggested that computer power in the future may require local distributed interactive computing networks and/or remote job entry to a large off-campus computer. (SF)

Looks at how Pennsylvania State University is examining its evolving research administration infrastructure and investigating electronic research administration. Discusses use of total quality management techniques to view research administration as a single process, determine the best organizational level for various activities, and remove…