Conflicting views on the purpose of the undergraduate college curriculum would hold that either (1) the curriculum is too fragmented and needs coherence and structure; or (2) the curriculum is too restricted and needs to be more open and diverse. (DB)

The paper considers the current health care crisis in rural and inner city areas and proposes changes in physician education including changes in premedical education and medical school admissions criteria. Changed criteria could encourage more broadly educated students to enter the medical profession thus maintaining high standards while meeting…

Three limitations in the undergraduate degree are identified, and an approach to course selection compensating for them is proposed. The strategy emphasizes that each course should provide multiple functions in meeting degree requirements and fulfilling educational objectives. A checklist for making coherent curricular choices is included. (MSE)

At the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges, Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College, charged that students are not required to devote adequate time to general education. Changing the way the major is organized, he said, is difficult because change goes against in-grained traditions and structures. (MLW)

Discusses the future of the home economics profession and argues that those who receive graduate degrees will be critical to that future. (JOW)

Graduate education socializes future professors to be specialized, scholarly researchers who can only communicate effectively with colleagues, placing little value and time on teaching. Universities emphasize grants attainment and publication and offer few rewards for good teaching--to the detriment of the general education provided to first- and…

States that the usefulness of expert systems has caused them to become more popular in the work environment. Discusses how to incorporate material on expert system concepts into introductory courses in accounting and statistics at the undergraduate level and in quantitative analysis at the graduate level. (Author)

The authors argue for the necessity of integrating general education and professional preparation and present a conceptual framework for professional preparation. They identify areas where interdisciplinary cooperation can provide meaningful educational experiences for nursing students. (SK)

Discussed is the idea that fundamental engineering research must be funded in both universities and industry to maintain U.S. competitiveness in the global market. The importance of an adequate level of fundamental engineering research in universities, industry, and government to which the education of undergraduate students, graduate students,…

When effectively structured and related to discipline-based knowledge, public and community service-based learning is the means for linking the development of social responsibility with the improvement of undergraduate education. (SK)

A social analysis of policy discourse on undergraduate education, through four reform reports, suggests that the ideas embedded in the reports are framed by the conception of the elite liberal arts college as the collegiate ideal, and value and advantage some social groups more than others. (Author/MSE)

John Dewey's writing is explicit concerning the moral responsibilities of education in democracy. These moral dimensions provide a framework for identifying characteristics of good undergraduate education consistent with recent reports and the pedagogy of service learning. Articulation of these characteristics supports the value of service…

Discusses the importance of out-of-class experiences and reviews the literature on outcomes of this "other" or "informal" curriculum. Argues that, by sharing some data on academic and professional socialization from students, faculty, and departments, most departments do not adequately provide these opportunities. Evaluates barriers to providing…

Argues that the organization and practice of higher education is based on faulty assumptions about the structure of knowledge and nature of learning. Proposes an alternative form of undergraduate education based on the principle that learning takes place through the activity of the learner, and emphasizing the individual nature of learning,…

Examines the significance of forging partnerships between academic affairs and student affairs, partnerships that advance student learning, foster educational attainment, and reinvigorate undergraduate education. Details the nature of the partnerships, the benefits, and obstacles to their foundation. Concludes with a discussion of implications for…