Summarizes the steps taken by Waubonsee Community College (Illinois) in offering courses using multiple technologies to serve their diverse "market" of students. Describes the creation and development of a pilot distance learning paradigm that would expand upon the existing networks by using television access and computers to send video…

This paper, originally given as an address to an African audience of students and academics, examines the functions of education in Africa and argues that the western-oriented approach at tertiary level is injurious to the intellectual development of students. It sets out an analysis of the processes at work in the University of Ghana which…

Critical evaluation of instructional materials is an important but often neglected aspect of instructional preparation. This study proposes evaluation that is more theoretically grounded in sociocultural and context-sensitive bases than are many evaluation guides. A new instrument was developed and applied to materials for teacher education as…

This report makes recommendations to create specific categories and approval processes for special topic courses, experimental courses, an expedited process for courses with imminent need for approval, and independent study courses. Further recommendations are made for policies and practices related to the Carnegie Unit, the relationship between…

In response to some educators' advocacy of a return to a "core curriculum" (a specific set of courses required by all degree-bound college students), this book maintains that the simple acquisition of broad-based knowledge is not the solution to the complex and difficult problems in higher education today. It presents views of the "educated…

An analysis is presented of the position of American community colleges in the nation's educational system. First, background is presented on the historical development of the community college; forces contributing to the rise of higher education and the emergence of junior colleges; and the expansion of the role of two-year colleges to include…

A professor of literature recounts and draws on his experiences in the undergraduate English classroom, providing guidance to other teachers through theoretical and anecdotal comments on teaching and learning styles, curriculum, and teaching methods. The first chapter sketches a theoretical framework synthesized from models of learning and…

This is a report of the National Advisory Groups of Sigma Xi to explore the nature and quality of undergraduate education in science, mathematics, and engineering and to identify the significant topics and issues that should be addressed in charting a policy for undergraduate education. The topics identified are: (1) "Quality of Instruction"…

Five articles by faculty members from the Community College of Philadelphia are presented in this journal issue. "Reconstructing the Academic Environment: A Proposal for the Revision of the General Studies Curriculum," by Martin B. Spear and Dennis McGrath, offers a conceptual foundation for decision making in curriculum development for general…

Problems associated with overspecialization in U.S. higher education are considered, based on the view that colleges provide training for an advanced society but fail to clarify how a particular career will be part of a larger social and global system that has many serious problems. An education that seeks to integrate ideas across disciplinary…

Fall 1985 and Spring/Fall 1986 issues of the History of Higher Education Newsletter are presented. Contents of the two issues include: comments by Lester F. Goodchild on George Keller's article on research about higher education that appeared in 1985 in "Change" magazine; a guest editorial by Lewis B. Mayhew on the field of higher education; a…

General education, or learning that should be common to all, is considered in five essays adapted from colloquium addresses and one essay, summarized in chapters 1 and 7 of this volume, that provided the colloquium theme. In "The Quest for Common Learning," Ernest L. Boyer identifies six essential objectives of general education. Wayne C. Booth's…

The extent to which U.S. colleges and universities contribute to the fulfillment of students' lives is discussed by Secretary of Education William Bennett in an address to Harvard University. Secretary Bennett's observations are based on his experiences as a law student, freshman proctor, and tutor at Harvard University, as well as his subsequent…

A review of literature reveals a need to explicitly incorporate critical thinking skills in the college curriculum. Recent research and theories of reading provide some insight into cognitive processes that would provide a basis for study about how to foster critical thinking. Schema theory, in particular, provides a view of cognition that relies…

Assessment in higher education is addressed in these proceedings of the 1987 conference of the North East Association for Institutional Research. Papers and authors include: "Assessing the Status of Assessment" (Peter T. Ewell); "Has the Middle Class Been Pressured the Most? Multivariate Analysis of Parental Contributions to Higher…