The Moraine Area Career System (MACS) Tech Prep Applied Academics Core project was undertaken to develop a written replicable model core of applied academics for selected vocational-technical programs that would emphasize Illinois goals for learning and technical content (including critical and computer literacy). A tech prep advisory council…

A project identified students gifted and talented in the arts to participate in a Roanoke (Virginia) County Schools program to develop welding, carpentry, masonry, and metal working skills essential in the production of heroic scale three-dimensional art forms. A steering committee identified nine gifted students from four area high schools. The…

This report presents the results of a nationwide survey on the freshman placement practices of American colleges and universities. The report includes subgroup analyses by degree level, affiliation, size, region, and selectivity. Sources of information used for placement in English and mathematics are reported, including the most commonly found…

This report describes the procedures and accomplishments of the first year of a multiyear project to develop a "2 + 2" articulated training program in health careers that links the last 2 years of secondary and the first 2 years of postsecondary training to prepare students for employment in one or more occupations. A related goal for…

This brief describes a new approach to teaching and learning that can help middle and secondary teachers more effectively accommodate different learning styles, including those of students with disabilities. This approach, referred to as "universal design," holds potential for easing the transition to middle school and helping all students achieve…

Junior colleges, which began to expand in size and importance in the 1960s, have had a profound impact on the economy and social structure of Taiwan. The junior colleges of Taiwan resemble tech prep programs in the United States. Today, 74 junior colleges in Taiwan enroll 200,000 students in grades 10-14 and almost another 200,000 in 2-year…

Implications of a gradual change in the "pecking order" within higher education in the course of the 1970s are discussed. This change cuts across the traditional university/nonuniversity distinctions, and illustrates the growing vulnerability of certain types and disciplines of university education. Focus is on graduate employability. (MSE)

Developments in both universities and public sector postsecondary institutions are reviewed. Discussed are: status differences, government control, enrollment from 1971 to 1981, effects of structural change, women, engineering education reform proposals, professionalized studies, government policy, and staff reductions. (LB)

Presents the results of a three-year pilot program integrating humanities studies at six community colleges using funds from the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Discusses interdisciplinary curriculum development, team-teaching, humanities inclusion in occupational education, ethical modules for technical courses,…

Describes difficulties faced by faculty and administrators at Kentucky's Jefferson Community College in implementing the college's general education program. Highlights issues related to ensuring teaching competency, assessing the program's effects, and maintaining a balance between fidelity to the ideas of general education and accountability for…

Reviews the Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) general education program, focusing on the program's specific applications at MDCC's Wolfson Campus. Indicates that general education at the Campus involves education in environmental issues, social studies, humanities, multicultural awareness, the cultivation of individual responsibility, and…

Addresses the institutional context, goals, philosophy, external constraints, and assessment implications of the general education program at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Indicates that establishing faculty ownership of the program, anticipating faculty turf battles, making larger external connections, and appropriately restructuring the…

Provides an interview with Brian Palecek, an English instructor at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), in Bismarck, North Dakota, and an instructor in UTTC's Integrated Studies Program. Describes the program's attempts to provide an interdepartmental, theme-based curriculum as an alternative to traditional general education practices. (MAB)

Discusses the complicated role of the published writer in academics. Suggests that the writer teaching in a university setting has a similar goal to the academic: to illuminate the human experience. Asserts that the writer undertakes this mission in a creative, unstructured way, whereas the academic does it traditionally and often as a critic.…

This report is in three sections. The first section, "Design Options for an Integrated Curriculum," includes a short discussion of integration of academic and vocational education, references to some curriculum integration models, and nine examples of local Nebraska efforts in incorporating curriculum integration models. The second and…