When a new administration came to Michigan's Wayne County Community College (WCCC) in 1985, the college evidenced several characteristics of a failing institution: poor media image, continuing budget deficits, declining enrollments, and probationary accrediation status. To address these problems and the demoralization that had accompanied them,…

From a search of (mostly French) literature, a hypothesis was formulated that students with both academic training and work experience would solve a practical learning problem more easily than students with academic learning only. A study was conducted at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris to test this hypothesis. Two groups,…

Exemplars of research on academic programs are considered in relation to the qualities of research and types of information used as a framework for analysis. It is suggested that serious investigations of the postsecondary curriculum are characterized by: efforts to move from particularistic approaches to the stipulation of universalistic…

The problem of maintaining quality in higher education is addressed. It is suggested that there is a need to move from "managerialism" to concern for meeting individual rather than institutional needs. Progress in management information systems and efforts to improve accountability cannot be equated with achieving educational quality. The…

In search of a method to increase the power of the educational experience for integrating student experience, many scholars have turned to the idea of interdisciplinarity. Apart from philosophical questions of values and epistemology there are operational problems of some significance. To meet them many advocates have proposed modifications in the…

A dichotomy is often seen between liberal arts or academic education and technology education. Practitioners of each school often feel in competition with each other for students and resources. There is, however, common ground on which to build an educational approach that eliminates the sharp cleavage between liberal arts education and technology…

Problems of collegiate athletics are identified: failure to prepare athletes for employment, underfinancing of women's sports, and inadequate athletic recreation for many students. A monitoring system on recruiting, financial aid, academic eligibility is suggested along with institutional cooperation to reduce the competitive pressure. (Author/MLW)

Two major research and development initiatives have been undertaken at Temple University's Center for Vocational Education Professional Personnel Development. The first focused on student learning outcomes and delivery configurations relating to the integration of academic and vocational education. The second focused on building the capacity of…

When designing a contemporary curriculum in communication, it is important to adapt the specific set of skills and knowledge to the needs of the marketplace. The change in the transformation from speech to communication to communication/information technology is reflected in the various names of university departments. Schools that have changed…

This paper explores the question of the relative quality of the academic and professional components of teacher education programs from three different angles: (1) a critical assessment of several widely publicized and representative critiques of education courses with a focus on describing the variety of the criticisms and on assessing the…

Noting that the program is primarily a reading and verbal skills program for adult learners, this paper describes the Academic Remedial Training (ART) Program of the U.S. Navy. The first section of the paper discusses the historical background of the program. The second section describes the reading skills component and the verbal skills component…

Among the conditions necessary for learning to occur within the educational process are those of intentionality and guidance. A learner must necessarily be allowed choice in entering into educational transactions. Autonomy on the part of the learner in the educational process is not an option, but a necessary condition for the proper functioning…

Action-learning, activities designed to give students the opportunity to acquire and apply knowledge in practical situations and to learn via participation, is a popular concept aimed at restoring relevancy to the public schools. Vocational and occupational curriculum, experience-based academic programs, and various volunteer and career education…

Causes contributing to academic program audit and review becoming a means of resource reallocation in higher education are considered, along with principles relevant to its management, and major issues surrounding its development and implementation. The current interest in the audit and review of established academic programs is linked to…

The status of the sociology of sport within the discipline of sociology is explored. Review of the subfield since 1971 indicates an increase in the number of publications and communication relating to sport sociology topics. It is hypothesized, however, that sport sociology will not in the near future receive equal acceptance within sociology with…