The core curriculum concept and reasons behind the current momentum for curricular reform are examined, and the issues involved in institutionalizing new core curricular ideas are exemplified. Reform follows from changes in the character of undergraduate education toward less restrictive, more diffuse requirements in the area of general education…

Various approaches to introductory courses in social work research in Canada are described. Objectives of the report are to promote informational exchange among instructors in schools of social work, to provide data on common practices employed in the instruction of introductory research, to encourage innovation and experimentation, and to aid in…

This study was designed to assess major linkages of professionalism and professional education with the public service, to highlight some of the resulting problems within, and among, different professions, and to set forth hypotheses and questions to provoke and guide more intensive future research. Results indicate that professionalism is rapidly…

A brief case study of the resistance to technological change is presented using DOG, a small scale deterministic business game, as the example of technology. DOG, a decision mathematics game for the purpose of providing an environment for application of mathematical concepts, consists of assignments mostly utilizing matrix algebra but also some…

Curriculum reform begun in January 1968 in the English department at Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kansas) is detailed in this article. New offerings feature three "mode" courses: (1) the Romance-Epic, (2) the Comic and Satiric, and (3) the Tragic. Two new majors, the English major and the English teaching major, are examined; degree requirements…

Problems of an interdisciplinary program in university environments where traditional departments have top-billing are the focus of this paper. General conditions that exert a drag and positive factors facilitating the development and implementation of an interdisciplinary international studies program are outlined. The status of undergraduate…

The purpose of this study was to survey student and graduate feelings about the undergraduate psychology curriculum in order to facilitate curriculum revision, to propose student participation in planning, and to improve student advising. The objectives were to determine: 1) the usefulness of the curriculum for graduate study or employment; 2)…

A survey of Alaskan students receiving bachelor's degrees in Alaska and other states in 1981-85 elicited opinions on the quality of the educational experience and the curriculum, the relationship between the curriculum and employment or further study, the perceived benefits of a college education, and graduate indebtedness. (MSE)

This paper reports on research into the field of computer security, and undergraduate degrees offered in that field. Research described in the paper reveals only one computer security program at the associate's degree level in the entire country. That program, at Texas State Technical College in Waco, is a 71-credit-hour program leading to an…

Presents several types of functions which fit a given set of data and create opportunities for classroom discussion comparing different kinds of functions and identifying some of the potential hazards associated with extrapolation from best-fit functions. (DDR)

Two major universities illustrate very different experiences with curriculum reform. At Duke University (North Carolina), a new core curriculum was adopted smoothly. At Rice University (Texas), a new undergraduate curriculum that took long to develop was defeated easily by disgruntled faculty. Some feel public relations and institutional politics…

This anthology contains 52 papers on racial and ethnic diversity in higher education and is designed to reflect the collective ideas of those who teach in this area. Generally the manuscripts present ways of observing and experiencing racial and ethnic difference in American higher education institutions. Articles in part I titled…

This report presents ten recommendations for the radical reconstruction of undergraduate education at research universities in the United States offered by a national commission. Background information is provided in the first three chapters. An overview notes that undergraduates at research universities too often have been shortchanged and that a…

This conference focused on the field of critical thinking emphasizing social and cultural inquiry, through the perspectives of scholars and practitioners in a variety of academic disciplines. Following an overview describing the mission of the institute, and an introduction entitled "Critical Thinking and the Improvement of Undergraduate…

A collection of 27 syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses on language and gender is presented. The syllabi come from a variety of departments, including linguistics, anthropology, English, French, German, and folklore. Special features of the collection include: syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses; ideas for paper topics;…