Three years ago, as part of a broad effort to raise academic standards in college sports, the NCAA adopted a controversial rule designed to make life difficult for athletes idling in the classroom. The measure--known as the 40-60-80 rule, or the "progress toward degree" requirement--mandates that, to remain eligible to compete, athletes must…

States that few higher education institutions have publicly articulated clear expectations of the knowledge and skills students are to attain. Describes gap between student and faculty expectations for academic effort. Reports that what is required in students' first semester appears to play a strong role in shaping the time investments made in…

This article attempts to construct a classification system for those places where degrees can be acquired without the normal work output or residency requirements that are expected at all accredited institutions or that are candidates for accreditation by the six regional accrediting bodies. (Author)

This report is concerned with the issues at hand regarding the awarding of academic credit for work or life experience relevant to the field a student wishes to study. Four major recommendations are made within the report: (1) a committee should be set up to govern the accrediting of life and work experience, to determine the overall policy, and…

California State Polytechnic University's continuation group of undeclared majors is a retention program that supported students who, in their first three quarters of attendance, have not yet declared a major. These students have been unable to declare majors because they were not in good academic standing; they were on probation, subject to…

Analysis of the data suggests that program characteristics such as length, stability, and analytic orientation appear to affect the predictive validity of admission criteria to doctoral programs. Also, high-ability older students in this sample were more likely to complete the doctorate than their younger peers. (Author)

A study of Oregon State University graduates who had advanced placement (AP) credits upon matriculation looked at whether those students applied the credits to their degree requirements or completed extra credits above the required number. It was found that the AP students did not have more credit hours. (MSE)

Summary report of the Modern Language Association of America's Survey of Foreign Language Entrance and Degree Requirements in B.A.-granting Institutions. (DS)

Briefly describes the college and enrollment procedures, gives locations of learning centers and smaller learning units, describes Empire State's innovative learning methods (contracts, internships, field research projects, tutorials, etc.), and advanced standing system, tuition, and type of transcript. (EAK)

A survey of 166 4-year colleges and universities examined pre-college and within-college foreign language requirements, foreign language petitioning processes, foreign language waiver/course substitutions, teaching methods, and instructional alternatives. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for students with learning…

The great works of Western civilization, long held up to college students as models of human achievement, are rapidly being replaced by trivia and by multicultural and poststructural studies. With the growth of postmodern studies has come a decline in broad-based core requirements. This paper recommends rooting postmodernism out of the university…

This study determines the typical time lapse from matriculation to graduation for recent bachelor's degree graduates, and observes trends and variations in the matriculation-to-graduation period for graduates of different majors and years. Basic data were compiled for all University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates of 1969, 1970, and 1971.…

This report discusses the various interpretations of the external degree concept, its potential impact on American higher education, and how an urban university may expand and improve its delivery systems to a larger variety of student populations on a sound financial basis. Areas covered include: prospective students; experience with home study…