This study investigated the effects of corporate financial support on the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) curriculum. The study evolved out of growing concerns that many university educators have related to the mushrooming of university efforts to secure corporate financial support…

In response to recently raised concerns about the effective integration of general education into community college occupational programs, this report offers a review of the literature on general education and its place in the vocational curriculum. First, definitions of general education are presented and synthesized into the following…

During the past two decades, there have been several highly visible developments in education, including behavioral objectives, criterion-referenced test interpretations, the mastery model in instruction, performance-based instructional programs, competency testing, and accountability. This paper is an attempt to weave these various developments…

In this working paper on needed research issues, areas of inquiry are grouped in a way that parallels the programs of the National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL); additional categories are also cited. The following topics are addressed: (1) issues of student learning (participation and involvement,…

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…

A survey of heads of collection development in 104 academic libraries was conducted to determine usefulness of information sources on curriculum change for selectors and extent of library involvement in planning such changes. Procedures developed at University of New Mexico and other universities are highlighted. Questionnaire is appended. (24…

Reported is a profile of nonmajor instruction determined through a nationwide survey of college and university professors who teach introductory courses to non-science majors. The purpose of the survey was to identify the critical issues and problems that exist related to this population of students. (KR)

This study presents a process used to assess the general education component of the undergraduate curriculum, focusing particularly on the components of the methodology that provided the data used to suggesting changes in the program. The study was undertaken at an urban institution with an undergraduate population of 6,000, and involved analysis…

The relationship between higher education and the world of work is examined in terms of the changing structures of higher education institutions and the effect of the relationship on curricula. An international perspective is provided on the changing nature of employment and the labor market; the increasing diversification of higher education…

Analyzes data collected from 132 liberal arts colleges to determine the motivating factors for the presence of gender-oriented courses. Results suggest that highly ranked, nonreligiously affiliated schools are most likely to support these courses. Many also are found in larger economics departments with a high percentage of women students. (MJP)

Presents a rationale for incorporating international content in both general education and career/technical fields, providing a status report on progress to date. Describes four modules prepared by Catonsville Community College (Maryland) instructors for inclusion in criminal justice, air transportation, automotive service, and electronics…

Through the Problem Solving and Reasoning Skills Cognitive Development Model for Severely Disadvantaged Puerto Rican College Students, the Ana G. Mendez Educational Foundation developed a model for cognitive skills development for disadvantaged, low-achieving Hispanics. The program incorporates cognitive skills into existing remedial courses in…

This paper briefly presents a history of comprehensive examinations in higher education in the United States, characteristics of comprehensive exams, and the use of such exams in assessing program quality. This paper then focuses on the experience of 11 program faculties at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), that developed and used exit…

States White, Eurocentric, normative orientation research on people of color has presented a deficit model of the Afro-American. Advocates new research theories and fewer static research methods. Considers an Afrocentric perspective to research, offering a framework for social research for Blacks rather than about them. (NL)

This book proposes a broad view of the college curriculum, suggesting that it be defined as an "academic plan." The plan included decisions about what, why, and how students learn; ways to determine whether students have learned what they are supposed to learn; and methods of using this information to improve the plan. Taking both a macro and a…