Based on the assumption that Britain is moving toward mass higher education while the U.S. is on the verge of universal access, the three papers in this volume summarize prospective changes in some of the major characteristics of students in the two countries. Forms of British expansion are discussed. One of these is the new 2-year Dipolma of…

Harvard's recommendation of a core curriculum is examined and related to the general status of American higher education. It is suggested that the Harvard curriculum offers insight into the crisis faced by academe, and that the so-called reforms reveal failures of imagination and will and offer too little too late. They fail to examine the…

Describes the history and evolution of the Ph.D. in Education, initiated in May 1980 and designed to be interdisciplinary, oriented toward theoretical research, and complementary to the Ed.D. programs of the College of Education. Summarizes program achievements, e.g., 24 graduates, awards for dissertations, and policy for computer language…

Workforce demands are pressing community colleges to adapt the certificate and degree programs they offer. Currently, colleges in Hawaii, Arkansas, Utah, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and West Virginia as well as Canada offer the community college baccalaureate degree which, according to the authors, has moral, social, economic, and…

An examination of the role of the associate degree in community colleges in the United States is presented in this report, based on a review of the history of the degree; surveys of community colleges, major companies, educators, and professional associations; and the work of the National Task Force on the Redefinition of the Associate Degree.…

The genesis of Harvard's new Core Curriculum, which resulted in major changes in the university's general education program in the 1970s, is presented in a candid account. The narrative highlights the contest of conflicting beliefs about the ends and means of undergraduate education, and reveals the strategies employed to resolve conflicts and to…

Discusses the role of political science in undergraduate education, focusing on the discipline's contribution to the general education portion of the baccalaureate. Suggests that introductory courses reduce coverage in order to provide general education students with a better understanding of the material presented, resulting in greater interest…

Colleges that train schoolteachers are encouraged to stiffen their admissions and graduation requirements and give prospective teachers a bigger dose of the liberal arts. The report of the National Commission for Excellence in Teacher Education is discussed. (MLW)

Student evaluation methods (pass-fail vs. traditional grading) for Britain's honors curriculum are discussed. The British educational tradition concerning the honors degree is outlined, and the rationale for grading is examined. It is recommended that pass-fail grading based on specified learning outcomes be adopted for educational and practical…

The interplay of institutional reform efforts and the role of external actors (public officials and agencies, private sector entities) have brought about changes in teacher education programs, e.g., fifth-year program innovations. A naturalistic case study approach was used to investigate structural and substantive changes in four extended teacher…

Examines transfer of the college credit allocation system, prevalent in American higher education, into a Chinese context. Case study of use of the credit system at Shenzhen University, southern China, indicates that cultural, environmental, and structural factors contribute to the transfer's ineffectiveness. Specialization and narrow curriculum…

Various authors present their opinions on the changes occurring in British postgraduate education in geography. Professors and students concur that the objective of postgraduate coursework should be to contribute directly to the production of the Ph.D. thesis. A dissenting opinion argued that programs should concentrate on training for future…

Describes a multimethod assessment of psychology student outcomes at the University of Northern Colorado. Nineteen goals and objectives for psychology majors were identified. Describes changes in the psychology program prompted by the assessment results. (CFR)