Intellectualism and impersonalism are seen as making many academic activities miseducative. It is advocated that academics organize curricular and extracurricular activities to direct students toward an understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. [This issue commemorates JHE's 50th year. Reprints of notable articles (HE 511…

Ten reasons for teaching about religion in secular higher education institutions are offered: religion motivates most killings, contributes to most healing, is globally pervasive, has a long and broad past, is hard to define, helps explain many human activities, involves many disciplines, is a dimension of pluralism, relates to practical issues,…

The underlying goal of the scientific literacy movement, to provide science education so all US citizens can reach independent judgments on science-based societal issues, is an unrealistic social goal. A better approach is to develop awareness and appreciation of the scientific enterprise, focus on technology as a practical imperative, and develop…

A discussion of the use of learning outcomes to guide and measure college student learning considers, first, the distinction between "objectives" (educational, instructional, behavioral, nonbehavioral, teaching, and expressive) and "learning outcomes" (subject-specific, student, and teacher-specific). It concludes that outcome statements and…

Discusses the question of whether community colleges are providing valid liberal arts/general education curricula, citing both community college critics and supporters. Argues for a definition of liberal arts/general education that takes into account the educational aspirations of community college students. Considers the fine line between liberal…

A national survey revealed that college English professors still rely heavily on traditional literary texts but are adding new books, asking new questions, and using new teaching approaches. A majority of respondents said a goal was to help students understand the influence of race, class, and gender in literature. (MSE)

Because of rapid growth and social/economic change, higher education systems in Europe experienced two great shocks: the 1968 student revolt and contraction in enrollments and resources. The result is a radical reshaping of bases for policymaking and planning. Problems emerging include economically determined objectives, indecisive curricula,…

This paper presents ten principles of learning in the curriculum that help community college instructors refine their teaching techniques. The principles focus on increasing student comprehension and direct instructors to: (1) foster student interest in curriculum activities; (2) attach meaning to what they teach; (3) emphasize purpose or reason…

The process being used by the University of Montevallo (Alabama) to evaluate the outcomes of its general education program is presented. Emphasis is on the triangulation procedure used to evaluate the validity of the outcome measure selected--the College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) Test of the American College Testing Program (1984). The…

According to speakers at the annual meeting of the American Association for Higher Education, better college teaching requires closer attention to how students learn, but colleges set a poor example for such values as empathy and cooperation. Institutions should encourage student-faculty contacts, emphasize collaboration among students, use active…

The balance between traditional, disciplinary education and practical instruction has shifted toward the latter with social, industrial, and economic change; and college graduates will continue the trend toward jobs of lesser status that they would formerly have ignored. The college curriculum increasingly will reflect this. (MSE)

Points to several influences on the current and future status of the humanities in community colleges--e.g., the tendency for students to take most of their humanities credits in their first years of college; the increasing vocationalism in higher education; and the variability in individuals' readiness for particular humanities experiences. (DMM)

Bibliographic instruction can do more than provide directions on library use for a specific assignment; it can contribute to the objectives of liberal education by teaching skills in asking questions, critically analyzing information, and answering questions. (MSE)

Considers the leadership role played by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) in curriculum development. Reviews AACJC's public policy agenda for 1987. Traces the organization's role in establishing economic development as a curricular priority for two-year colleges, and briefly describes award-winning partnerships…

Describes the general education program adopted by New York's Broome Community College after eight years of debate and a full campus vote. Indicates that the program includes a core of academic requirements and incorporates communication, civic, global, critical thinking, moral, mathematical, scientific, technological, and health education…