At state and institutional levels, leaders are discussing and enacting policy changes that could shape the future of higher education for decades-especially public higher education. But when citizens talk about the mission of higher education today, their conversations are different from those of policymakers. How do their values and concerns…

Google Docs, an online word processing application, is a promising tool for collaborative learning. However, many college instructors and students lack knowledge to effectively use Google Docs to enhance teaching and learning. Goals of this study include (1) assessing the effectiveness of using Google Docs in an out-of-class collaborative writing…

Purpose: Few US universities choose an environmental literacy requirement (ELR) as a method to increase student environmental literacy. Even fewer universities have evaluated their ELRs. The paper aims to assess the ELR at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 semesters. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 7,268 of the…

Some U.S. universities use Web-based formats to offer most of the course work required to become a certified teacher of the deaf. Yet little research exists on how students judge the content and delivery of such courses compared to on-campus instruction. Parton (2005) described previous research concerning this topic as descriptive rather than…

The primary purpose of this twelve-week case study was to explore the use of a cooperative learning strategy with small groups of students in a 12th-grade economics class as diverse learners prepared for tests. The complete case study was based on observations of students, student surveys, focus group interviews, and interviews with educators at…

In previous chapters, student teachers' views and the use of model-based instruction (MBI) were determined to be largely positive. But do these positive attitudes and the actual use of MBI continue after completing a teacher education program? Many novice teachers experience "washout" when the attitudes and instructional practices they…

The purpose of this chapter is to advance the concept of pedagogical content knowledge in a manner that would better align it with the integrative type of knowledge needed by teachers at all three stages (preservice teachers, induction teachers, and cooperating teachers), allowing them to use model-based instruction (MBI) most effectively in…

This study examined the coverage of sexual orientation topics within 77 public university secondary teacher preparation programs across seven US states, and represented programs preparing 8,300-11,500 teachers annually. Findings indicated that 40% of programs did not address sexual orientation as a diversity topic. Further, even programs that did…

Academic librarians report that use by increasingly large numbers of high school students is creating pressures in budgets, staff, and materials. Indications are that these demands will increase: students are increasingly sophisticated in their information needs; they are mobile; and school library media centers' collections have been weakened by…

Describes study that examined both currently operational and planned programs where academic libraries are involved in cooperative programs either financed or encouraged by state coordinating agencies of higher education. Limitations of the study are discussed, and a questionnaire and interview questions are appended. (eight references)…

The efforts of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Virginia to increase the production of black recipients of the doctoral degree were studied. These five states have traditionally operated racially dual structures of postsecondary education. Secondary analyses of national and state data are provided, along with results of interviews with…

This study evolved from a survey of all academic libraries in Georgia, designed to identify current online activities in the state's academic libraries, and to predict future directions and trends. The information was gathered to provide a pool of data for comparison, planning, management, and administration of online services, and to serve as a…

Drawing upon selected findings from student and faculty surveys, this report describes the remedial mathematics component of the University of Georgia's Special Studies Program. After examining the need for basic skills programs in an era of declining test scores and open admissions policies, the report describes the Special Studies Program's…

A study examined factors contributing to the decline in numbers of African-American teachers, with four objectives: (1) to identify factors encouraging and discouraging them to consider teaching as a career; (2) to determine differences in their perceptions by background variables; (3) to determine factors influencing them to leave the profession;…

Information on the use and effectiveness of follow-up surveys in four-year and two-year institutions are obtained. In the four-year sector, 55 public and 34 private colleges were included, while in the two-year sector, the entire public systems of four states were compared. This involved 15 institutions in Georgia, 17 in Maryland, 16 in South…