Potential problems of undergraduate practica in child psychology can be overcome if program developers take special care to arrange meetings involving supervisors, students, and academic advisors at the cooperating agencies; supplement student knowledge of abnormal child behavior; and set specific goals for each participating student. (DB)

Describes a two-part study involving undergraduates in a controlled laboratory experiment and in a field study evaluation to investigate technical parameters affecting the suitability of desktop video conferencing (DVC) for distance learning. Frame rate and resolution manipulation are discussed, and guidelines for DVC in distance learning are…

Describes ethnographic field schools as successful strategies for improving methods training and contributing to the development of competent ethnographers and anthropologists. Introduces three essays that illustrate the value of field-school experience for undergraduates and graduate students. (SLD)

The essays in this section offer different possibilities and prospects for first-time fieldwork and make a strong case for directly supervised early fieldwork that includes peer collaboration and individual activity. (SLD)

Describes technical communicators' abilities to learn about software within organizational constraints and resources. Notes that these writers' tactics for learning software included using it themselves, talking to co-workers, studying program specifications, learning from comments on internal reviews, and studying old manuals. Evaluates each…

This article analyzes 255 articles published in seven peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period and presents examples of how higher education researchers undertake the study of campus racial climates; racial differences in access, outcomes, and attainment; and the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators of color on predominantly…

The Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations (LPO) at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, recently replaced the conventional Ed.D. dissertation with a team-produced, client-consultant oriented, culminating report. This article describes the purpose and principles associated with the "capstone" project and describes the…

In this essay, Cathy Sandeen states that the new postsecondary landscape requires looking at higher education as a system that provides multiple pathways in and through the various parts of the system, all with the goal of helping students complete a postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate. Sandeen observes two strengths in professional…

Describes a college level exercise in physics for measuring the earth's resistivity. (SL)

Describes observation research conducted by the author in a state institution for the mentally retarded. Discusses the moral and ethical dilemmas that occurred when the author witnessed routine abuse to patients by the institution's attendants. (BSR)

Intended for use in introductory college-level physical geography courses, this self-guided field exercise involves students in searching their immediate environment for examples of fourth-order landforms that are replicas of large landforms. (RM)

Describes a college course which uses field studies to examine communities and small urban places. The course is designed for undergraduate students with little or no field experience and is offered as an intensive two-week session between semesters. (RM)

Discusses the need for long-term field experiments in undergraduate ecology curricula, and describes a field experiment in long-term succession set up to address this need. Reports on findings from the first year of the project. Contains 25 references. (WRM)

Describes a fieldwork training school for graduate students sponsored by the University of Georgia (UGA). Bringing graduate students to the summer program at the school gives school organizers new perspectives on their own work, surroundings, and relationships. (SLD)

Cornell University offers an urban semester in New York City focused on diversity, multicultural education, and field-based learning. Components include an internship or community project, multicultural seminar, and in-depth study of diversity issues. (SK)