Researchers examined the factors driving and impeding effective implementation of recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Australia's vocational education and training sector. The study relied on the following data collection activities: a literature review; an environmental scan of current policies and procedures; statistical analysis of national…

A study examined attitudes, cognitive and noncognitive experiences, and transfer-related behaviors of 277 nontraditional-age Hispanic students graduating from a community college. Measures were developed for family concerns, encouragement, social and academic integration, English skills, and educational and institutional commitments. Variables…

The effectiveness of a California State University, Long Beach, program to prepare incoming students for university-level work and educational processes was assessed in 2 surveys of new students (n=1,100, n=1,613) and 1 of 80 who had taken the course previously. Key elements in program success were identified: course content; teaching techniques;…

Demographic and personality variables and computer use were used to predict computer self-confidence with a sample of students enrolled in online college-credit classes. Computer self-confidence was measured with one 10-choice question. Demographic variables included age, annual income, geographic region, gender, and ethnicity. Computer use was…

This research is the result of time spent on school campuses, working in classrooms, observing lunch areas and student quads, and interviewing students. We tried to determine how or whether English learners had opportunities to learn with and from native English speakers, as well as whether both groups were aware of the presence of each other on…

This monograph consists of 13 chapters featuring a diverse range of perspectives centralizing student standpoints about their experiences in higher education and access programs. Chapter 1, "Student Perspectives on College Readiness" (Jeanne L. Higbee), provides the results of a survey of developmental education students regarding college…

A study of second language learning processes had three goals: to establish a grounded theory on the role of tension, both euphoric and dysphoric, in the formal language learning process; to provide a comprehensive ethnography of the 7-week intensive beginners' class in the French School of Middlebury College (Vermont); and to demonstrate how a…

In March 1992, a team of Big Bend Community College (BBCC) faculty members traveled to Washington State University (WSU) to survey and interview former BBCC students enrolled at WSU. The purpose of the investigation was to assess the effectiveness of BBCC in preparing students for transfer to and continued success at the four-year college level,…

A study was conducted at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to determine if minority students were at greater risk for dropping out, to explore student experiences, and to evaluate existing support services. The survey consisted of telephone interviews conducted with 431 Caucasian and 360 ethnic minority students enrolled at the graduate and…

Attitudes of college seniors toward Saint Mary's College were surveyed in 1981. Of the 403 surveys, 175 responses were obtained. The following areas were addressed: choice of major/career, satisfaction with assistance in choosing a major or making educational plans, plans for the future, evaluation of major program, evaluation of programs abroad,…

The characteristics and experience of mature students at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth were examined in a study in which data were collected from the following: detailed questionnaire mailed to all 298 mature students registered at NUI Maynooth and returned by 164 (55%) of them; semistructured interviews with a sample of 20…

Instructional design (ID) case studies that pose authentic ill-defined design problems in realistic environments can help instructional design students bridge the gap between novice and expert practice. Over the past 3 years, the authors have explored aspects of this educational approach through the development of World Wide Web-based…

A study (n=121 students) evaluated the effect of a radically redesigned Harvard University (Massachusetts) medical school preclinical curriculum. Results indicated that students in the new curriculum learned differently; acquired distinctive knowledge, skills, and attitudes; and underwent a more satisfying and challenging preclinical experience…

A study investigated the effects of graduate department structure, department climate, and mentoring experiences on 1,363 doctoral students' subscription to traditional norms of science and to alternative counternorms in 4 disciplines: chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology. Substantial ambivalence about traditional norms was…

This research targeted the impact of service-learning experiences in one course of a teacher preparation program in an urban, private university. Participants chose either an indirect (food or toy drive) or direct (food pantry or homeless shelter) service-learning experience. Twenty-four undergraduate and graduate education majors participated in…