Greatly increased emphasis on field experience/cooperative education programs is being proposed at a time when the assimilative capacity of work organizations to absorb the learners in those programs is under question. Research on assimilative capacity and availability of positions for learners at various stages, federal financial support for…

Opportunities should be made available for students to design their own field experiences with the use of learning contracts. This approach affords the student flexibility, emphasizes initiative and involvement, and aids in the resolution of the problem of school-to-work transition. (Author/JDS)

Discusses instructional innovations in science education, including interdisciplinary environmental studies programs, autotutorial open laboratory techniques, and programed research projects provided in investigative laboratory settings. Describes applications of these innovations at community colleges, as well as the increased use of modular,…