The road to a new degree program is rarely smooth. The author describes the lengthy and bumpy path to the successful creation of and approval for the first nontraditional doctorate offered at Georgetown University, the Doctor of Liberal Studies Degree (DLS). The new Doctor in Liberal Studies (DLS) required applicants to have a master's degree or…

After a 4-month chaotic period, the development of a crude curriculum, which became the focal point of this school and the activity of its members, is noted as the beginning of the social order of the school. (HMD)

The article discusses a practical approach to academic program planning and evaluation based on student needs and social utility. The proposed approach focuses on fundamental characteristics of the academic program planning and evaluation process which are desirable and which insure that educational designers do not lose sight of the more…

Presents alternatives as a part of American education in pursuit of commonly accepted goals, but utilizing progressive educational methods. (Author)

In the early summer of 1972 the Institute for Services to Education formed a small task force group to conduct a limited but systematic inquiry into the status of Black Studies programs at a selected number of American institutions of higher education. The major purposes of the study are: (1) the formulation of a workable definition of Black…

The Learning Exchange System, or Learnxs, was created in Toronto in 1973 as a three-year demonstration project concerned with the use of informal community-based learning resources for individual and group learning. The system produced a detailed directory of organizations, places, and individuals which could offer learning experiences. (JN)

Educators have long acknowledged that not all learning occurs in a classroom. This paper describes an innovative educational program in Minnesota, where the educational facility was built in a dedicated space at the Mall of America. The program is based on an outcomes-based, transdisciplinary curriculum for 16- to 19-year-old youth, featuring the…

To achieve a basic and common level of primary education, the Ivory Coast has developed a program of teaching pupils via television and related materials. Out-of-school education for adults, curriculum innovations, and continuous inservice training for teachers are additional elements of the educational reform. (JMD)

In our pluralistic society, alternative programs in elementary schools should be offered to allow more innovation on the part of teachers, wider choices for children, and more involvement of parents. (JD)

Outlines four categories of "prior" questions to consider before embarking on a distance learning program: "Everyone is doing it"; "The promise of income"; "Computers and networks"; and "Potential students." Identifies other questions that focus on types of individual needs and how they are being met; options that could be made available; problems…

Because more Western Australian students are now completing years 11 and 12 and because many of these students are not interested in the traditional college entrance program, a growing number of schools are offering alternative programs. These programs are extremely diverse across the state and may be either prevocational or general, may contain…

Our Lady of the Lake College (OLL) has been engaged since early 1974 in coordinated development of a competency-based learning program. After tracing the program's evolution from its beginnings in 1971, described are: (1) competency formulation, evaluation and curriculum; (2) experimental programs - the Mentor Program and the Personal Development…

This paper investigates the claim that better curriculum planning will be achieved if educators specify educational objectives before selecting learning activities. After consideration of what is meant by "better planning," the author concludes that this claim for planning by objectives is not valid since an objective can neither be a…

Discusses a study to determine the extent that Michigan Adult Education Alternative Training (AEAT) providers used selected concepts of systematic planning in developing training programs. Finds that 55.6% of 65 responding AEAT planners utilized the concepts. Suggests that planners should also incorporate political and practical considerations.…

Describes efforts by a team of faculty, staff, students, and administrators at a small southwestern university to "Web-base" a graduate degree program. Identifies eight functional system components that must be addressed and aligned to promote distance learning. Discusses key issues and decisions made during development of the system in the…