Educators are crucial for student success in higher education, yet they often experience high levels of occupational stress which threaten their wellbeing. Informed by a conceptual framework initially developed for addressing worker wellbeing in the healthcare sector, another sector where workers experience high levels of occupational stress, this…

This article describes a classroom exercise that is designed to help students understand the basic tenets of population ecology (also known as organizational ecology). The macro-level, longitudinal approach to understanding organizations can be difficult for students to conceptualize as it involves systems thinking. This exercise makes the theory…

Academic quality in for-profit vocational college programs is a concern for all stakeholders, especially nontraditional college students. The purpose of this study was to expand understanding of how administrators and owners of for-profit (proprietary) colleges influence academic quality in on-ground vocational college programs. A phenomenological…

Purpose: As a highly heterogeneous group, seniors live in complex environments influenced by multiple physical and social structures that affect their safety. Until now, the major approach to falls research has been person centered. However, in industrial settings, the individuals involved in an accident are seen as the inheritors of system…

Rio Salado is a nontraditional community college that is highly integrated in the global economy. This chapter describes the Rio Salado College systems approach, which relies almost exclusively on adjunct faculty to accomplish its mission, vision, and purposes.

Student death is an inevitable event in the long life of university communities. Although student death is uncommon, universities need to be able respond in a timely and appropriate way to bring the relationship with a deceased student to a dignified close. This article presents a review of factors previously identified in higher education and…

THE PROBLEM INVESTIGATED IN THIS STUDY INVOLVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES THAT COULD YIELD MEASURES OF INSTITUTIONAL STABILITY AND CHANGE ALONG A TIME CONTINUUM. THE STUDY FOCUSED ON THE PUPILS AND TEACHERS IN THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF KENT STATE UNIVERSITY (658 PUPILS IN KINDERGARTEN CLASSES THROUGH GRADE 12 AND 29 INSTRUCTORS).…

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model was used to plan major changes in a large metropolitan police department. Changes involved staff development, occupational socialization, performance evaluation, and result-oriented management. The model provided a satisfactory theoretical framework for analyzing…

This document discusses educational system-environment relationships primarily in the State of California, with full regard for national and other influences. Primary attention is given to the functional and organizational aspects of the educational system and its environment. Before the relationships are specified, a system rationale for…

Planning in higher education has evolved as a response to changes in the environment, such as expanding enrollments, student unrest, economic recession, and pressures for financial accountability. Strategic planning has emerged as one way institutions can handle and overcome the adversities of the future. Definitions of strategic planning are…

Although educational researchers are beginning to recognize the influence of organizational culture on organizational productivity, the term "organizational culture" has been defined from a variety of perspectives. This paper presents findings of a case study that investigated the cultural characteristics of a junior high school recognized for its…

This paper presents a holistic conceptualization of the school as an autonomous system. Two major scientific paradigms, reductionism and holism, are outlined and their impacts on educational administration are discussed. Findings of a study that investigated the participation of the governing bodies of independent schools in the schools'…

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO DEVELOP AN INSTRUCTIONAL AND SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRUCTURE, AND RESPONSIBILITIES FORM THE FRAMEWORK OF A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. THE TASK OF A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM IS TO PROCESS RAW DATA IN SUCH A WAY AS TO…

A persistent concern of those involved with planning, delivering, and evaluating training as well as of managers is whether training "works." Addressing that question, this paper proposes that training must be integrated into other aspects of the organization if it is to achieve lasting results. In other words, training must be viewed within its…

Mathematics education is different in rural schools than in non-rural schools. An explanation for this can be found in an open social systems model of schools, in which schools are comprised of interdependent subsystems that function together to transform inputs into outcomes. These are open systems in that external forces in the environment…