Increases in the number of older students are prompting some colleges to reconsider the purpose of undergraduate liberal education and adjust curricula and teaching methods to accommodate the more eager, active learners. Adult students may be more directly motivated by rising job requirements and a readiness for liberal arts. (MSE)

Discussion at the Wingspread Conference on the New American College (August 1994) concerning a new model of educational excellence in higher education is summarized. The model emphasizes the need to connect general education with specialized education, theoretical learning with practical learning, and development of intellectual skills with…

Colleges and universities must do more to prepare graduates to deal with serious environmental challenges. The decline in environmental quality presents higher education with an opportunity to create a truly interdisciplinary curriculum, revitalize pedagogy, and redesign the campus to reduce cost, lower environmental impact, and help catalyze…

College grades do not reflect many of the skills most relevant to jobs, contributing to discontinuity between higher education and the world of work. Ability tests, bio-data, work samples, and job analyses are job selection strategies that make the most explicit use of material associated with a college education. (MSE)

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin was created as an upper-division and graduate institution for community college transfer students. It instituted many innovations, including elimination of departments, integration of undergraduate/graduate education, year-round enrollment, contract study, modular classrooms, a faculty trained at…

Discusses the influence of the number of liberal arts courses and course stratification upon community college transfer rate, indicating that colleges with below-average liberal arts ratios had disproportionately low transfer rates. Suggests that precollegiate, freshman, and sophomore stratifications, including remedial education programs, in the…

Surveys the frequency of social studies methods courses in Louisiana colleges and universities. Shows that 9 of the 12 responding institutions require the courses. Finds that social studies methods textbooks are the primary resource and are supplemented by lectures and discussion. Identifies the most frequently taught content topics as the…

A study used the Coursework Cluster Analysis Model to assess comparability of community college and lower-division courses taken by 76 transfer students and 168 "native" students at Southern University (Louisiana). Results indicate that the different student abilities and backgrounds and different institutions produced different kinds of…

Issues in the debate over expansion of British mass higher education are examined, including the need to encourage institutional diversity, expand part-time study, integrate part- and full-time programs, provide funding based on student credit points and integrated financial aid, and raise awareness of these issues in the academic community. (MSE)

Traces Asian studies' infusion into the curriculum at Columbia University. Attributes the program's development to Wm. Theodore de Bary's influence, including his translating and editing of primary sources. States his work continues to serve as basic texts in Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Buddhist traditions. Discusses his views on scholarship,…

Reports on a survey conducted to determine whether two-year colleges are prepared to meet commerce/industrial needs for a more sophisticated and globally competitive workforce. Presents findings related to the internationalization of occupational curricula, short-term training and services, the characteristics of heavily involved colleges, and the…

Described is a professional development program at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Discussed are the teaching of the relationship of civil engineering to society and ethics, issues about the style of this type of course, and summative evaluation. Recommendations are provided. (CW)

Discussed are the objectives of higher technical education, and computer hardware and software requirements for engineering education. One approach to meeting these objectives is described using a Belgian university as an example. (CW)

Reports a survey that indicates approximately half of U.S. political science departments offer an introductory course in urban politics and that enrollments have remained steady, although the course's popularity has declined since the 1970s. Discusses textbooks used and course objectives, revealing a shift from a reformist orientation to…

Reviews the rationale and evolution of the Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) movement and applies it to college level sociology courses. Suggests criteria for selecting writing assignments to meet specific objectives. Recommends the use of "dialogue notebooks," a modified form of student journals. (CFR)