The report is a comprehensive survey of incoming freshmen at the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP). The profile includes 2493 new students surveyed during their summer 1997 orientation. The student make-up included 53 percent males and 47 percent females; 64 percent were Caucasian and 36 percent were from minority ethnic or racial…

Learning in Retirement (LIR) programs are formal programs predicated on the principle that adult learners are capable of developing, designing, and delivering high-quality instructional programs. Issues associated with teaching computer use to senior citizens were examined in a case study of a small private college's establishment of an LIR…

This self-assessment manual and its companion publication on preparing for accreditation explains how further education (FE) colleges throughout the United Kingdom can use self-assessment to achieve and document measurable improvements in their operation and services to increase their chances for accreditation. The following are among the topics…

Discusses benefits of combining traditional agricultural techniques with the concepts of "permaculture," a framework for revitalizing traditions, culture, and spirituality. Describes school, college, and community projects that have assisted American Indian communities in revitalizing sustainable agricultural practices that incorporate…

A survey of 96 United States and 9 Canadian medical schools found that the large majority accepted students with learning disabilities and claimed to make some academic accommodations. Most would administer nonstandard (i.e., nontimed) licensing examinations, and many reported that their affiliated postgraduate medical-training programs would also…

In a report entitled "Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers" (National Academy of Sciences, 1995), the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy proposed a modified PhD training model that retains an emphasis on intensive research experiences, while incorporating additional experiences to prepare graduates for an…

Offers suggestions concerning the structure and content of "Introduction to German Literature" courses. (PP)

By reading negative criticisms of assigned books and stories, students may gain a better command of those works and of the processes of talking and writing about literature. (JH)

An experimental program was conducted in college-level German classes which involved all first- and second-year students in once-a-week, small-group, peer-teaching sessions, with the second-year students acting as leaders. Results showed that this approach helps all concerned. (Author/RM)

The need for substantial courses in culture and civilization has become crucial in the teaching of foreign literatures. The attempt to explain culture by means of organized courses raises a series of questions which may be grouped under two general headings, the form of the course and the relationship between literature and culture. A course in…

Suggestions are made of ways for colleges and universities to bolster enrollments by actively calling attention to their language programs. The intended audiences are high school students and teachers and students already in college. (RM)

The problem of the survival of foreign language study as it arises in small, four-year liberal arts colleges is discussed, taking as examples Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore. (RM)

Describes a survey of student interest in Spanish in the Houston, Texas, area and suggests a variety of practical courses to improve student motivation. (RL)

Describes undergraduate and graduate degree programs in "Foreign Language and Communication Media" at American University, Washington, D.C. (RL)