When a college contracts for a product or service, the request for proposal (RFP) may be an appropriate tool. It must clearly define what is needed for fair evaluation. A rating or weighting system for costs and benefits is useful for isolating and quantifying important elements of the decision-making process. (MSE)

Studied 28 pairs of fourth graders using an educational software game under cooperative conditions, in which students played against the computer, and competitive conditions, in which students played against each other. The cooperative environment resulted in more correct answers than the competitive environment. The only strategies related to…

Examines resistance to cooperative learning, focusing briefly on possible poor presentations of its principles, and concentrating on ways that cooperative learning threatens the beliefs many teachers hold about individualism and the importance of competition. To make cooperative learning more readily received, some of its ideas are being diluted…

Describes library staff motivation, cooperation, and productivity related to a major library move at the William Russell Pullen Library at Georgia State University. Results of a survey that examined the impact of such a move on staff attitudes and morale are reported. (seven references) (EA)

The Future Problem Solving Program aims to empower potential leaders to manage change successfully. It involves teams of students using a structured, creative problem-solving model to tackle controversial issues for the future; writing scenarios creating alternative futures; and planning for and implementing real solutions to real problems in…

A former participant in the Future Problem Solving Program reminisces about his experience in local and national competitions, describes the program's unique features (its emphasis on creativity and focus on the future), and notes the usefulness of the problem-solving process in his work with the Corporate Audit Staff of General Electric. (JDD)

Examined similarities in sex-role conflict between female athletes and alcoholic women. Findings showed female athletes and female alcoholics (N=60) similar to each other and different from controls (N=30) along dimensions of sex-role conflict. Discusses findings relative to female athletes' susceptibility to alcoholism. (Author/PVV)

A suggested college classroom technique for motivating and rewarding student learning is the payment of play dollars to students for correct answers, attendance, and success in pop quizzes. The method is designed to encourage, not discourage, class participation, and provides students with immediate feedback on performance. (MSE)

The article examines changes in British funding policies under the Education Reform Act of 1988 to stress competitive bidding by higher education institutions. The methodology and theory of the new approach are explained, as is the concept of equilibria in decision theory underlying the approach. Noted also are responses of institutions. (DB)

A discussion of higher education as a market economy focuses on the situation in Australia. First, the nature of markets in higher education is examined. Subsequently, the role of the Federal Labor party's policy since 1983 in creating the current economy is assessed. Possible future policy directions are explored. (MSE)

Proposes a science competition that stimulates student thinking and creativity in which groups of 4 students solve as many problems as possible in 30 minutes. Problems require students to make tools using only the materials provided. Provides materials in a sample tool kit, competition rules, and sample problems. (MDH)

In 1996, a voucher scheme was introduced to promote educational provision for preschool children in Scotland. Qualitative and quantitative explorations of the views of parents and providers describe the workings of the educational "market" when one of the competing sectors (public sector) had a substantial monopoly power over the others…

Explores the relative effects of cooperation with and without inter-group competition on Taiwanese students' academic achievement in science and their attitudes toward science in a computer-assisted instruction environment. Contains 23 references. (Author/ASK)

Higher education marketing is about to enter a new stage of sophistication, responsibility, and status as consumer pressure increases competition. To develop more effective marketing plans, trustees need in-depth knowledge of their institutions, understand the power of the consumer to shape higher education, and anticipate more complex and…

Five reviewers of "School Choice and Competition: Markets in the Public Interest?" (Routledge, 1998), by Philip Woods, Carl Bagley, and Ron Glatter, critique this comprehensive study of three educational quasi-markets in Great Britain. Areas such as social stratification, overall student achievement, diversity, and innovation appear to…