The Hawaii Open Program for the Excluded (HOPE), under the sponsorship of the University of Hawaii's College of Continuing Education, is described. Reported are its study guide format, Bachelor of General Studies degree, problem areas, university faculty reaction, successes and trends, and future outlook. (LBH)

Describes a teacher's metamorphosis from a controlling kindergarten teacher to one who recognized that children already have a great deal of language and print awareness and who could assist them in self-directed learning by giving their language instruction a context. (HTH)

A few medical schools have introduced a significant innovation--the problem-based curriculum. Students meet in small tutorials and consider biomedical problems that they cannot solve without acquiring new information and skills. This experiment at Harvard gives "respectability" to the curriculum. (MLW)

Investigates the extent to which the content of 55 college vocabulary texts is consistent with current research and theory on vocabulary instruction. Recommends less reliance on memorization and more emphasis on deep understanding and independent vocabulary development. (SKC)

The limited studies conducted thus far indicate that interactive videodisc technology can be of great help to foreign-language learning. The sophisticated technology and the potential for development of effective learning materials offer advantages over other approaches. (MSE)

Educators are urged to encourage gifted/talented students to teach themselves foreign languages. This essay discusses the lack of language requirements in schools, linguistic insensitivity or laziness shown by Americans, individuals' linguistic potential, goals of multilingual development, the appropriate time to introduce foreign languages, and…

Recommends teaching both mental imagery (an unobtrusive, natural text processing strategy) and summarizing (an efficient text reorganization strategy) to students who do not spontaneously use them. (NKA)

The reprinted 1978 article with a 1988 update advocates a combination of enrichment and acceleration to meet the needs of gifted youth. It presents a three-stage enrichment model to develop: (1) divergent and convergent thinking abilities; (2) creative thinking and problem solving strategies; and (3) independent learning abilities. (VW)

A study was conducted to investigate student perceptions of independent study instruction by analyzing student evaluations of program procedures, instructors, instructional materials, assignments and examinations, and student self-assessments. It also investigated students' reasons for enrolling and not completing their independent study courses…

Noting the success of Britain's Open University with its reliance on self-paced workbooks, independent reading and computer-based instruction, this article offers a case study of the introduction of a resource-based learning component in the final year of an honors geography course. States that helping students maintain regular study patterns was…

Museums, libraries, zoos, parks, historical sites, and other cultural institutions can be vehicles for much self-directed learning. This article reviews these opportunities and efforts to utilize them. It discusses cultural institutions as invitational environments, conditions of learning in cultural institutions, and tools and initiatives for…

Recommends pluralistic general education programming to accommodate diversity in faculty orientations, values, and perceptions of knowledge; and disparity in students' academic ability, values, and preferred learning styles. Suggests a multi-track general education model emphasizing different, but equally demanding, educational experiences for…

A survey of students who completed portfolios of self-acquired competencies to earn credit for prior learning at Indiana University reveals the benefits derived from the process including self-esteem, ability for self-evaluation, and better focus for their degree programs. (SK)

Determined whether significant differences exist in cognitive achievement and in the level of acquisition of practical skills among ninth-grade students (N=1025) in cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning conditions in science laboratories. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for more productive science laboratory…

A Northern Illinois University elementary teacher education program in which certain courses are taught with the use of self-paced courseware packets is described, and the technique's usefulness in promoting and integrating computer literacy in the curriculum is discussed. (MSE)