In response to recently raised concerns about the effective integration of general education into community college occupational programs, this report offers a review of the literature on general education and its place in the vocational curriculum. First, definitions of general education are presented and synthesized into the following…

The growing body of literature on transforming the curriculum through the study of women contains several strands which serve as evidence of the range of issues this body of work addresses. It is argued that the genderized ideal of the educated person is an inadequate guide to the education of either sex in the late twentieth century United…

Five articles by faculty members from the Community College of Philadelphia are presented in this journal issue. "Reconstructing the Academic Environment: A Proposal for the Revision of the General Studies Curriculum," by Martin B. Spear and Dennis McGrath, offers a conceptual foundation for decision making in curriculum development for general…

The symbolic function of curricular debate, as it is manifested in the minimum competency testing movement (MCT), is investigated. Curricular debate necessarily reflects the demands of the society in which it arises. The topics that are addressed spring from this milieu and the language in which issues are couched must be appropriate to it.…

This study presents a process used to assess the general education component of the undergraduate curriculum, focusing particularly on the components of the methodology that provided the data used to suggesting changes in the program. The study was undertaken at an urban institution with an undergraduate population of 6,000, and involved analysis…

This paper synthesizes the findings and conclusions of reports from previous studies carried out by Unesco's Institute for Education concerning issues of integration, balance, and relevance in the content of general education. This synthesis identifies and develops guidelines based on the previous studies and is designed for use by curriculum…

This handbook presents a process for the assessment of college curricula and student learning in general education and liberal learning. The key concepts of the Coursework Cluster Analysis Model (CCAM) are described and explained. Some of the general guidelines on interpreting the results of CCAM analyses are presented as well as key decisions…

Argues that arts education should be a basic subject in the school curriculum because perception which is a key characteristic of art education is basic to intelligence. Outlines three phases of research concerning spatial ability and theories of perception. Highlights higher education's role in the relationship between arts education and general…

In fiscal year 1989, the Illinois community colleges conducted the first review of the general education component of their baccalaureate/transfer degree programs. This review, to be performed every 5 years, involved an extensive and diverse range of activities, and many colleges had difficulty completing the first review in a year's time. As a…

From the approximately three dozen reports that describe the crisis in American education, the president of the Canadian Educational Researchers Association briefly describes four: "A Nation at Risk" (National Commission on Excellence in Education); "High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America" (Ernest L. Boyer);…

Advocates revamping the British educational system from technical-rational content model to student-centered process programs designed to promote critical thinking, individual initiative, and communication skills. Discusses obstacles to this educational reform, emphasizing research orientation. Urges the British Educational Research Association to…