When U.S. English learners (ELs) attend college, they are more likely to enroll in 2-year community colleges than in 4-year colleges. Prior research points to the tension between English as a second language (ESL) programs providing support to ELs and lengthy ESL programs acting as barriers to ELs seeking access to mainstream college coursework.…

This article reports the development of a "course trailer" video series that communicates the professional and academic value of general education courses' core competencies and describes the results of a survey measuring the impact of those videos on student perception. Although general education programs represent a staple of U.S.…

Journalism education may be at a tipping point. It is unclear, however, what new form curricula might take. Through an analysis of individual course titles and descriptions that appeared in the 2013-2014 undergraduate catalogs of 68 selected universities, this exploratory study finds that most departments/schools are not offering classes that…

Software continues to affect a major part of our daily lives, including the way we use our phones, home appliances, medical devices, and cars. The pervasiveness of software has led to a growing demand for software developers over the next decade. To ensure the high quality of software developed in industry, students being trained in software…

This paper presents the results of two educational experiments carried out to determine whether the process of specifying requirements (catalog-based reuse as opposed to conventional specification) has an impact on effectiveness and productivity in co-located and distributed software development environments. The participants in the experiments…

The movement incorporating sustainability into the academic mission of higher education has grown quickly in the last few decades. At the same time, vast interpretations of sustainability exist as institutions work to incorporate it into the curriculum. Therefore, using interviews with 42 individuals and observations of 67 courses, this study…

Given the downturn in Information Systems (IS) program enrollments, IS departments housed within schools of business are justifiably concerned about attracting more students into their programs. While some reasons for the downturn may be beyond the control of the academic community, it has been argued that IS programs are suffering, in part,…

In the early 1990s, Northern Michigan University started distributing laptop computers to its faculty and students. Soon, a taste for technology developed and the university community craved more. Having tempted their taste buds, they quickly found that patrons were no longer satisfied with traveling to the library and asked that they bring…

It is argued that most course descriptions in college catalogs say little and tend to be unintentionally deceiving. An alternative is suggested that employs a combination of reference numbers and limited text allowing the reader to determine key elements of the course such as instructional modes and arrangements, and singular features and…

Foreign language teachers' catalog course descriptions are criticized for using inappropriate arguments for them and for not clearly articulating the need for language study. These arguments favoring language study are categorized as sociopolitical, instrumental, and cognitive, and are examined individually. (MSE)

A study to examine the structure of the criminal justice curriculum in the American law school is described. An analysis of what courses are being offered, how many hours of classroom instruction are available, and when during the educational process the student is exposed to criminal law courses is provided. (MLW)

College catalogs can be made less costly by various techniques such as using inexpensive paper, keeping as much of the production as possible in-house, minimizing photographs and color, and printing separate catalogs for different divisions. Catalogs can be improved by providing greater visual appeal and ease of use. (MSE)

Describes a new consumer-oriented approach to the college catalogue, the Illinois Valley Community College's "Catalog and Career Decision-Making Guide," which takes a unique approach to presenting information that is both usable and helpful in choosing programs and, ultimately, careers. (TE)

Defines information science; reviews currently available literature pertaining to information science education (directories, analytical articles, opinion papers); and discusses a study which surveys course offerings in information science to establish what currently constitutes a specialization in the field. Course descriptions in school catalogs…

Discusses the Internet's role in colleges and universities. Topics include network development, accessing the library's online catalog; attracting students, electronic student handbooks, coursework information, and program listings, teleconferencing, distance education, independent study and online degrees, electronic field trips, journalism…