The complexity and scope of the challenges today's students face explain why community and technical colleges across the country are reexamining the student experience and the support services they provide. As open access institutions, community and technical colleges by their very existence open the doors of higher education and workforce…

As with other student populations community colleges serve, part-time students often face multiple challenges that present additional barriers to completion, including unfamiliarity with the college experience, parenthood, and food and housing insecurity. Community colleges have historically opened their doors to all those interested in pursuing…

It is increasingly difficult to be a citizen, a family member or a worker, to be young or to be old, without the acquisition of new skills. And these are not simple skills; they are complex, creative, thought-provoking and challenging skills. Many more people are capable of acquiring and using these skills than have the opportunity to do so.…

High school students with disabilities who drop out are costly to society. Compared to those who graduate, they are more likely to be unemployed, dependent on public services, and involved in the criminal justice system. Consequently, helping students with disabilities graduate has become a prominent national concern. Students with disabilities…

Those responsible for coordinating flexible and open learning in colleges should consider whether the time may be right to seek common ground on the issues and principles shared by the many related initiatives in Great Britain during the last two decades. Two principles that are important to flexible learning are that education's effectiveness is…

One schedule innovation--the four-period day and semester-length courses--is revamping North Carolina and Virginia high schools. At Orange County (Virginia) High School, a simplified and flexible 4-year 9-13 semester-block program is helping kids complete more courses, receive better grades, and take and pass more advanced-placement exams. (MLH)

Examines Fullerton College's individualized self-pacing (ISP) program. Reviews twelve ISP objectives including provision of enrollment/scheduling flexibility; lists twenty-two class offerings, including basic business math, business English, and business machines. Compares costs, learning, and course completion in ISP and traditional programs.…

Describes the community care practicum, an integral part of the RN Flexible Option Track at the University of Texas-Houston, which is designed for registered nurses returning to school part time for the bachelor's degree. The goal is to help nurses develop a new definition of nursing practice--professional practice. (CH)

Discusses the characteristics of a spiral curriculum, contributing factors that may have hindered it from being successfully implemented in public school systems, and examples of how it is successfully used in developing technical training curricula. Highlights include curriculum design, instructional design strategies, course scheduling, student…

Following a 3-year feasibility study, Fox Valley Technical Institute (FVTI) converted 18 vocational-technical education programs to year-round operation. Each of these programs is being implemented based on the departmental plan best suited for the particular program, so that the maximum number of students may be served at the lowest possible…

The initial phase of an intensive language proqram relying on emotional involvement and close, interpersonal teacher/student contact is described. For duplication elsewhere, an overview is provided of the curriculum, syllabus, Master/Apprentice teaching team, student input, teacher evaluations, and funding. (PMJ)

This descriptive report examines the efforts of a faculty team at the University of Minnesota's General College to revise an interdisciplinary general education course on conflict and change so that it would meet the unique educational needs of adult, non-traditional students. The report first describes a proposed course delivery format designed…

This booklet presents a model for recruitment, selection, counseling, and placement activities of students in Grade 7 through individuals out of school. This overall model for a counseling and vocational guidance program in a fictitious area vocational-technical school located "somewhere in West Virginia" is divided into four areas: recruitment,…

This supplement to "Postsecondary Student Terminology," a National Center for Education Statistics handbook, examines postsecondary education policy issues relevant to information needs about students, procedures used in identifying information items needed to statistically evaluate the issues, and an illustrative database for postsecondary…

One way for colleges to meet the demand for a wider range of learning opportunities for adults in Great Britain is to provide more flexibility within the further education system. The concept of flexible learning involves the modification of delivery systems, specific providing agencies, target populations, specific determinants such as geographic…