The paper discusses the steps a teacher should follow in organizing a learning center. Considered are the two types of learning centers (curriculum and skill area centers), skill objectives, and criteria for selecting materials and equipment. (SBH)

Time, space, money, and educational opportunities were the four major factors considered in upgrading the individual teaching labs at the University of Florida. The program incorporates the use of single processor microcomputers to teach a variety of courses. Software developed for a course on cognition and perception will set up a ready to run…

A workship program, designed as a noncredit adjunct to composition classes, was developed in order to serve the individual needs of college students. Close communication between regular course instructors and workshop staff was maintained, and the attempt was made to substitute a developmental philosophy of learning for the usual connotation of…

A teacher of deaf high school students describes considerations in developing a computer lab, including equipment selection, class and subject scheduling, and suitable software. Examples of software used in his lab are cited, including Mathware's Math City and Apple's SUPERMATH program. (CL)

The first step in an effort to expand a writing laboratory program calls for the director and the current staff to investigate the areas in which expansion is desirable and can feasibly occur. This can be done by asking students to identify disciplines in which they would use additional tutorial help, or by addressing the faculty, especially those…

The basic structure of a writing laboratory at Purdue University, Indiana, is described in this paper. Physical facilities, record keeping plans, instructional approaches and materials, and evaluation methods are discussed. As a laboratory situation, the course was intended as a supplement to regular composition classes. Five graduate students and…

Information in this two-part report is provided to help directors of college reading and study skills centers plan for survival in an era of declining enrollment. After introductory material noting the need for such centers as colleges increase student retention efforts, Part I of the report examines six administrative factors that affect a…

At the Homestead Campus of Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC), in Florida, one barrier to fully integrating technology in the classroom was identified as the low-level of student computer skills. To address the problem, the campus undertook a project to establish a technology basic skills workshop for all students. In informal interviews to…

The development and implementation of a high-tech laboratory in a small suburban high school in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, demonstrates that the high-tech future is both possible and valuable as it permeates the entire curriculum. In 1984, the vocational studies department shifted its emphasis to prepare students for college as well as for…

A computer-based system was developed for physically handicapped students using a learning laboratory to develop prerequisite skills for regular vocational or technical courses. Among criteria developed for the system were that it should not require manual dexterity, should use commercially available and reasonably priced hardware and software,…

Acknowledging that one of the most difficult challenges postsecondary educators must face is the maintenance of adequate student enrollment, this paper describes the creation of a speech communication laboratory as one component of a university-wide effort to maximize student retention. The paper first discusses several suggestions researchers…

This document contains 35 papers from the program development section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following are among the papers included: "Using Quality Indicators to Create World-Class Curricula: From Concept to Application" (Curtis Finch,…