An overview is provided, examining the types of associate degrees that are awarded, the number that are awarded, the students who receive them, and the problems related to associate degree curricula. First, a list is provided of the different types of associate degrees awarded, followed by an enumeration of the vocational and non-vocational…

The digest is based on a full length report on academics and athletics in higher education. The full report provides a definitive review of the literature and institutional practice on the topic. Three sections consider: (1) business and politics of college sports (e.g. most budgets for athletics programs show signs of precarious fiscal fitness,…

This issue of "New Directions for Community Colleges" focuses on the community college curriculum. The articles are based on a study of the college catalogs and course schedules from 164 colleges. The featured articles are: (1) "A Historical and Contemporary View of the Community College Curriculum" (Gwyer Schuyler); (2) "The Liberal Arts"…

This book reviews the literature and institutional practice concerned with intercollegiate sports in higher education. Six sections cover the following topics: (1) academics and athletics (e.g., trends in research and scholarship and a framework for institutional analysis); (2) fiscal fitness: the peculiar economics of intercollegiate athletics…

More librarians are finding ways to integrate library instruction into existing courses in a manner that makes library resources and the methodology for finding them an essential and basic component of the courses. Course-integrated instruction requires close cooperation between the librarian and the instructor and subject expertise on the part of…

General education is the process of developing a framework on which to place knowledge stemming from a variety of sources. Its goals are to help students think critically, develop values, understand traditions, respect diverse cultures and opinions, and, most importantly, put that knowledge to use. Even though its goals parallel socially supported…

This digest offers general information about American community colleges and lists a variety of sources of additional information about these institutions. The digest provides the defining characteristics of community colleges and information on their curricula; statistics on enrollments and student characteristics; information on faculty…

Drawing in many cases from documents in the ERIC junior colleges collection, cites examples of programs using four approaches to integrating the humanities into occupational curricula: interdisciplinary courses; specialized courses for targeted occupations, humanities modules in use and in production, and use of resource materials or people. (AYC)

Cites ERIC documents and journal articles dealing with general education planning and programing in the community college. Focuses on the general education agenda, curriculum and course development, general education in vocational programs, guidelines and models, and practices. (DMM)

This digest offers general information about American community colleges and lists a variety of sources of additional information about these institutions. The digest provides the defining characteristics of community colleges and information on their curricula; statistics on enrollments and student characteristics; information on faculty…

In spring 1986, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges analyzed the class schedules of 95 randomly selected two-year colleges to determine the types of liberal arts courses offered by the colleges and to spot changes in the curriculum over the past 11 years. Study findings included the following: (1) the humanities made up 48% of the total…

Student objectives do not always coincide with curricular labels that reflect statutory language or the public's agenda for community colleges. Studies show that nearly half of the students enrolled in so-called transfer curricula may have no intention of transferring, and that sizeable percentages of students enrolled in occupational courses go…

Educational accountability is central to the reputation of the nation's community colleges. Some community colleges are adopting mastery learning, competency-based education, curriculum tracking, and/or minimum competency-testing as a means of remaining educationally accountable. Mastery learning programs, under which students are required to…

Approximately 50 percent of all students who enter postsecondary education enroll in community colleges. Consequently, reviewing the characteristics of the community college curriculum is paramount to understanding the role these institutions play in shaping students' trajectories. To accomplish this task, it is imperative to track curricular…

Students today face a daily explosion of information resources and the challenge of using these resources effectively and responsibly. Information literacy instruction (ILI) requires a shift in focus from teaching specific information resources to a set of critical thinking skills involving the use of information. ILI in an academic setting…