In postsecondary research, comprehensive approaches to student success (CASS) programs are shown to have the greatest impact on student outcomes. At the core of a CASS program is personalized and proactive coaching in which coaches actively reach out to students and meet to discuss personal and academic issues. MDRC's evaluation of one CASS…

"Three Big Lessons in Six Years" is both a reflection on the past and a look ahead to the future at Charlestown (C-Town) High School (Boston, Massachusetts) and other early college programs across the country. The purpose of this series is to document essential design elements, operational structures, and critical support for students to…

Higher education institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of organizational change as they face complex challenges. Leadership learning has been identified as an important way of supporting change management. We describe a leadership learning arrangement that arose in the context of two of the authors needing to learn how to become…

The trend of placing English language learners (ELLs) in mainstream classrooms has teacher education programs developing their capacity to prepare all teachers to educate ELLs. This study examined how universities in Florida implement a professional development requirement to help faculty infuse ELL content into their courses. Our findings suggest…

Navigating learning, formal or informal, can be overwhelming, confusing, and impersonal. With more options than ever, the process of deciding what, where, and when can be overwhelming to a learner. The concept of Open College at Kaplan University (OC@KU) was to bring organization, purpose, and personalization of learning caused by vast resources…

With the development of e-learning, the quality of web-based courses attracts extensive interest. This paper draws upon the results conducted amongst students enrolled in an online language course at a northern Chinese university. The design of the course aims to create the learner-centered environment: personalized learning environment,…

The learner-centered paradigm of instruction differs in such fundamental ways from the teacher-centered paradigm that it requires technology to serve very different functions. In 2006, a research team at Indiana University began to work on identifying those functions and published their results in 2008. Subsequently, the team elaborated and…

Many of the communities interested in learning and teaching technologies within higher education now accept the view that a conception of personal learning environments provides the most realistic and workable perspective of learners' interactions with and use of technology. This view may not be reflected in the behaviour of those parts of a…

Presents a college program that utilizes a self-paced, mastery-oriented curricula. Courses are subdivided into small complete modules that may require a few hours or a few weeks to complete. Describes development of the modules and disciplinary differencies in their use. (GS)

This article discusses a recently developed educational alternative in the United States. This is the "university without walls," characterized by independent study combined with vocational training. (Text is in German.) (Author/AM)

Describes a new program at Temple Buell College in which courses are designed around specific behavioral objectives, students progress through courses at their own rates and credit, but no grade, is assigned upon completion of the course. (AA)

The operating procedures of a university reading and study skills center for completely individualized reading instruction are described. The program is offered as a student service (no fee) on a voluntary, noncredit basis. A prepared set of instructional tapes is used whereby students can largely serve themselves, proceeding at their own rates,…

The purpose of this document is to provide a summary of the four-volume final report of the Wisconsin Elementary Teacher Education Project (WETEP), which includes position papers and specifications for a model teacher education program projected for the year 1975 and beyond. In addition to summaries of the purpose, background, organizational…

This issue of "Science Education News" is concerned with nontraditional approaches to college-level education. Recent trends and new programs representing examples of innovative learning are presented by these six articles: The Prospects for Nontraditional Study; Accreditation of Nontraditional Study Programs; New York Regents External Degree; The…