In 14 articles a record, a tribute and an analysis of struggles of humanistic educators who worked toward new forms of higher education (1966-1980) and four models are presented. Recommendations for more enlightened humanistic endeavors are discussed with a look toward the future of education. (RC)

An overview of the history of nontraditional programs within the American higher education system discusses the energy and spirit provided by such programs and relates them to the basic principles of American culture (importance of individuality, respect for diversity, and belief in equality). During the development of American culture, the five…

The history and philosophy of the free university, defined as an organization that offers noncredit classes to the general public in which "anyone can teach and anyone can learn," is explored. Offered is practical advice for starting a free university center or exchange and ensuring its success. Three contemporary versions of free…

Innovation programs in higher education are generally received with some skepticism and are often asked to justify their existence and the funding they are accorded. Since the programs are largely efforts to explore and demonstrate effective teaching and learning not present in traditional postsecondary education, the appropriateness of judging…

The Open University (OU), an advanced multimedia instructional system, was established by the British government to provide university and professional education to those with the ability to continue their education by study in their own time, and particularly to those who could not otherwise obtain education at a university. This overview…

A former faculty member at Eisenhower College, an experimental college that closed after only a few years' operation, gives an anecdotal account of some of the problems the college faced and how the administration handled them. (MSE)

Data on free universities and learning centers (including the addresses of the institutions) are presented. In a survey developed by the Free University Network for the National Center for Education Statistics, statistics on the free universities and learning centers are provided in the following areas: numbers of institutions, enrollment data,…

The Middle College Plan of LaGuardia Community College is designed to provide an integrated high school-college program directed to the needs of urban high school youth. This program will lead to the New York State high school diploma and to A.A. and A.A.S. degrees. It is hoped that underachieving students, potential dropouts, and achieving youth…

Many experimental higher education programs have emerged in the past decade as an attempt to answer the educational needs of new students in higher education and the manpower requirements of society. New techniques of instruction, curriculum and governance have evolved and new ways of managing human, plant, and financial resources have been…

This document compares the operating effectiveness and costs associated with Whatcom Community College (WCC), a non-campus educational system, to estimated alternative costs of a traditional campus operation for WCC. Comparative data were obtained by using three other colleges as proxy institutions for a hypothetical campus-based WCC. Among the…

The plan for the University of Mid-America to establish the autonomous, fully accredited American Open University (AOU) is presented. AOU, a university for working adults who wish to study part-time, will utilize modern communications technologies and methods of distance education. The American Open University will be a nationwide system that will…

Based on the educational philosophy of "anybody can teach, anybody can learn", a free university offers ungraded, unaccredited classes to the general public, without charge, on any topic such as societal issues, arts and crafts, intellectual subjects, and practical skills. To plan a program, only a borrowed phone and office, human…

The modernization of American education has been retarded by the assumptions that (1) educational effectiveness is directly proportional to expenditures, (2) a 25:1 student-teacher ratio is most effective for learning, (3) that which is taught is learned, (4) learning occurs only inside a school, (5) learning proceeds in neat subject matter…

Radical reform of higher education is the place to begin an overall educational reform, but higher education reform will have to be internal to be effective, and the profession will have to carefully examine and redefine its goals and content first. (MSE)

In the early 1970s two experimental universities, one rural (Roskilde) and one urban (Aalborg) were established. Their uniqueness is based on a nontraditional curriculum structure, with an interdisciplinary approach. The two have developed very differently, particularly in stability, autonomy, and distinctiveness. (MSE)