In August 1970 the Ford Foundation announced the establishment of a Venture Fund grant program to help strengthen and to encourage innovation in undergraduate education throughout the country. Criteria for selection were: (1) evidence of creative programs in the past, (2) the quality of current educational programs and leadership, and (3) the…

In January 1972, The University of Alabama held a 4-day invitational conference to bring together the leaders of those institutions that offer innovative and experimental programs. Specifically, the purposes of the conference were: (1) to share critical reports from each participant about each of their programs; (2) to make recommendations…

The experiment with individualized General Education (IGE) at Newark State College represents a radical and comprehensive instructional innovation. During 1959-60, the faculty formulated a set of objectives for the general education of all students. The objectives were generally concerned with the need to develop vision, awareness and…

Describes briefly the "Experimental Quarter" at Skagit Valley College in which 30 students registered for 16 credits of Education and were given total freedom to pursue their own educational needs in any way they individually selected, then reregistered at the end of the quarter for what they had studied. Positive student attitudes…

The inflation of the vinyl bubble by Antioch students and faculty climaxed more than a year of study, planning, dealing with contractors, county officials, manufacturers of equipment and materials--and maturing the technology of pneumatic buildings. These activities were combined into what Antioch calls a "process-oriented curriculum."…

The Paracollege at St. Olaf College is an experimental program in which students participate in a self-directed study curriculum where no grades are given and students work at their own pace. This document presents the results of a study designed to find out the varying degrees of general knowledge obtained by students in each program after 2…

This report evaluates the effectiveness of an experiential field study course at the University of Washington. The course, titled GST 250/350, has different goals from a traditional volunteer program in that the student's education and experience are paramount; the services he provides are secondary. The student's motivation also differs somewhat…

The Paracollege of St. Olaf College is an experimental program in which students participate in a self-directed study curriculum where no grades are given and students work at their own pace. This document presents the results of a study designed to find out what image is held of the Paracollege by those enrolled in the regular curriculum at St.…

Investigates the acceptability and possible role of virtual reality (VR) in environmental education. Among the principal findings were that the sample population of environmental educators indicated an acceptance of VR as a teaching tool. VR applications that allow students to have an experience not available in the physical world were perceived…

With the establishment in 1959 of a small experimental college within a large public city university, a record was kept of the impact of the college's high demand program on the working class students recruited from the university. To document the progress of the new institution and its students, a huge volume and variety of data was collected and…

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 case study describes the development of elementary social studies methods courses appropriate for two new alternative Michigan State University teacher education programs entitled "Learning Community" and "Multiple Perspectives." The "Learning Community" program prepares teachers to teach school subjects effectively while focusing upon the…