Any debate about general education is seen as a debate about culture, curricula, and proportion; common or not so common values; the nature of knowledge and the desire and necessity of transferring traditions from one generation to the next; and the degree to which undergraduate study should emphasize specialization. (MLW)

Discusses how the development of communication curricula and content for basic communication courses represents a challenge for the field. Provides: an overview of the historical development of communication curricula as an integral dimension of higher education; recommendations of start points for developing departmental curricula; and resources…

Suggests that teachers and administrators from our colleges and schools voluntarily investigate a new sequence of study--one that would focus on our common heritage, highlight the shared experiences of the present, and focus on human prospects for the future while teaching basic skills. (Author/IRT)

"Back to Basics" has become a popular phrase to describe the current trend in higher education's general education requirements. What must be addressed beyond the evident need for basic skills is the nature of the "mission" of the general education curriculum component. (Author)

States that students often enter college with few problem-solving skills. Urges colleges to offer appropriate skills-building courses to students as well as to school personnel, since they will be counseling students on financial aid and other issues. Asserts that, by integrating problem-solving skills into the curriculum, students will be better…

Author suggests that if postsecondary schools admit applicants who have little chance of success in existing programs, then more appropriate programs should be instituted and the goals of existing ones should be reviewed. (Editor)

This handbook presents reading materials for a distance education course designed to enhance an understanding of the nature of workplace literacy needs and to show how to develop and teach in workplace literacy and basic skills programs. The three reading materials presented in the handbook are: (1) "Developing and Evaluating Workplace…

Highlights and criticizes changes in the traditional core curriculum during the 1960s and 1970s. Points to weaknesses in the current "return to basics" trend infiltrating core curricula. Calls for a clearer definition of undergraduate curriculum goals and the adoption of guidelines in order to eliminate the formlessness of the current system. (CAM)

The United States must renew its commitment to public education by establishing clear goals in education, restoring language to a central place in the classroom, developing a coherent curriculum, and reaffirming the centrality of teaching. (Author/MSE)

Developmental education, confined to the lower division, is a key to opportunity for historically Black institutions to advance Black professional education and employment. Tension exists between the goals of excellence and equal educational opportunity, exacerbated by competition for Black students. Coordination between these and professional…

Discusses textbooks from the 1800s for young ladies versus young men, for the youngest students, more advanced students, and university students. Regards these publications as furnishing a record of the skills thought to be essential at the turn of the previous century. (KHR)

Focusing on the definition of skill transfer, this article examines the relationship between research work on transfer and various curriculum initiatives designed to promote it. Competing theories of transfer are explored, examples from medical and scientific education are described, and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications core…

Contends that empowerment and student autonomy strongly correlate with self-confidence; that this increases with incremental successes; and that any success is the outcome of acquiring and applying appropriate skills. Argues that geography students will be better life-long learners if they are taught enabling skills early in their programs. (DSK)

Summarizes the implementation of a new General Education Program at Kean University, which sets forth a vertical, skills-based curriculum. The program directly addresses developmental education, calling for a restructuring of ways to deliver it and a vision for incorporating it into the University curriculum. (VWC)

The recent microelectronics developments are having, and will continue to have, a sharp impact on various industries in Great Britain, and thus on the capacity of the Further Education System to produce qualified graduates. To maintain a high quality of education, instructors must learn of these new developments and teach them to their vocational…