In this article, we discuss the development of online courses in higher education in terms of the in- structional quality and economic costs. In our conceptual analysis, we point out problems in developing online courses with sufficient quality due to limited funds being made available for online course development. Moreover, economic costs exist…

Discusses factors critical in forming a distance-learning institute: quality of learning provided each student, whether courses work for very large numbers of students, and cost per student hour for both development and delivery. Includes strategies for developing curriculum units needed to support distance learning. (Author/MKR)

This report is an edited version of the transcript of a seminar held to explore the problem of increasing costs and defining productivity in higher education. The main paper, by William Massey, presents a conceptual model explaining the forces driving up costs in academic departments of institutions of higher education. Under the model there have…

This paper on interdisciplinarity and liberal education is based on the work of a task force of the Project Change in Liberal Education. The focus is those parts of the education process that bridge or integrate disciplinary approaches and create a different kind of learning that would still be liberal education. The following factors that…

Alfred University has developed a Management Information System intended to support decentralized management, with more decision-making responsibilities delegated to academic managers. Information systems, curriculum interaction modeling, program costs, budget preparation and planning, and a training program for academic managers are discussed.…

The placement and proficiency system of the University of Illinois was designed to promote good student attitudes towards courses into which they were placed enable students to perform near their maximum capability, reduce the instructor's burden by generating relatively homogeneous ability groupings in courses, and encourage students to begin…

This report, based on a mailed survey of institutions that were members of the National University Continuing Education Association during 1985-86, includes data from 66 responding institutions, including colleges and high schools. This report is organized in six parts. The first part outlines the total program scope, including enrollment and…

This paper, one of a series of four initial reports, discusses the rationale for each proposed National Institute of Education (NIE) program. It considers the educational goals to be achieved, variables that can be manipulated to reach the goals, the current practice and status of R&D on the variables, new R&D programs that might lead to…

This compilation of materials represents the major activities of the Washington Center for the Improvement of the Quality of Undergraduate Education between 1985 and 1988. The volume includes: (1) a proposal to the Ford Foundation for funding to promote collaborative projects between two- and four-year colleges related to faculty development,…

The Evergreen State College, Washington's newest four-year college, was established in the midst of an unprecedented enrollment expansion. It also responded to contemporary calls for reform in higher education. Two conditions, the recent lack of growth in higher education and a subsiding of enthusiasm for nontraditional higher education, have…

This report describes the design, development, and formative evaluation of a computer-managed instruction (CMI) system in a university setting. The system, implemented on an IBM 1500 Instructional System, is designed to serve an undergraduate educational psychology course for teacher trainees. Two broad goals are defined for the project:…

A forthcoming study by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is described that will examine the costs of implementing federal regulations, including academic and overall costs. Their current and potential impact on American higher education will be addressed. The study will be comprised of three phases: (1) a…

Recommendations for strengthening the international perspective of the undergraduate curriculum at colleges and universities are offered, and reasons for internationalizing the curriculum are considered, based on changes throughout the world and America's role in it. Attention is focused on the reform of existing programs and the introduction of…

The California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) has two major components: curriculum development projects, focusing on improving the secondary school curriculum, and diagnostic testing projects, focusing on the assessment of students abilities in writing and mathematics. Both components involve partnerships between K-12 districts and…

Eight work force literacy initiatives were conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The primary objectives and key activities of the initiatives were as follows: (1) alliance development (developing partnerships and linkages promoting and supporting work force literacy); (2) public awareness (conducting presentations and media relations and…