The state of higher education today is one of change and stasis. Economic vulnerability, globalization, technological innovation, and an increasingly competitive market underlie the need for change in higher education. At the same time, there are strong and stubborn forces at work supporting the status quo. Though daunting, institutions of higher…

Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

This article considers the impact of a major government initiative to reward and promote excellence in teaching and learning in higher education. The proposal to create Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in England's universities and colleges of higher education was first announced in 2003. A two-stage bidding process took place over…

The student contract method as experimentally implemented in an Australian college is briefly outlined. (Author/KM)

The author gives another solution to problems created by the universal access to colleges. Pre-matriculation involves contractually limiting the number of hours and specifying a gradepoint which must be met for 30 credits. (Author/PC)

This summary covers the experiences of the staff of the Unified Studies Program at Boston State College from September 1973 through August 1975. Included is: (1) the planning phase, (2) team building, (3) staff, (4) administrative support, (5) potential students, (6) compromises, (7) funding, (8) use of the learning contracts, () contract hours,…

This volume considers both the philosophical bases and the practical realities of individualization through the analysis of various approaches to the contract learning process. The first section serves as an introduction to contracting. Chapter 1 develops the concept of contract learning and attempts to set it in perspective within the larger…

This document focuses on improving the writing and execution of learning contracts at Empire State College. Emphasis is placed on student purposes and background, organization of learning contracts, continuity and incrementability, diversity and variety, unity and intensiveness, compatibility with the discipline, time requirements, bibliography…

The implications of the movement to individualize the curriculum in higher education are examined. The background and basic premises of the movement are explored and the realities and problems of the program at Empire State College are examined. The nature of contract education is discussed. (Author/MLW)

After a two-week introductory period, participants in the Unified Studies Program at Boston State College will engage in a study of eight important institutions chosen by students at a planning session in November. Each institution will be dealt with for one full week. After the spring vacation, small groups (4 or 5 people) will engage in…

Two baccalaureate-level programs that sought to make their educational outcomes explicit within competency-based education (CBE) are compared. The CBE programs in social work, the learning contracts involved, and assessment techniques are described for programs at the University of Montana and the University of Georgia.

The Unified Studies Program began at Boston State College in September of 1974. Its model is based on team-teaching, learning contracts, small interdisciplinary seminars, and other open-classroom and unified educational learning/teaching techniques. Boston State College had been compelled to shift its academic assumptions because of financial…

This paper describes a psychoeducational procedure known as Covenant Contracting, which is used in the training of family psychologists at Georgia State University. The training framework for clinical experience is described, and the philosophical underpinning for this particular clinical sequence is summarized. The rationale for Covenant…

Empire State College's alternative approaches to higher education are described in this report. The college is a nontraditional institution emphasizing the following innovative elements: (1) individualized education, carried out through learning contracts; (2) an open format for easy access, placing minimal constraints on time, place, residence…

The development of a modularized program for secondary educational psychology students at the University of Colorado is reviewed. The beginning stages and prototype produced are described, but emphasis is on the revision of the first system. Changes in the course, covering both educational and adolescent psychology, include expansion of the number…