Emerging adulthood, a developmental stage typically bound by the ages between 18-25 years, is a period characterized by new autonomy and decision-making responsibilities, as well as the introduction of a number of weight-related risks, including physical inactivity. Given that behavior plays a key role in the prevention of many chronic health…

Background: Preparing students to solve complex problems is an identified area of need in engineering education. Despite the documented influence of motivation on learning, little research exists that examines how motivation and problem solving in engineering interconnect. Purpose: This study explores how engineering students perceive problem…

Since coastal communities are already subjected to the impacts of climate change, adaptation has become a necessity. This article presents competencies demonstrated by Canadian municipal employees during an adaptation process to sea level rise. To adapt, the participants demonstrated the following competencies: problem solving (highlighting…

Highlights of the findings of eleven program evaluation and planning committees within the division of special education in Pennsylvania and options in the future implementation of each program area are summarized. The committee had the following purposes: (1) to revise the structure of long range and short range planning within the division of…

Issues management, concerned with the identification, analysis, probability, and timing of a developing issue and with organizational response, is discussed as an aspect of the institutional strategic planning process. Its application at Pennsylvania State University is described. (Author/MSE)

This is a must-have resource for all K-12 teachers and administrators who want to really make the best use of available technologies. Written by Doug Johnson, an expert in educational technology, "The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide" is replete with practical tips teachers can easily use to engage their students and make their…

Patterns of language, thinking, and behavior differentiate the modes of the practitioner and of the conceiver. Long-range planning in higher education may reveal conflict between the two. To "operationalize" is defined as an exact managerial deployment that will put ideas into action. (Author/MLW)

It is proposed that schools of social work typically respond reactively and defensively when workload demands increase relative to available resources. Strategic planning is offered as a tool for increasing faculty's and administrators' sense of vitality and empowerment. Conditions, tasks, outcomes, and pitfalls of successful strategic planning…

Strategic planning in higher education is seen in this book as an essential element in the life of a successful college or university. This book begins by defining strategic planning and explains how to identify the core problems a college or university wants to address and solve through the planning process. It continues with advice on how to…

In the 1960s Siena Heights College decided: to become coeducational; to develop programs in business; and to develop a board of trustees who would have fiduciary authority and be the policy-making corpus and legal entity for the institution. The creation of a new board of turstees is described. (MLW)

This summary of a 1978 article presents four approaches to preparing gifted children's thinking for the future, such as showing clear relationships between their learning and potential future careers and learning about future work options. A 1989 update then emphasizes such needs as computer and technological literacy, expanded mentor programs,…

Monroe Community College (MCC) has been involved in strategic planning over the last 4 years. The following lessons have been drawn from these 4 years of experience: (1) all plans need to be seen as temporary; (2) no plan drawn up in the planner's office could be implemented if it ignored the fleeting, ambiguous nature of the college's and…

Personal futures planning is a tool for fostering new ways of thinking about people with developmental disabilities. Futures planning helps groups of people focus on opportunities for people with disabilities to develop personal relationships, have positive roles in community life, increase their control of their own lives, and develop the skills…

In outlining futures techniques that can be used by school administrators for creative planning, this paper discusses several small group exercises. These include the "Six by Six" technique, in which a large group breaks up into six small groups for six minute discussions; the "PNT Approach," in which the length of each…

Pennsylvania State University's early response to declining resources and its current planning and budget process are described. Attention is also directed to the fiscal outcomes of the process over the past 5 years and several of the strategies devised to promote qualitative concerns and respond to variable growth-decline situations. From 1971 to…