The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program at the University of Minnesota is a primary academic support program for historically difficult, introductory college courses that serve as gatekeepers to academic degree programs. Based upon operating principles of other academic support programs and educational theories, PAL is integrated into the courses…

The author describes an instructional model intended to enhance each learner's capacity for self-direction and intellectual responsibility. This article examines ground rules of the instructional format, theoretical bases, the experience of collaborative learning and team-building, use of panelists, and participants' evaluations of the model. (CT)

The University of Chicago's Teacher Training Conference provided for an examination of opinion and research from the field of adult basic education; practice in skill development and application; an experience of an urban community; and encounters which centered on personal, political, and educational ideology. This report describes the planning…