We describe specific curricular decisions employed at Butler University that have resulted in student achievement in the actuarial science major. The paper includes a discussion of how these decisions might be applied in the context of a new actuarial program.

U.S. higher education institutions are being called to question their central nature, priorities, and functions, with prominent and unprecedented attention being given to accountability and the measurement of student learning outcomes. As higher education evolves in how it assesses student learning and leisure studies and recreation departments…

This article presents a new model of education that works with employers to help their employees gain the skills and credentials needed for promotions and career mobility. Southern New Hampshire University's College for America, a competency-based education model for working adults, increases their access to, and the convenience of higher…

Universities across the nation have been called upon to provide evidence of student learning through direct means of assessment. Value-added assessment, which aims to document the development of student learning from the beginning of the university experience to the end, has been called "accountability's new frontier" by the American…

This paper describes our efforts to integrate liberal learning principles in a capstone course within the overwhelmingly career-focused discipline of accountancy. Our approach was based on the belief that business and liberal learning courses are complementary, rather than competitive, elements of a well-rounded education. The ability to deal with…

Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) modules are a popular option for international students at the University of Reading. Student feedback and module results show that some of these students face particular challenges in relation to their peers. In this paper, we describe how a team teaching Beginners French -- Common European Framework of…

Presents a college program that utilizes a self-paced, mastery-oriented curricula. Courses are subdivided into small complete modules that may require a few hours or a few weeks to complete. Describes development of the modules and disciplinary differencies in their use. (GS)

Descriptions of selected college reading improvement programs (most of which were begun in the 1920s or 1930s) reveals that with the exception of increased standardization in the areas of administrative concerns, little seems new. Reviewing the cases of seven college reading improvement programs (Harvard, Hamline, Amherst, University of Chicago,…

This paper presents a review of the literature that identifies the salient issues, trends, questions, and programs which bear upon the growth, development, and future professionalism of college reading improvement programs (CRIPS). The paper reviews the four broad areas of: (1) administrative concerns (including organizational structure,…

The use of portfolio assessment in the principal preparation programs of Southwest Baptist University (Missouri), Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas), and five other universities is described. Generally, portfolios are used for encouragement of professional growth through self-assessment, for external judgment of principal effectiveness,…

Sixty-six descriptions of notable programs and promising practices related to specific problems, practices, and goals in American postsecondary education are presented in this study, a continuation of Volume I. The programs are the result of searches made by the staff of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, although neither the…

The Jackson State University Critical Thinking and Outcome Measures Program, whose academic focus is curriculum reform, is described in this report. The program guides students in developing the skills to think critically, to reason clearly, to express their thoughts cogently, to value open and thoughtful dialogue, and to be receptive to the free…

The Maryland Center for Thinking Studies, established at Coppin State College in July 1988, and presented in this report, provides training and resources in the teaching of thinking and fosters research in thinking improvement. When fully operational, the Center will assimilate and contribute to research in cognitive instruction, disseminate the…

This issue on liberal education contains two short articles on National Project IV and descriptions of liberal education offerings at colleges and universities in the United States. The articles by Richard Hendrix and Zelda F. Gamson discuss objectives of the project and its history. National Project IV, sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how and why Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has developed a system aiming to effectively place students in freshman and developmental English programs. The placement system includes: triangulating data from external test scores, with scores from a panel-marked hand-written essay (HWE),…