The American Sociological Association identified 12 major recommendations for the undergraduate major, which include 11 learning goals articulated in the sociological literacy framework. In total, these recommendations identified upward of 70 different curricular elements that optimal sociology programs should consider satisfying. This article…

In an attempt to redesign science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) departments to be more inclusive of all student populations, institutions of higher learning are reviewing their programs, policies, and the ways they engage students. The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) has been working with STEM…

This article details the journey Luke Rhine, a Program Specialist in Career and Technology Education at the Maryland State Department of Education, as he went about the difficult task of building consistency and establishing rigorous expectations for Technology education in Maryland. As a result, Maryland has developed a model for Technology…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate decision making in the Common Core State Standards Initiative as the change process moved from research, development and diffusion activities to adoption of the Common Core State Standards by the states. A decision-oriented evaluation model was used to describe the four stages of planning, structuring,…

Interviews with university and college department chairs or persons responsible for existing educational administration and higher education programs evaluated the effects of a merged structure (combining the two programs) on the study of administration. Sixteen universities were visited and program heads were interviewed. Identified advantages of…

A framework for strategic planning within academic departments is outlined. Elements include analyzing the strategic situation of all constituencies (department, institution, competitors, students, student employers), development of mission statement and departmental objectives, development of strategic market-target and curriculum options,…

Examines undergraduate English programs through a survey of 108 American colleges and universities. Argues that the overwhelming emphasis on the study of literature gives students a narrow impression of the field, and that departments should offer, in addition, opportunities to study creative writing, languages and linguistics, and composition and…

Provides background on the general issues of performance assessment and suggests intervention strategies for department chairs. (KEH)

Little attention has been paid in composition journals and professional conferences to the practical problems associated with a writing program director's efforts to introduce an innovative composition curriculum within a traditional English department. A collaborative, problem solving approach to curriculum change is a practical way to proceed…

As part of its first-year activities, the Atlanta University Department of Chemistry, which started as Doctor of Arts degree program in September 1975, sponsored a conference on April 23-24, 1976 to which were invited 20 two- and four-year college faculty and administrators. The main objectives were to discuss the need and credibility of the…

The structure of the university English department in Third World countries is examined with respect to curricula, objectives, policies, and traditions. Examples are drawn from Arab countries, India, Pakistan, and several African countries. The typical syllabus in English has offered a complete coverage of English literature, but little emphasis…

This brief document, produced by the Alaska Department of Education, presents criteria designed to be used by school administrators, professional staff and community representatives to assess mathematics programs and provide a basis for establishing goals in teaching mathematics. Criteria cover staffing, leadership, professional development,…

This review of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Writing Programs was undertaken for several reasons, among them the rapid increase of research in writing, the inconsistency among courses, and the need to reshape and expand the programs. The report begins with a summary of earlier reviews of UCLA's composition program. Following a…

Prepared as part of the program review process at California's Coastline Community College (CCC), this report describes and evaluates CCC's English Department, highlighting problems and successes from 1976 to 1987. Part I offers a narrative account of: (1) the changes that took place in the department between 1976 and 1987, focusing on early…

Attempting to overcome the problems of traditional classroom approaches and the tendency of teachers untrained in new phases of English instruction to simply "do their own thing," the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School has designed a Creative English Curriculum for the 1970-71 school year. In the proposed program, teachers with different…