The author designed a midterm podcast assignment to give her students in "Modern East Asian Civilizations," an entry-level survey course, the opportunity to articulate their own understanding of East Asian artifacts, the ways in which objects are seen and imbued with meaning, and what those meanings imply.

After years of slow erosion of funding and enrollment, higher education in Wisconsin faces a flash flood. Financial challenges had been accumulating for the state's public colleges and universities, brought on by a tuition freeze, stagnant state funding, and demographic trends. Now COVID-19 threatens to wash away key pieces of a system that will…

This chapter presents the state of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin System as an ongoing case study for best practices in systematic, intentional, statewide programming and initiatives connecting undergraduate research and economic development.

In the early 1960s, Clark Kerr, the famed American educationalist and architect of the California public higher education system, took up the task of describing the emergent model of the contemporary American university. Multiversities, as he called them, were the large powerful American universities that packaged the provision of undergraduate,…

Alex Prunty, a student in Moraine Park Technical College's Engine Research and Development (ERD), says that "dedication" is the first word that comes to mind when he thinks of rebuilding an engine. He quickly added the more technical terms like crank shaft, pistons and valves to the discussion. Just like an engine is taken apart and…

Debates in forums such as "Educational Technology" and the National Academies of Science (National Research Council, 2011) emphasize the promise (and indeed recent successes) of digital game-based learning programs, but also the need for research-driven approaches that carefully delineate learning goals. This article introduces one such…

A 2006 ECAR study defined cyberinfrastructure as the coordinated aggregate of "hardware, software, communications, services, facilities, and personnel that enable researchers to conduct advanced computational, collaborative, and data-intensive research." While cyberinfrastructure was initially seen as support for scientific and…

While the Milwaukee region's economic base is rooted in its manufacturing history, many believe that the region's future prosperity will be tied to its ability to successfully transition its economy into one that is based on knowledge and innovation. Indeed, fostering innovation has become the call to action for business and political leaders…

This report was written for the Wisconsin State Legislative Council's Special Committee on Mental Health Issues. It summarizes selected studies of mental health issues, focusing on the most recent studies conducted in Wisconsin and studies conducted elsewhere that examined issues relevant to the work of the committee. For each study reviewed,…

The Child Welfare League of America is the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families and protecting every child from harm. This issue of "The Link" contains the following articles: (1) Improving System…

In a recent project involving two midwestern high schools, vocational and academic teachers participated in a project promoting interaction and mutual reinforcement. Innovative matches were found in agriculture and biology exchange classes, a technology outreach program, a study of world protein distribution, and a furniture marketing project. The…

This report by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Wisconsin's Telecommunications Infrastructure considers infrastructure to be the common network that connects individual residences, businesses, and agencies, rather than the individual systems and equipment themselves. The task force recognizes that advances in telecommunications technologies and…

A study was conducted to determine the organizational structure and tasks of the research, planning, and development (RPD) units within each of the 16 districts of the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) System. For purposes of comparison, data were also collected from non-Wisconsin community colleges and technical…