Reviews literature on the characteristics of community college art appreciation courses and instructors. Presents findings from a survey of Illinois community colleges regarding the characteristics of art appreciation instructors and the institutions offering such programs and course content and methodology. Reports results and discusses…

Presents findings from a study of teaching practices in Principles of Economics courses at Michigan's 29 community colleges. Describes course prerequisites; textbooks used; lecture supplements; and the use of experiential learning tools, such as computers and field trips. Presents three recommendations for improving student preparation in…

This paper reports on foreign language instruction in the community colleges of Florida. A brief rationale for increasing the importance given to language instruction is followed by a review of the literature concerning the latest classroom and laboratory foreign language techniques such as computers, video taping and analysis, audio tape…

The vocabulary development curriculum offered by developmental reading programs in Georgia postsecondary institutions was studied. A total of 49 reading specialists from 39 institutions completed a questionnaire that covered: emphasis placed on vocabulary development, practices followed in expanding students' vocabularies, and the materials used…

Findings of two doctoral research studies analyzing the organizational and instructional characteristics of successful reading and mathematics developmental programs in Texas community colleges are presented in this report. The first paper describes a 1989-90 analysis of developmental reading test scores to determine the characteristics of the…

This report considers the basic skills levels of adults in Kansas, the provision of basic skills training by public and private agencies, and policy options for improving the basic skills of Kansas's workforce. Following a detailed executive report, chapter 1 reviews the workforce challenge, economic and technological changes, and shifts in…

In 1989, a study was conducted within the Minnesota Community College System to determine the effects of a 3-year Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) staff development program on the quality of student writing and on student mastery of course objectives. The study methods included faculty interviews, student and faculty surveys, holistic ratings…

A survey of Colorado vocational educators in spring 1989 examined perceived professional development needs and preferred delivery systems. A statewide sample of 1,043 vocational educators responded to the survey; the response rate was 31 percent. Four professional development needs in the curriculum area received the highest ratings:…

The Florida Board of Community Colleges conducted a survey of the current state of preparatory programs (i.e., math, reading, English, and English as a Second Language (ESL)) in the state's 28 community colleges. Data was gathered through a literature search, a survey of directors of developmental programs, Bureau of Research and Information…

In 1988, a study was conducted to examine student assessment and related remedial/developmental programs in Michigan's 29 community colleges. Administrators or instructors with direct responsibility for developmental education programs were surveyed regarding the existence of an institutional definition of and mission statement for remedial…

Based on a review of 60 studies, this three-part report analyzes the research to date on economics education in the two-year college. After introductory material noting the growing interest in research in economics education, Part I describes the three broad categories into which the studies fall: (1) fact-finding studies, designed to determine…

A description of current activities in instructional computing in Washington State community colleges is presented, along with curriculum content guidelines and planning procedures to assist colleges which plan to initiate or upgrade their activities in instructional computing. The document provides an overview of computing activities in the…

In the Florida Community College System (FCCS) the Associate in Arts (A.A.) program provides students with a two-year transfer degree. In an effort to determine the need for state initiatives, policy changes, and funding priorities, a program review was conducted which examined a series of 19 issues regarding student characteristics, student…

To assess the relative importance of selected educational needs for adult students in New York's two-year colleges, samples of faculty/staff, younger (17-24) traditional college students, and older (25+ years) re-entry adult students were administered the Survey of Student Needs, a 75-item questionnaire tapping the following five facets of the…

This paper reports on a survey that examined writing pedagogy and assessment across the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The survey attempted to identify "best practices" in writing pedagogy, the extent to which these practices are being implemented, characteristics of campuses implementing these practices, and whether…