The spotlight on higher education has never been more intense than during the 1980s. Two central themes for response are the need to create greater campus community and cohesiveness and the need to tilt against rampant vocationalism and restore the liberal arts to the place of primacy in undergraduate education. (MLW)

Research and undergraduate teaching need not be mutually exclusive. Research is tied to a seventeenth-century conception of knowledge that divides the disciplines into disconnected chunks and thereby impedes education. The demands of knowledge are beginning to break down the partitions of the research university, hence interdisciplinary programs.…

Four models which illustrate potential orientations for baccalaureate programs in agronomy are presented. Included are Technical Training; Information Transfer; Principles Application; and Systems Agronomy. Strengths and weaknesses of each program are discussed. (CW)

Discusses the use of quantitative methods in historical research. Maintains that numbers are essential to understanding certain historical phenomena and contends that statistical sources must be approached with a critical stance. Describes the integration of quantitative methods into the history curriculum, and the establishment of an…

A new undergraduate program that stresses interdisciplinary connectedness, formal reasoning, intercultural understanding, and speaking and writing skills implemented at Hamline University is described. The Hamline Plan provides skills that students demand: computer literacy and real-life work experience. (MLW)

Addresses four concerns faced by educators incorporating specific features of learning objectives into a course: structure of the course, students' acceptance of changes, time commitment required of professors, and format interference with presentation of subject-matter. (RT)

Future-directed liberal education that will prepare students for effective living is the major challenge for higher education today. Such a curriculum should teach critical thinking skills, continuous learning, and creativity or fluency of ideas. It should also provide a sense of efficacy and responsibility. (Author/MSE)

Presents survey results from freshman engineering students at Colorado State University. Identifies the highest levels of math and computer courses taken. Notes although most students took high school calculus, 48 percent failed the college's analytical trigonometry examination. Develops practical ideas for the future. (MVL)

Provides listings of the top 25 universities producing chemistry graduates for the year 1987-88 in the areas of: total bachelors; certified bachelors; masters; and doctoral. (MVL)

Describes an advanced NMR project that can be done with a 60-MHz continuous-wave proton spectrometer. Points out the main purposes are to give students experience in second-order NMR analysis, the simplification of spectra by raising the frequency, and the effect of non-hydrogen nuclei on proton resonances. (MVL)

Presents a procedure used in sophomore level organic chemistry which has been particularly useful for organic qualitative analysis. Uses a nine-well spotplate and one-two mg of solid and three-four drops of eight different solvents. Solubility is checked at different temperatures. Provides a solubility table. (MVL)

Surveyed is a pre-physician assistant program by giving: definition of the career, a historical basis, medical practice settings, education, advantages, and an evaluation of the student population. Included is a table which shows the distribution of acceptances into the physician assistant programs for the medical and clinical phases of training.…

A procedure where homework assignments are collected, graded, and returned each week is suggested. Students were used to grade each other's homework against copies of the solutions according to criteria established at the beginning of the course. Student response has been positive. (MVL)

Discusses techniques for infusing current events into an international politics course. Describes Current Events Sweepstakes and Great Decisions Roundtable which acquaint students with contemporary issues. Reports a survey of 86 participating students concerning the programs. While admitting the limited scope of these activities, the conclusion is…

Describes a simulation exercise that integrates current events with the basics of decision making under crisis. Reports positive results in terms of student participation, interaction and reflection while creating minimal demands on class time. Provides details for using the simulation. (KO)