In a seven-year study of new experimental colleges, Grant and Riesman (1978) report that within those schools "The utopian impulses are strong, representing a search for a more perfect union." One of the most radical of those experiments was Minnesota Metropolitan State College (MMSC). In addition to having no campus, the school had no…

This qualitative research study describes perceptions of Northwest Arkansas' business, industry and post-secondary institutions as to the Don Tyson School of Innovation (DTSOI) and its ability to prepare students for Northwest Arkansas' college and career needs. Designated as one of the first schools of innovation in Arkansas through ACT 601 of…

With new and innovative efforts occurring within higher education, it is important to analyze these efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine competency-based education (CBE), and to improve and expand the research that exists related to CBE; while also describing a difference in degree completion proportion between CBE and the traditional…

Among the lessons to take away from COVID-19 in the K-12 sector, one is this: we can never again say that schools haven't changed in a hundred years. After a year in which all schools upended the status quo to support students' learning and wellbeing during a pandemic, the most vocal critics of outdated school systems must acknowledge that even…

National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) are a principal means by which governments seek to assure the quality of higher education. A body of critical scholarship has, however, emerged in the last two decades that challenges their philosophical and practical foundations. Stephanie Allais is prominent amongst the critics. She has published…

This new district partnership school, slated to open in fall 2015, will serve Columbus, OH students in grades 6-13 in a competency-based, blended learning early college high school model that is focused on both college and career success. The Metro Institute of Technology is designed to solve two problems: (1) capable students may struggle in…

We present the results of a longitudinal evaluation of the Western Region 4-H Institute, a 5-day training program designed to enhance the skill sets of early-career Extension professionals organized around the 4-H professional research, knowledge, and competencies model. Programs such as this often are assessed for their short-term relevance and…

Kazakhstan, having joined the Bologna Declaration in 2010, committed itself to modernize the higher education in general and make a fundamental change in the approach to the development of regulations, in particular, the educational programs. The article describes the basic concepts of the problem, provides an overview of the regulatory frame-work…

The relevance of the research problem is caused by the need to use various teaching methods and techniques in training students majoring in pedagogical specialties while implementing the competency approach in education. Information about the technology of critical thinking development (CTD) in future teachers training is limited, and the…

The number of competency-based education (CBE) degree programs has increased rapidly over the past five years, yet there is little research on CBE program development. This study utilized conceptual models of higher education change and a qualitative methodology to analyze the strategies and challenges in implementing CBE business degree programs…

Business and professional communicators increasingly rely on visual thinking and design strategies to create effective messages. The workplace need for such thinking, however, is not readily accommodated in current pedagogy. A long-running study abroad short course for American students taught in London provides a model for meeting this need.…

The article analyzes the goals, objectives and content of professional training for international communication specialists in the UK universities. It is found that professional training of international communication specialists aims to prepare a competent and competitive expert under the rapidly changing requirements of British society and the…

In this National Science Foundation Advanced Technician Education program (NSF ATE) project, we aimed to explore factors that would strengthen the rural IT employee workforce and improve educational support related to broadband, telecommunications, and networks in rural settings. Using multiple methods to triangulate rural IT program curricula…

'Good teaching' remains disputed, but few studies have empirically studied variations in views of good teaching as reflected in teacher education. This study performed a content analysis of criteria for student teacher lesson observations stated in protocols from universities in six countries. Similarities across the protocols were the absence of…

This research is predicated on the hypothesis that a fieldtrip project adhering to a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) philosophy can be effective in promoting learning of both social and linguistic competencies. The main objective was to evaluate the didactic efficacy of a bilingual urban itinerary with teachers in training (from…