The technique of scanning the college environment (on economic, social, technological, and political dimensions for strategic planning purposes) can help identify crucial issues, formulate goals, increase intrainstitutional understanding, and open opportunities. Internal and external communication will be increasingly important in higher education…

Briefly reviews the development of microcomputers and their impact on education. Future applications in the classroom are discussed as well as techniques to evaluate the effect of using microcomputer systems. (BK)

The high cost of compulsory admissions interviews and the lack of proven effectiveness in predicting academic success is discussed. Selective interviewing is seen as an effective compensatory device for overcoming culturally/racially biased test scores or grade point averages and as a recruitment mechanism. Suggestions for essay questions are…

A study on the validity of admissions predictions done at the University of Kansas is reported. The results show that interjudge reliability was low, predictions captured small proportions of total variance, and year-to-year variability was apparent. Suggestions for research include the study of faculty as admissions decision makers. (Author/MLW)

Data from a longitudinal study of Jefferson Medical College graduates were analyzed to determine levels of clinical competence in the first postgraduate year and relationships between postgraduate ratings and performance during medical school. It is concluded that in a substantial number of cases good and poor performance in the first postgraduate…

Presents the author's view of changes to come in the eighties and their effects on how, who, where, and how long the schools educate. (Author/JM)

Prediction and stability in psychological measurement are not always compatible with social change, especially with reference to the career development of women. Placing major emphasis on these measurement characteristics may have the effect of perpetuating the status quo. New measurement models and new ways to use existing measures are needed.…

The effects of record-card-type information on performance expectations were examined. Expectations based solely on preobservational information (standardized tests, previous teachers, family, physical characteristics) were positively related to the quality of the reported performance. Implications for the public concern over record card…

Suggests that innovations, not presently imagined, will influence the evolution of chemical technology in the 1980s. External influences, such as government regulations and inflation, are discussed in relation to the industry and the public. (SA)

Until recently, vocational guidance was the responsibility of private agencies in the Netherlands. However, the Dutch government has begun to incorporate vocational guidance into secondary education. High schools now have guidance teachers working in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and private agencies to provide vocational guidance…

Describes a class experiment illustrating students' illusions about their own mortality (often referred to as "unique invulnerability"). The students received information, culled from actuarial tables, concerning age and mortality rates. The students consistently overestimated their own age of death even when told they would do so. (MJP)

Though research is exploratory, it suggests ways in which individuals' a priori beliefs in available social support might affect their reactions to new information and the mechanisms that could underlie the maintenance of these beliefs in light of that information. Evaluates implications for the stability of perceived support availability. (LSR)

The usefulness of Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores in combination with grades in high school courses and the number and quality of these courses in predicting college grades in various fields was studied for 981 college freshmen. The SAT and collateral variables were able to predict grades in different areas and could be useful in guidance.…

Revenue forecasting is the critical first step in most college and university budget-planning processes. While it seems a straightforward exercise, effective forecasting requires consideration of a number of interacting internal and external variables, including demographic trends, economic conditions, and broad social priorities. The challenge…

Increasing evidence shows that fetal exposure to alcohol, cocaine, phenylcyclidine hydrochloride (PCP), and other drugs results in infants with abnormal neurologic findings. This suggests the need for longitudinal studies to determine whether such findings will translate into a significant number of children with learning and behavioral problems.…