This paper offers a different perspective for teaching and learning--the "thoughtful" perspective--as an alternative to the current technocratic perspective. The technocratic frame of reference implicitly proposes that any problem is amenable to programmatic definition and solution. The following three propositions are presented: one's perspective…

Changing student demographics, legislation improving standards and access, and increasing community expectations are creating instability in the nation's education system. Also, public confidence in schools' effectiveness has eroded. This treatise draws on sociology, corporate studies, and effective schools research to understand how education…

A policy statement on the accreditation process as adopted by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) is presented. The process requires an honest, rigorous self-analysis, an on-site evaluation by a team of peers, a team report, a review by an accrediting body, and final action defining the accredited status of the institution or program…

Methods of detecting plagiarism and teaching skills relating to the use of secondary sources are matters of increasing contention within academia. The project presented in this paper melds the use of a detection tool (Turnitin) with a multi-strategy educational programme. The results show that using percentage of secondary sources usage as an…

Transsexualism offers a unique perspective on gender identity, sex-role stereotyping, and sex differences in a patriarchal society. It is also an important medical ethical issue which raises questions of bodily mutilation and integrity, nature versus technology, medical research priorities, unnecessary surgery, and the medical model, as well as…

Four ethical problems resulting from a fieldwork study of elementary education student teachers are explored. The problems include: acquiring permission to execute the study; how far to dig into personal lives to extract necessary information; the pitfalls of doing collaborative research; and how much information can be revealed without…

The licensing of public relations practitioners by government has long been controversial. A survey was conducted of members of the public relations division of the Association for Education in Journalism under the auspices of the division's committee on professional freedom and responsibility. One-hundred and sixty-one questionnaires were mailed…

The leadership in rebuilding the image of athletics must come from the athletic directors and coaches. The athlete must be expected to develop and perform adequately socially, academically, and personally as well as athletically. (MLW)

Dishonesty in vendor-buyer relations is nothing new. Any alumni director who has contracted with a tour company for alumni trips knows ethical questions can arise, begining with the issue of familiarization, or fam, tours. Some suggestions for setting policies in an alumni office are presented. (MLW)

Buckminster Fuller looks at the world before 5,000,000 B.C., in 1900, in 1975 and in 2000 A.D. (RW)

Article searches for educational developments in the inter-related areas of personal development and social relationships. (Author/RK)

Discusses how human cultural and personal values relate to scientific practice (and indirectly to results of that practice), considering interferon, biological risk assessment, plutonium, and sex hormones. Also discusses the significance of these episodes in understanding the (contextual) value-freedom of science. (JN)

Differences in approach to three hypothetical dental moral dilemmas were found among dental students, but the differences were strongest in the early years of dental education, before significant patient contact. Freshmen rated principled reasons higher than older students. Further research into causes and actual behavior is recommended. (MSE)

The self-study has been increasingly used as an aid to accrediting reviews but has rarely been used as a tool for ongoing systematic internal quality assurance. Attention to the purposes and functions, the processes, and the dynamics of self-studies so used can yield great benefit for modest cost. (Author/MLW)

A major effort by higher education institutions to raise standards is required. Changes in accrediting, in informing consumers more effectively, and in the internal processes of self-monitoring will be needed to support the press toward improved teaching and learning. (Author/MLW)