In an effort to manage change at Bennington College (Vermont) in the face of financial problems, its trustees engaged in an institutional symposium for a year and a half and issued a report addressing some significant questions in liberal education, including pressures for political correctness, the relativity of truth, individual responsibility,…

Surveyed Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC) members (n=333) and conducted six case studies to determine how faculty use multimedia for instruction, hardware and software used, support for faculty multimedia development, and media management practices. The most significant finding was that the role of media centers as a…

A multimethod evaluation of a major Canadian strategic grant program with surveys of 74 funded projects, 4 case studies, and interviews with researchers and grant application staff reveals the favorable effects of partnerships between research and practice on research and dissemination strategies in spite of ideological and pragmatic constraints.…

At Queensland University of Technology (Australia), a cross-disciplinary faculty development network involves 13 teaching and learning interest groups representing 25 disciplines across 3 campuses. Groups meet monthly, using peer facilitators, to identify individual and collective areas of interest, reflect critically on teaching processes and…

The James Madison University (Virginia) experience in implementing the "Student Learning Imperative" is described. Challenges to be met in creating programs, services, and curricula focused on learning and a strong sense of intentionality are discussed including circumstances for change; compatibility of project and community values;…

A multiple case study was conducted, using constant comparison of interview transcripts with three counselors and three families who had recently completed counseling using a postmodern approach. Counselors saw a process of negotiating expectations, while family members felt they received the type of service they expected when they began…

Presents a case study of a fourth-year kindergarten teacher who has altered her teaching from academic to more developmentally appropriate ways and now attempts to incorporate new curriculum expectations. Examines how her teaching practice evolved, her approach to new curriculum expectations, and what tensions, worries, successes and concerns…

Group Support Systems (GSS) is a computer-based technology designed to improve group processes and outcomes that can be effective in teaching international business classes in such areas as strategic planning, negotiations, case studies, and course evaluation. When contemplating use of GSS, instructors must consider hardware, software, facilities,…

The appropriateness of making qualitative change in the education of developing nations by applying Western innovations uncritically is discussed. It is argued that an appreciation of the complex educational context of the culture by educators in higher education, where such reform generally begins, is more likely to promote qualitative change.…

A case study explored attempts to change the culture related to sexual orientation at a small, Catholic college. Focus was on the perceptions and experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, staff, faculty, and their allies. These participants experienced a culture filled with contradictions and paradoxes. The report delineates and…

Presents a case study of a 45-year-old first-generation community college student and his transition from factory worker to college student. Presents findings related to the student's stages of transition, personal contacts, work study experiences, commitment, and self-image. Excerpts from the student's journals and sample interview questions are…

Explores whether there are unique approaches to early literacy among children reared in a rural Appalachian culture. Describes the reading/writing development of two children--both developed unique styles and approaches to literacy, stemming from home and cultural influences, and a supportive, constructivist, whole language classroom. (PA)

Describes a Rand Afrikaans University (South Africa) program to prepare learners for lifelong, self-directed learning. Components include reduced classroom contact, increased independent study, use of a modular study guide, optimum student participation, and continuous evaluation. Focuses on the seven-year process of transforming the project into…

A faculty development workshop program at Southeast Missouri State University is designed to introduce faculty to the importance, techniques, and applications of classroom research, to expose faculty to prospective research project sponsors, and to discuss development of qualitative research proposals. Providing faculty with such opportunities is…

Compares approaches to defining functional scientific literacy and helping students achieve it--the canonical approach focuses on literate individuals' knowledge, skills, and habits of mind; the sociocultural approach focuses on factors such as values, which affect participation in the community's activities. Offers a case study to show how these…