This digest provides a review of the research literature on assessment of the effectiveness of higher education in producing graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary for well-educated citizens today. Major findings are grouped as answers or partial answers to the following nine questions: (1) "what are the critical competencies and…

This report describes the programs of 440 organizations that constitute the "First Honor Roll Class" by virtue of having initiated innovative and effective programs and policies to improve the lives of working women. The models described in the report represent a cross-section of the Honor Roll. These programs and initiatives are divided into four…

Factors affecting companies' readiness to implement workplace training were identified through a survey completed by 50 selected partner companies of the 44 National Workplace Literacy grantees during 1995-1996. Selection of the business partners to whom the survey was administered was left to the grantees' discretion. A 25-item questionnaire…

School culture has recently emerged as a framework for the study and interpretation of the structure and development of schools. This paper reviews a work culture productivity model and reports the development of a culture instrument. The use of second-order component analysis shows areas of generalization across primary factors. The School Work…

This study examined 10 institutions of higher education with widely different characteristics to determine whether, in the process of implementing quality improvements, they had become "learning organizations." Data were gathered through questionnaires and interviews with more than 20 individuals at nine of the campuses, and were then…

This document consists of four papers presented at a symposium on core directions in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Verna Willis at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Reengineering the Organizational HRD Function: Two Case Studies" (Neal Chalofsky) reports an action research study in which…

This report provides a comprehensive review of quality principles in higher education and proposes that, when used holistically and systematically, the quality principles, also known as total quality management and continuous quality improvement, can create a culture for academic excellence. After an introduction, the first section explains the…

In an effort to overcome organizational resistance to change, Victor Valley College, in Victorville, California, has utilized a seven-part strategy to enable leaders to empower others and effect change. Step 1 requires the development of a visionary plan, so that changes have a meaningful context. Step 2 calls for an assessment of the campus…

U.S. business and government are managing an increasingly heterogeneous work force. Between 1985 and 2000, white females, nonwhites, and immigrants are projected to represent 88 percent of new workers. Approximately 4 million new immigrant workers will join the work force during the next 10 years. Therefore, it is imperative that employers…

This book is designed to familiarize trainers with the implications of culture on the learning and development process and provide them with practical techniques for taking different cultural values into account when planning and delivering training. The book consists of 18 chapters organized into 4 parts as follows: culture and training (risks of…

A biographical and psychological survey of Nepali entrepreneurs was carried out with five objectives: develop a Biographical Information Bank, develop organizational profiles, determine the locus of control, determine whether entrepreneurs are individualistic or collective, and determine the entrepreneurs' profile along the 13 entrepreneurship…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on adult learning issues and human resource development (HRD). "Creating a Systemic Framework for the Transfer of Learning from an Action Learning Experience" (Suzanne D. Butterfield, Kitty Gold, Verna J. Willis) discusses a study of the organizational elements that affect learning and…

This manual presents recommendations for incorporating present and future technological changes into workable, efficient, pleasant school library media facilities in two major sections: Planning the Facility and Activity Areas. The first section addresses the planning process (appointing the building committee, evaluating the library media…

The conference reported in this document provided a forum for California's public postsecondary education officials to address issues related to the underrepresentation of ethnic minority students. An introduction provides statements on the nature of the problem, reasons for the problem, possible solutions, conference objectives, and conference…

Although 80% of all administrative decisions are made at the department level, many community college department chairs accept their positions without a clear understanding of the demands or training in leadership skills. It is critical to a productive department, however, that chairs possess the leadership skills to shape their departments into…