Faculty in 40 research university departments of physics, sociology, electrical engineering, and education were surveyed about their attitudes toward universities' competitive strategies (clever adaptation, sudden changes, elimination of less attractive units, entrepreneurial ventures). More productive, satisfied, and committed faculty were found…

Examines the need to increase expenditures per student at Soviet technical institutes. Proposes seeking financial assistance from enterprises employing technical specialists. Outlines an experimental program in cost accounting. Suggests stipend and wage allotments and explains some of the contractual obligations involved. (CH)

Discussion of international cooperation for the advancement of higher education, science, and technology looks at the areas in which European and Latin American interests converge. Issues examined include concerns about expansion of higher education, institutional systems and privatization, the labor market, fiscal capacity for change, research…

An annual national survey of college faculty salaries shows that engineering faculty are still the best paid, but top earners in new hires are in certain business and management fields. Overall, salary increases were limited. Average salaries are presented by rank for 55 disciplines, by public and private sector. (MSE)

Interviews with three Native American telecommunications professionals explore careers in telecommunications for Native Americans. Included are discussions of the importance of telecommunications, courses and technical skills needed for various telecommunications careers, types of telecommunications degrees available, the importance of mentors and…

Most work done by engineers today is organized in projects and very often as teamwork. When educating towards employability, it is therefore important that the students develop competencies in areas such as project management, collaboration and teamwork. In companies using human resource management, we find similar expectations to the engineers'…

One of the benefits of an applied research funding program such as those within the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources is the reading and referencing across fields of study and application of ideas from diverse literatures for common social good such as STEM teaching and learning. This benefit resonates…

The purpose of this project was to assess the perceived efficacy of university-based activities designed to improve the recruitment and retention of women in academic science and engineering (S&E). Numerous approaches to recruitment and retention have been described and implemented but little change occurs. An evaluation of suggested activities by…

Using the grounded theory approach, this research investigation, drawing on a larger study, examined the factors that were most instrumental in influencing African American males' decisions to pursue engineering as an academic major and career choice. Using open-ended biographical questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus groups, numerous…

Implementing information systems (IS) is expensive and sometimes unsuccessful due to low levels of system user acceptance (Legris, Ingham, & Collerette, 2003). For this reason, IS research has focused, in part, on variables contributing to system user acceptance of technology. As a part of this effort, Davis (1989) theorized and tested the…

This paper reviews a series of formative assessment studies that were conducted to inform and evaluate a large-scale instructional software development project at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). The three-year project, entitled "Taking the Next Step in Engineering Education: Integrating Educational Software and Active Learning,"…

Over the past year, a number of journals have reprised many of the questions plaguing higher education--providing a full year's worth of sleepless nights. While each of these issues justifies considerable dialogue and attention, the one issue on which parents, students, the public, and educators can agree is the importance--and the challenge--of…

With clockwork regularity, the real or perceived shortage of scientists and engineers in the US pops up as a topic of debate in academic and industry circles. Discussions of an imminent shortage have deep impact for education, career prospects, immigration, and "The American Dream." The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it poses a…

Estimates indicate that as much as 80% of an engineer's work time is spent on communicating. Studies done by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Arizona show that engineering firms, as well as ECE graduates, rank writing ability as the most important skill in determining engineers' success, even above…

This case study considered the syllabus of the first and second year studies in computer science. The aim of the study was to reveal which topics covered in the syllabi were really needed during the following years of study or in working life. The program that was assessed in the study was a Masters program in computer science and engineering at a…