A study of 42,407 college students' ratings of teachers in 5 departments and at 4 instructional levels (first-year through graduate study) revealed that perceptions of improvements needed in teaching skills varied significantly according to instructional level, class size, and discipline. Implications for college administration and instructional…

Reviews how ethnicity, race, and gender affect women's professional participation in academia, particularly in psychology departments. Examines minority women's inclusion at undergraduate, graduate, job entry, and senior level positions within academic psychology; and reviews economic and social-psychological processes that unjustly serve as…

A recent report indicates that at public colleges and universities, business and management professors receive the highest salaries. At private institutions, engineering faculty remain the highest paid. Lowest-paid faculty remain the same. Collective bargaining affected pay raises. Private and public institution average salaries are tabulated, by…

Describes Comserve, an electronic information service in the field of human communication studies. Topics addressed include linking students and scholars internationally; promoting dialog and cooperation among scholarly societies; developing and disseminating low-cost software; free access electronic libraries; electronic disciplinary centers; and…

National data on doctoral recipients include information on students' gender, citizenship, racial or ethnic background, planned postdoctoral study and employment, and primary postdoctoral employment activity by field. The median age, time from bachelor's to doctoral degree, years as a graduate student, and proportion with same-field undergraduate…

New academic self-concept measures were used to assess self-concepts for 234 boys in grades 5 and 6 (13 subjects) and 524 boys in grades 7 through 10 (16 subjects) at a Catholic boys school in Sydney (Australia) and to test the Marsh/Shavelson model. Academic self-concept is remarkably subject specific. (SLD)

Argues a global perspective is inherent to all geographic research and education. Quotes several influential geographers concerning their views on globalism and geography as a discipline. Examines geography's five fundamental themes and their applicability to a global perspective. Considers roles geographers can play in solving world environmental…

A colleague interviews linguist Ann Johns concerning her interests and work in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), her teaching career, development of several new university programs that bring ESP perspectives to bear in other disciplines, the evolution of ESP as a discipline over several decades, and a new publication. (MSE)

Three different approaches to the evaluation of higher education in European and Scandinavian countries are examined: evaluation of a single discipline across institutions (Finland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, northern Germany); evaluation of several disciplines within certain institutions (France, Germany); and internal evaluation of…

A study of 1,261 doctoral students in chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology investigated student experiences with research, employment, and personal misconduct in academic departments, including the effects of departmental structure, department climate, and academic discipline. No disciplinary differences were found, but…

Discusses the isolated and uncertain status of geography departments in most community colleges. Identifies the root of the problem as being a combination of community college growth and the shift from an academic to a remedial/vocational orientation. Finds this disturbing in light of community colleges' massive enrollment. (MJP)

The authors compare the ideal versus actual academic reward structures at a representative sample of nondoctoral four-year institutions and make recommendations. (Contains 2 tables.)

Across America, colleges and universities proclaim their commitment to liberal education through general education mission statements touting outcomes such as increased intellectual awareness, breadth of learning, communication skills, and critical thinking. According to this author, however, general education programs are burdened by several…

Good teaching should be inclusive of all students. There are very strong arguments for making courses/units/modules as inclusive as possible, based on issues of equity and access. Inclusive teaching has been a catch cry in recent times and most universities have policies related to this issue. However, research into the effectiveness of measures…

Although the literature on social networks has made a considerable contribution to the sociological imagination in recent years, it has been largely ignored in conventional course materials. Such an omission is curious, considering social networks' intuitive imagery, broad theoretical relevance and extensive empirical application. This article…