The trend toward unionization for graduate students employed as teaching assistants by colleges and universities is examined, and the content of union contracts at five major universities is analyzed, looking at provisions for salary, health insurance, salary increases, grievance procedures, and appointment letters. Activism at three other…

Discussion of computerized adaptive testing focuses on a study of graduate students at Indiana University at Bloomington that examined three kinds of computerized adaptive testing procedures to determine their psychological impact and how they may affect test performance. Previous research is reviewed, and further research is suggested. (28…

An American studying for his master's degree in French in France reflects on the experience of advanced second-language learning. The discussion focuses on the stage at which interaction with others replaces formulation of sentences as the primary task and on understanding the power of word choice. (MSE)

Considers what the higher educational status of black America and the nation as a whole would be if the Bakke decision had gone the other way and race-based affirmative action policies had been held unconstitutional from the beginning. A major erosion in blacks pursuing higher education would be expected. (SLD)

Investigates how different practice techniques (physical, mental, and alternating physical/mental) and aural knowledge of results improve the piano performance of 40 graduate and undergraduate music students. Reveals all three practice modes, especially physical practice, improved performance, whereas aural knowledge of results had little effect.…

Describes the Graduate Mentor Program at the University of California Los Angeles. Discusses the importance of both faculty and graduate student mentors in recruiting talented minority students into graduate study of political science. Emphasizes minority students' lack of knowledge about graduate school, the graduate application process, and the…

Analyzes the structure of academic sociology departments. Stresses the competition for resources and symbolic capital among different groups including faculty, support staff, research staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Focuses on the complex role of graduate students, the constraints, and the opportunities it opens. Urges reform…

Provides a profile of Abdulalim Shabazz and his philosophy and practices relating to excellence in mathematics education. Highlights include his career at Clark Atlanta University; graduate mathematics students; teaching students based on need rather than test scores and background requirements; and gender equity in higher education, especially…

The Public Service Electric & Gas Company in New Jersey uses graduate/undergraduate student project teams to explore promising technology that can be further explored in a more formal, contracted research arrangement between the company and academic institutions such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of…

Discussion of interactive educational technology (IET) focuses on a case study using a hypertext-related concept of interactive video to teach interviewing skills to graduate students. Topics discussed include teaching professional interpersonal skills; intelligent computer-assisted instruction; learning processes; learner control; teacher roles;…

Popham describes the evolution of his Instructional Objectives Exchange (IOX) from an objectives-dispensing enterprise to an assessment-creating enterprise. Discusses national standardized testing, criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced assessment, teacher licensure tests, and professional development activities for graduate students. (KS)

Describes how a small rural town in Washington complied with state legislation mandating community planning to address population growth and environmental degradation. The city planner, with the help of graduate students, involved citizens in deciding land use issues by holding open forums, developing a focus group, educating high school students…

Describes a study that identified various strategies used by graduate students to navigate a hypermedia program about ethnographic research methodology. The strategies included independent interaction, accommodation of a learning partner, cooperation with a partner, collaboration mediated by the program, and reflective collaboration with little or…

Discusses key integrated elements of the internship learning process and outcome, specifically regarding internship assignments abroad. Describes applicable cultural dimensions of such experiences. Discusses selection, training, and monitoring of interns, and deals with the evaluation of internships. Argues that the faculty advisor is pivotal to…

Discusses the design, development, and teaching of two graduate-level special-education courses online using audio streaming technology. The teamwork involved in developing the system is described and suggestions are offered on how to engage instructional and technical developers in the creation of online instruction. (Author/CR)