College and university learning communities build a sense of group identity. Institutions are establishing them for varied purposes and student populations, including first-year interest groups, general education core courses, gateway courses, developmental and basic studies, honors programs, and work in the major or minor. For implementation,…

It is proposed that medical schools recruit students from rural areas, have them choose family practice, and train them in rural settings. Specific recommendations for improving content and context of rural medical care education are made, including merging internal medicine, family practice, and pediatrics as a single primary care specialty.…

Medical student records were examined for information predicting graduates' specialty choices. Two variables available on admission that were associated with being in the primary-care career pipeline were being a woman and being a member of a non-underrepresented minority. One variable, rural county code, predicted non-primary-care choice. (MSE)

A study of 308 communications professionals in south Florida investigated interest in graduate programs, both formal degree programs and professional continuing education. Results indicate the primary reason for enrollment in a formal degree program is not economic but perceived benefit to the employer. More minority group members wanted formal…

A discussion of sterile products in pharmacy looks at recent concerns in the health care community, action by professional associations, recommendations and guidelines for professional training of pharmacists and technicians, current and proposed curricula for undergraduate, graduate, continuing, industrial, and cooperative programs and…

A study of research productivity among 890 Australian faculty members in 18 universities during 1985-89 found the overall average to be low but with a wide range of variation. Additional variables examined include level of research activity, subject area, institution type, gender, age, early research interest, and satisfaction with the promotion…

A discussion of dental education focuses on what constitutes competency-based education and how such a curriculum is designed. Topics addressed include desirable learning events at various stages in the learning continuum; program components; definition and assessment of outcomes; interdisciplinarity; focus on the entry-level practitioner's needs…

Moving to best practice in teacher education and schooling requires more enlightened leadership and greater future resolve and resources. Ten dichotomies in teacher education are examined: quality versus quantity, majority versus minority, preservice versus inservice, campus versus school site, time versus money, specialization versus…

Human performance technology (HPT) is having a significant impact on the field of instructional design and technology (IDT), and many IDT graduate programs now offer training in HPT to their students. However, some IDT programs may be struggling with the extent to which they should incorporate the principles and techniques of HPT into their…

This collection of papers describes efforts of the Westchester Teacher Education Group (WTEG) to incorporate multicultural concepts into teacher preparation courses. Part I gives an overview of the WTEG and the activities of its task force on diversity and the family, in three papers: "The Westchester Teacher Education Group: History and…

This document describes the design, content, and methods of a teacher education program (TEP) with a specialization in environmental education (SEE), intended to prepare teachers for middle schools. The SEE is also suggested as inservice for staff members. Part 1 presents the goals of the TEP and translates these goals into learner objectives. It…

The aims of college teaching are discussed, and a comparison of higher education in 1960 and two decades later is provided. After considering the development of a teaching style and the importance of the teacher's character, the joyful and spontaneous side of teaching are considered. The nature of teaching (i.e., art, science, or craft) is also…

A narrative summary and detailed 1982 statistics on social work programs, students, and faculty are presented. Data were obtained from a total of 292 programs accredited by the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE). Information is provided on: the geographic distribution of social work programs; number of programs and faculty by type of…

The relative impact of the aging process, pervasive changes in higher education, and career socialization experiences on college faculty members' distributions of work effort was studied. Secondary analyses were completed on the following surveys: the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education Survey (1969) and the Survey of the American…

Information is provided on U.S. summer learning offerings, such as courses, institutes, and workshops, that are open to foreign nationals but about which information is hard to find. While many of the courses and programs are strictly academic, others provide a cultural orientation to the United States, and some mix academic or vocational training…