The future of pluralistic democracies depends not only on laws but on individuals within the societies. Different cultures bring different strengths and conceptions of self and community. By studying different cultures and discovering shared virtues, students can identify those contributing to high quality of life for human society. (MSE)

If higher education is to have a coherent curriculum and a coherent way of thinking about the world, it may need to study premodern ways of thinking for both insights and the courage to think in new ways. The tradition of the humanities, which originated in fifteenth-century Italy, can help. (MSE)

Describes Waldorf College's (a small, private, church-affiliated two-year college) Honors Program, one of the college's strategies for raising the level of academic excellence by enhancing students' intellectual curiosity and independent critical thinking, while also providing a forum for faculty scholarship. Assesses Waldorf's progress toward the…

Describes the development of LAND, an organization of liberal arts faculty and administrators at Michigan's community colleges, formed to engender closer interinstitutional ties. Highlights LAND's major conferences and other activities since its formation in 1985. (DMM)

Discusses the apparent low status of computer-based writing in college composition instruction. Observes that computer-assisted compositionists, whose main interest is in pedagogy, occupy the bottom of the academic hierarchy. Suggests that computer-based projects count against faculty members seeking tenure. Argues that the reliance on temporary…

Examines 539 undergraduate course catalogs to determine the percentage of institutions offering courses in physiological psychology, biological psychology, both, or neither. Finds 64.1 percent of the institutions studied offered physiological psychology, and 11.3 percent offer biological psychology. Finds catalog descriptions reveal confusion over…

Speculates about the future responsiveness of chemical engineering curricula to changes in the chemical industry. Focuses on changes in the chemical industry, the status of academia, and possible curricular changes. (DDR)

Although liberal arts colleges are reputed not to offer business education, a study of 182 nationally known colleges found that most offer business majors. Apart from economics, these programs predominantly operate outside disciplinary mainstreams. Although business education is associated with lower performance and reputation rankings, it is a…

Describes Robert Kegan's theory of meaning-making--how individuals make sense of knowledge, experience, relationships, and the self. Applies the theory to college students and how their understanding of their experience, themselves, and their relationships with others mediates learning. Draws implications for the design of college curricular…

Discussion of resource-based learning (RBL) in South African distance education finds that problems associated with this approach are due to inadequate understanding of its principles. Offers collegial dialog as way to address RBL at the conceptual level, and suggests that incorporating greater creativity is essential to its success. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the challenges faced at Western Illinois University to develop a general education assessment framework in the humanities. Stresses the importance of interpretation in all the humanities, assessment goals that focus on students' understanding of humanistic discourse, and ability to use at least one discipline's mode of interpretation and…

Describes university courses and programs in protecting computer networks and World Wide Web sites from vandals, cyberterrorists, and malicious hackers. Notes such courses are provided by East Stroudsburg University (Pennsylvania), Purdue University (Indiana), George Mason University (Virginia), and Texas A&M University. Also notes the federal…

The number one barrier to including environmental education in teacher education curricula is too little time. Reports the results of a survey of 715 preservice teacher training programs and concludes that institutions that offer environmental education do so because of the interests of faculty. (DDR)

Describes the development of an electronic curriculum in two undergraduate courses in quantitative methods and Epidemiology. Examines an underlying theoretical framework upon which the development of the Internet components was based. (Contains 20 references.) (DDR)

Professors continue to use movies to encourage students to critically reflect upon why they are in college, to discuss the challenges they face, and to think about how they act out what they learn. Classic films about awakening experiences in young adults are described and considered for their potential as learning tools. (JDM)