Describes the preparation of preservice secondary mathematics teachers in the uses and implications of classroom technology. Presents four areas of technology: (1) programing; (2) utility programs; (3) calculators; and (4) implementation of instructional software and communication packages. (Author/YP)

A National Endowment for the Humanities report recommends a structured core undergraduate curriculum including two years of foreign language study and a year each of natural sciences, social sciences, and basic mathematics. It emphasizes Western texts but suggests two courses on other cultures. (MSE)

Describes a new BS degree in secondary science/mathematics teaching being offered at Florida State University. Notes that the science concentration is either chemistry-physics or chemistry-biology. Indicates approximately 40 semester hours split between the science subjects are required. Notes that both a prospective and inservice track are…

Discusses the review of California's master plan for higher education by a state blue-ribbon commission. Reviews the commission's recommendations concerning the community college curriculum, student progress, transfer programs, governance, and accountability. Considers the work of the commission a reflection of a new alliance between faculty and…

Reviews ERIC materials on external influences on the community college curriculum, including state-level control, accrediting agencies and the accreditation process, transfer institutions, foundations and other sources of private financial support, and customized job training. (DMM)

An evaluation of an experimental problem-based medical education curriculum used with 18 first-year students at the Bowman Gray Medical School of Wake Forest University is discussed. The study, which included a matched group of students experiencing a traditional curriculum, provides insights into design problems in such evaluations. (TJH)

Increases in the number of older students are prompting some colleges to reconsider the purpose of undergraduate liberal education and adjust curricula and teaching methods to accommodate the more eager, active learners. Adult students may be more directly motivated by rising job requirements and a readiness for liberal arts. (MSE)

Discussion at the Wingspread Conference on the New American College (August 1994) concerning a new model of educational excellence in higher education is summarized. The model emphasizes the need to connect general education with specialized education, theoretical learning with practical learning, and development of intellectual skills with…

Colleges and universities must do more to prepare graduates to deal with serious environmental challenges. The decline in environmental quality presents higher education with an opportunity to create a truly interdisciplinary curriculum, revitalize pedagogy, and redesign the campus to reduce cost, lower environmental impact, and help catalyze…

College grades do not reflect many of the skills most relevant to jobs, contributing to discontinuity between higher education and the world of work. Ability tests, bio-data, work samples, and job analyses are job selection strategies that make the most explicit use of material associated with a college education. (MSE)

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin was created as an upper-division and graduate institution for community college transfer students. It instituted many innovations, including elimination of departments, integration of undergraduate/graduate education, year-round enrollment, contract study, modular classrooms, a faculty trained at…

Discusses the influence of the number of liberal arts courses and course stratification upon community college transfer rate, indicating that colleges with below-average liberal arts ratios had disproportionately low transfer rates. Suggests that precollegiate, freshman, and sophomore stratifications, including remedial education programs, in the…

Surveys the frequency of social studies methods courses in Louisiana colleges and universities. Shows that 9 of the 12 responding institutions require the courses. Finds that social studies methods textbooks are the primary resource and are supplemented by lectures and discussion. Identifies the most frequently taught content topics as the…

A study used the Coursework Cluster Analysis Model to assess comparability of community college and lower-division courses taken by 76 transfer students and 168 "native" students at Southern University (Louisiana). Results indicate that the different student abilities and backgrounds and different institutions produced different kinds of…

Issues in the debate over expansion of British mass higher education are examined, including the need to encourage institutional diversity, expand part-time study, integrate part- and full-time programs, provide funding based on student credit points and integrated financial aid, and raise awareness of these issues in the academic community. (MSE)