Assessment can have a profound transformational impact on a college or university, but for this to occur, such core values as improvement of student learning through collection of performance-related data must be integrated into the institutional culture. At Truman State University (Missouri), an initially modest commitment to improving student…

Proposes that a successful effort to internationalize the business administration curriculum requires (1) strong and consistent administrative commitment; (2) strong leadership from faculty to develop, operationalize, and manage the internationalization effort; and (3) clear encouragement of interested students and institutional commitment for…

Describes the faculty development efforts at eight medical schools participating in a large-scale medical curriculum development project, exploring faculty-development topics and the methods and ways the institutions motivated faculty to participate. Outcome measures used to gauge program effectiveness are also discussed. Concludes that approaches…

Describes how a Reality Adjustment Program involving interactions with prison inmates stresses the consequences of decisions made during adolescence and the program's impact on four highly angry students for whom other interventions had failed. Suggests that by offering a variety of anger-related programs, middle level educators can learn what…

Central governance of undergraduate medical school curriculum is compared with traditional departmental approaches, based on experiences at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). It is argued that centralized governance has more advantages but greater cost. A major challenge of this approach is in resolution of faculty conflict between…

Eight ways in which colleges and universities can help reform of public education are outlined: communicating the need for reform, helping develop standards, aligning college admissions and placement with the new standards, improving teacher professional development, improving preservice teacher preparation, reframing the research agenda,…

This paper reports research on three innovations addressing teachers' adoption of effective instructional interventions: (1) an adoption/administrative model for promoting the use of measurably superior instructional practices; (2) a computer program providing expert implementation advice to individual teachers; and (3) a schoolwide strategy for…

A middle school reform initiative, sponsored by the Program for Disadvantaged Youth of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation 4 years ago, has taken hold in 12 urban middle schools nationwide. The article discusses that reform, noting the lessons about change to accommodate student diversity that urban middle schools can teach. (SM)

The era for international practice for engineers has arrived, and each engineering education system must revise its programs to prepare graduates for practice in the global marketplace. This includes foreign-language instruction, education in cultural awareness, opportunities for international work experience, and greater emphasis on history,…

The emergence of open education at the level of graduate study, characterized by more individualized study, distance education, and increased use of technology, is changing the roles and relationship of teacher and student. It will become increasingly important to acknowledge these changed physical boundaries and adjust teaching accordingly. (MSE)

To advance social justice research in the field of outdoor experiential education, we must recognize the truth-distorting role of social privilege in program management and delivery, staff training, and the experience of participants. We must diversify the researchers, settings, situations, and methodologies that are used in conducting social…

Evaluation of a university-wide mission to internationalize included interviews with administrators, faculty members, and students in two departments. Findings indicated: (1) diverse understandings and implementations of internationalization; (2) perspectives linked to perceived relevance of internationalization to specific fields; and (3)…

California schools are ranked near the bottom in student achievement. The University of California can improve public schools through outreach programs; by improving its own curricula, particularly in mathematics and science, to become more interdisciplinary and inquiry-based; and by focusing on teacher education. Discusses obstacles to, and…

New technologies lead higher education institutions to question their academic structures and processes, but effective implementation of the technologies and positive changes in traditions will occur only if basic research about teaching and learning is incorporated into discussions and planning. Issues related to instruction, faculty development,…

The challenge of recruiting, retaining, and retraining information technology (IT) staff in colleges and universities affects the entire institution, not just the IT organization. Some of the issues surrounding the projected IT staffing crisis are outlined, and steps campus IT leaders can take to minimize the effect of staff turnover on…