Analysis of universities as organizations, characteristics of academic staff, and universities' change processes suggests why attempts to improve teaching have not been very successful: teaching is very complex; attempts at amelioration are relatively new; the theoretical base is weak; and focus on developing individuals may be inappropriate.…

A project to determine student attitudes toward interactive closed-circuit television instruction on two university campuses is described. Course design, results, costs, and implementation difficulties are discussed. Differences between the campuses' responses may be attributable to teacher familiarity, student differences, and familiarity with…

Concludes that an ongoing, onsite, supervised inservice program providing regular diagnostic feedback to teachers doubled the reading comprehension gain scores of low SES Black intermediate-grade students from a large urban school district as compared to the gains of students whose teachers did not participate in program. (FL)

Common themes in the literature about college and university response to the developmental needs of adult students are outlined, and an annotated list of resources is provided. (MSE)

Describes incentives that motivate faculty and staff to expand or contract their efforts toward institutional goal achievement. Probes causative factors related to job satisfaction and recommends strategies for improving management. Concludes that faculty job satisfaction programs are essential to faculty and administrative efforts to improve…

The National Writing Project's widespread summer institutes bring teachers together to experience writing techniques directly and to develop their own curricular approaches to teaching writing. The project owes its success to involving teachers in the problem-solving process rather than having them depend on externally developed curricular…

Describes processes used by rural districts and cooperatives to implement staff development programs which can improve special education procedures in rural areas, with beneficial effects on the whole system; presents four models: (1) management approach; (2) management information system approach; (3) multiple roles approach; and (4)…

Discusses how greater student diversity and rapid changes in the field of psychology increase the need for individualized, innovative teaching methods and continued professional growth. Future psychology curricula should stress information-gathering skills, problem solving, and effective communication. (AM)

The Great Lakes Colleges Association, composed of twelve small liberal arts colleges in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, has been a leader in the integration of women's studies into the curriculum of its member schools. The consortial approach and the women's studies program are described. (MLW)

Policies and professionalism are discussed with reference to experiences in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Great Britain. A professional development policy is considered to be a prerequisite for inservice programs for academic staff, evaluation of academic performance, and career-related decisions. (Author/MLW)

A study to identify the needs of mature adults by use of a questionnaire sent to undergraduate faculty asking for their perceptions of adult students is discussed. Results indicate interest in the needs of the adult population but that there is little experience with this audience among the faculty. (Author/MLW)

In Oklahoma, a new law (H.B. 1706)--the product of efforts by educators at all levels--promises to provide a framework to strengthen the preparation, induction, and continuing education of teachers. (Author/WD)

Faculty development represents one of several responses to changes in the academic environment. In an industry characterized by steady state and no growth, career mobility has declined dramatically. Faculty development is seen as a way to assist faculty to remain or once again become vibrant, vital, productive, and pertinent. (MLW)

The effect of feedback from student ratings was compared with the effect of such feedback supplemented with consultation from a more experienced teacher. The teachers under study were graduate student teaching fellows and professors. Consultation enhanced the feedback's positive effects. Class achievement effects were generally positive.…

Based on 900 returns from a survey of all U.S. college and university presidents, priorities were found to reflect needs to deal with retrenchment. Priorities included: communicating institutional strengths to students, parents, public, and state legislatures; integrating program review results; resource allocation; faculty vitality and renewal;…