Empirical research on aspects of teaching role performance in which disciplinary differences have been observed (teaching goals, teaching practices, course examination questions, and the relationship between teaching and research) is summarized, and implications for faculty and development, academic affairs administration, and improvement of…

It is argued that graduate students are bearing the costs of the oversupply of doctor recipients making them overworked, underemployed, indebted, anxious, and in crisis. The situation is particularly acute in the humanities, English, and comparative literature. Institutions and their faculty must reassert their commitment to graduate students,…

A survey of 1,579 faculty members in 201 academic departments at Norway's 4 universities found no significant relationship between department size and research productivity, as measured by scientific publishing. Faculty in smaller departments were more content with their research environment than their colleagues in larger departments. However,…

Two studies on monitoring and assisting high-risk college students are compared. Individualized intervention was provided in the first study, whereas the second attempted a reduced form of the same intervention in a large-group course. Both emphasized student awareness of appropriate study behavior. Only the first study had positive results.…

The egalitarian dogma, the belief that blacks and whites are genetically equal in cognitive ability, has been perpetuated through intimidation and pious thinking. Data on racial differences and the corruption of scholarship that causes them to be ignored are discussed. (SLD)

This article describes five major stylistic qualities that college teachers possess and offers suggestions for when and how to employ them. It also discusses the development of the Teaching Style Inventory, which was administered to 381 faculty members to gauge the distribution of teaching styles across gender, academic rank, course level, and…

The University of Houston's master's degree program in social work with concentration in political social work is described. The debates surrounding political social work education, which is a social-change-oriented curriculum, the importance of political actors and context in development of the program, and the nature of the program's integrated…

A step-by-step guide to designing interdisciplinary courses is presented. Underlying theoretical rationales and expected educational outcomes are explored, and concrete suggestions and examples are offered. Steps include assembling an interdisciplinary team, selecting a topic, identifying disciplines for inclusion, developing the issues underlying…

Reports on a study of the theory of cumulative advantage and disadvantage as it applies to the productivity and prestige of academic departments within sociology. Finds that past accomplishments do not bear importantly on current perceptions of departmental prestige. (CFR)

Reports that many respondents on a historians' survey believe that they have become too specialized and that their profession has been cut off from the public. Contends that broadening history's coverage of underrepresented groups has fragmented the scholarly world and led to this specialization. (CFR)

Presents results of a 1991 national survey conducted in The Netherlands that investigated the use of computer-assisted learning (CAL) in higher education. Topics addressed include academic disciplines using CAL; types of CAL, including drills, tutorials, and simulations; level of learner control; authoring languages and programing languages; and…

Black Studies as a field appears to be in the stage of institutionalization, requiring that questions of who is qualified to teach and what is required to teach Black Studies be answered. Issues of scholarship defining an alternate history of the United States are discussed. (SLD)

A federal survey on academic degrees awarded and a report on the colleges and universities doing the best job of graduating minority students are summarized. Data on associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees awarded in major ethnic groups and to men and women in different disciplines are also presented. (MSE)

Median polishing, an exploratory data statistical analysis technique, was used to study achievement patterns for men and women on the Pharmacy College Admission Test over a six-year period. In general, a declining trend in scores was found, and males performed better than females, with the largest differences found in chemistry and biology.…

Presents the findings of a Center for the Study of Community Colleges study of liberal and non-liberal arts curricula in American community colleges. Displays curricula and enrollments in credit courses broken down by discipline or field of study. Discusses the transferability of non-liberal arts courses. (MAB)