The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) promotes research on the civic and political engagements of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25. The following topics are covered in this issue of "Around the CIRCLE": (1) Common Social Studies Teaching Practices and their Civic Outcomes; (2) CIRCLE Jointly Hosts…

A program of the University of the Pacific established a cluster college to integrate a non-Western perspective into the curriculum of a liberal arts education. Study in India, Japan or Taiwan includes intensive language courses and working internships. (CHK)

A learning experiment at a West Coast cluster college is reported that involved curricular devices designed to modify student-faculty interactions, change the basis of student motivation, and develop new insights into subject matter on the part of both faculty and students. (Author/LBH)

Stresses that community colleges must be designed for a broader segment of the population and must expand to deliver more than traditional educational services. The college is viewed as the cultural, learning, and recreation center of the community. A variety of instructional programs, building plans, and college organizations are examined. (TP)

Explores institutional efforts to bring balance to past over-emphasis on rational and cognitive processes by underscoring the value of human feelings. Discusses specific community college programs exemplifying innovative approaches to institutional organization, human development education and staff development. (AC)

Report on the advantages and disadvantages of the interdisciplinary cluster system at Oakton Community College (Illinois) after five years. Reviews effects on students, faculty, administrators, and curriculum. (RT)

An analysis of the curriculum, operation, and evaluation of the Bowling Green State University Humanities Cluster College, an interdepartmental living-learning program now accorded formal institutional status. Compares the 1975 program with those of earlier experimental years when the students were less career-oriented and pragmatic. (JT)

Cluster colleges organize campuses to capture all the advantages of the small college (local administration, identifiable students and faculty, a sense of community) while maintaining many of the advantages of the large institution (economy, financial security, efficiency, staff expertise). This article identifies advantages and problems, and…

The cluster dean's primary responsibility is to lead, supervise, and evaluate the faculty and staff within the learning cluster. He also participates in long-range planning and formulating educational policy. This article examines the cluster dean's relationships with faculty and department chairmen, and identifies advantages of the cluster…

This bibliographic essay cites books and ERIC documents which discuss organizational change in the community colleges. Specifically referenced are cluster colleges, management by objectives, and multiunit community colleges. (NHM)

Three short papers on the Centennial Education Program of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in existence since 1969 as a residential cluster college for about 200 undergraduates registered for a 6-semester-hour block of problem-centered, experiential learning, usually interdisciplinary. Focus is on the problems and roles of faculty in this…

Discusses three developments in higher education that offer possibilities for cooperative efforts that could lead to significant improvements in undergraduate programs: cluster colleges, field study programs, and new techniques for teaching and learning. (Author/PG)

Both theory and organizational structure support the isolation of teaching faculty and counseling staff in most institutions of higher learning. At Oakton Community College (Illinois), a student-centered philosophy which contends that cognitive and affective growth are intimately related has lead to the integration of teachers and counselors. (NHM)

The unit of faculty-student grouping at Oakton Community College (Illinois) is the learning cluster. Four learning clusters, led by appointed deans, serve 4700 students. The basis for assignment of faculty and students to a cluster is not homogeneity, but variety and balance. (Author/NHM)

Discusses the innovations taking place at Johnston College of the University of the Redlands, an experimental cluster college, including: governance, living-learning alternatives, and student life. (PG)