Contemporary viewpoints regarding education tend to fall into two groups; utilitarian--education as training in specific, useful expertise; and humanistic--education for the formation of good taste and the appreciation of beauty. This first article in a three-part series critiques both concepts and argues that both are deficient. (JMD)

English graduate students at Michigan State University teach composition at Michigan Technological University as participants in the Graduate Intern Program, a cooperative effort between the two schools. Benefits of the program include financial support and teaching experience for the students and increased credit-hour generation for Michigan…

Free writing--writing without concern about spelling, grammar, and punctuation--provides students with opportunities to practice without being judged. Some free writing activities are described that allow teachers of subjects other than English to improve their students' writing skills without sacrificing time for their own subject. (JMD)

A significant force in the selection of college faculty has been personal contact or the Old Boy Network. Its operation in academic institutions and its influence in placement and academic publishing is examined. Also discussed are alternatives to the system that could replace its diminishing influence and improve higher education. (JMD)

To encourage and recognize student academic achievement, the faculty of Natural and Social Sciences, State University College at Buffalo, sponsors a grant program to fund student-initiated research. The program and related projects, including a reception and publicity for achievers, are described. Also discussed are program fund-raising and…

A study to measure any increase in aesthetic awareness in artistically gifted high school students who attended a university inter-arts seminar, as compared to a control group that received no special instruction, indicates that the seminar students significantly increased their understanding of artistic concepts and their ability to make…

The application of principles learned in a first course in chemistry to chemical problems of interest to home economics majors specializing in clothing and textiles or fashion merchandising is described. Concept transfer--teaching difficult concepts in terms of an everyday analogue--is also explained and relevant laboratory experiments are…

Instructing a college class in remedial English can be a shock to teachers trained in specialized literature. To give such teachers an idea of what to anticipate, some common obstacles they will encounter and the special skills and attitudes they will need to be effective are discussed. (JMD)

Appalachian State University of North Carolina, which draws mostly from nearby rural areas, has opened the Appalachian House in Washington, DC as a temporary residence and research center for faculty and students. The urban location of the house provides students with experiential learning opportunities not previously available. (JMD)

Usual student seminar classes involve students presenting papers to the class. Alternatives to this approach are offered that maximize student audience involvement. The suggestions incorporate variations of sub-grouping, idea generation, discussion of important statements, and the refining, clarification, and evaluation of key statements. (JMD)

The role of faculty colleagues in the evaluation of college teaching is not defined adequately. A distinction needs to be made between summative evaluation conducted for administrative decisions such as pay increases, promotion, and tenure, and formative evaluations designed to improve teaching. (MLW)

Contract grading is seen as a way to enable instructors to assign written work and respond to it helpfully so that their students will learn from the experience. Experiences with contract grading in a sophomore literature class are described. (MLW)

To provide a meaningful research experience for undergraduate methods students, students participated in an ongoing research project. The progress of the project to encourage the adoption of a curriculum in which theory building informs methods, and in which actual field experience is provided, is described. (MLW)

A study that investigated the performance of 129 students who transferred from two-year technical programs to the University of Michigan's Undergraduate Occupational Teacher Education Program (UOTEP) is described. To determine how successful students had been during enrollment and after graduation, transcripts were reviewed and a survey was…

A liberal arts institution, it is argued, should provide for an off-campus experience wherein a full semester of credit can be earned through work with a corporation, governmental agency, or school system. The thrust of an internship program is seen as preparing individuals for entry into middle management positions. (MLW)