This article aims to reexamine conclusions drawn by recent analyses of the literature on concept mapping as an educational tool by considering the wider literature on curriculum development. This is with the aim of enhancing the application of concept mapping to higher education. As part of an iterative review process, issues raised by previous…

Distance education is a very popular and intriguing area in the present realm of education. Institutions of higher learning throughout the United States and around the world are quickly embracing distance education to serve thousands of students. This literature review of the foundations of technology distance education culminates in the year…

Traces the history of tension between vocational and liberal traditions in adult education. Proposes that Dewey's concept of vocation may be found in liberal education if it is made accessible and meaningful and if it integrates theory and practice. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

The Imposter Phenomenon, secret feelings of fraudulence and inadequacy among high achievers, are more prevalent in women. Aspects of the educational environment, including sexual harassment and stereotypes, and institutional barriers may contribute to the syndrome. Additional research is needed on the intersection of race, class, and gender with…

Students attending college on the GI Bill received mostly respectful, positive treatment in popular films and novels. Veterans typically exemplified successful students. However, mysteries and some novels sometimes portrayed veterans as academic misfits. (SK)

A decade of distance education practice has shown the following: academic achievement is enabled, teacher role changes, effective distance teachers become better classroom teachers, cost-effectiveness is only one measure of success, turf issues still remain, technology drives programs, and there is a tendency to fit technology to old teaching…

Research has largely emphasized that distance education methods are as good as traditional education. The convenience, flexibility, and interactivity of newer communications technologies give rise to the claim that distance education is superior for some purposes and situations, such as increasing access to graduate education for adults. (SK)

Reports that adult development literature proposes various, often contradictory suppositions on the nature and process of adult development. Describes a multifaceted approach to the development of adults. Outlines implications for practice in higher education and directions for further research. (CH)

The literature on the use of part-time faculty has concentrated on three general themes: (1) demographics of part time faculty, (2) perceptions of advantages and disadvantages, and (3) organizational policies regarding part-time employment. Studies on criteria used to evaluate part-time faculty are needed. (CH)

In fiction, night school students are usually stereotyped as outsiders: either losers incapable of functioning in academia or worthy achievers who are hard working, bright, and goal oriented. Public opinion and evening students' self-perceptions may be affected by these stereotypes. (SK)

Synthesis of 2 studies--1 of 429 accountant participants in continuing education (CE) and 1 of CE accounting courses taught by practitioners and academics--found that (1) academicians were rated slightly higher than practitioners and (2) assessments of learning indicate proficiency rather than competence in practice. (SK)

The Japanese concept of Kaizen (continuous improvement) may be applied to higher education institutions. Focus is on improvement of the products produced, the process by which they are delivered, and the people involved in the products and the process. (SK)

Although mandatory continuing education (MCE) has a positive effect on the knowledge level of medical practitioners, effects on performance are limited and impact on quality of care is unproven. Similar effects in law have not been studied. Compulsory education has improved quality of and access to programs, but MCE is not assurance or guarantee…

Among theories of student departure from college, interactional theories--that attrition is a result of interaction between attributes of students and the institutional environment--are currently popular. Of particular interest to continuing educators is the direct effect of absenteeism and academic advising on dropout. (SK)