University students, asked to judge criteria for their own quality, rated a commitment to learning most important of 25 criteria. They considered most criteria of student quality to be more important at graduation than at entry, supporting a talent development approach to assessment rather than a resource approach. (Author)

Defendants of affirmative action are asked to demonstrate that race-sensitive admissions policies and diversity produce educational benefits for all students. This study found that the racial/ethnic composition of a classroom may indeed be related to the development of students' problem-solving and group skills. The nature of that effect, however,…

The labor market projections of Bowen and Sosa's "Prospects for Faculty" (1989) are assessed by testing their assumptions about faculty supply and demand against data from the last decade. Improvements to the model are recommended, including the use of an inventory-attrition model to account for backlogs of supply. (Author)

Analyzing data from 56 4-year colleges, this investigation employed a cross-sectional design with statistical controls for confounding influences to estimate the net impact of college on 5 standardized, objective measures of student learning: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and a composite of all four tests. Women in the sample…

This study used data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to examine the extent to which the concentration of women among part-time and nontenure-track faculty is related to family responsibilities. It found that in fact the effects of family responsibilities are less advantageous for women than for men. (EV)

Compared levels of engagement in learning activities and gains of students at research universities (RUs) and other types of colleges in the 1980s and 1990s. Though students at other universities generally outperformed RU students, the gap closed somewhat between the mid-80s and mid-90s due in part to declines in many learning productivity…

Student codes of conduct often encourage or require students to report observed acts of academic dishonesty. This research investigated the influence of such requirements on academic dishonesty and the peer reporting of such dishonesty. Results suggested that stronger requirements generally lead to more reporting and less cheating. However, the…

This article documents the scope of collegiate desegregation compliance and explores its surrounding critical policy issues. A brief history is given of the development of public black colleges and their legal quest for equitable treatment in state systems of higher education. The article ends with policy recommendations designed to attain…

This study analyzed choice of academic major for different racial groups. While Asian Americans chose different majors than non-Asians, differences in factors affecting choice of major occur between European Americans and African, Hispanic, and Native Americans. Academic preparation, private schools, and maternal influence are areas of disparate…

Using national survey data, examined how postsecondary institutions have approached undergraduate student assessment, the organizational and administrative patterns used to support assessment, and the institutional uses and impacts realized from assessment efforts. Detailed findings included that patterns of assessment approaches, organizational…

Found, through survey data analysis, that students whose personality type was incongruent with the environment of their major gained about equally in abilities and interests pertinent to that environment as students with congruent personalities. Interpreted results in terms of a socialization dynamic being more prevalent than a personality…

Four exemplary college teachers were interviewed, videotaped in class, and rated by students on a list of effective classroom behaviors. Findings suggested that each teacher achieved excellence using a different set of effective teaching dimensions and strategies but also that they all share a small number of teaching dimensions and strategies.…

Examined the revenue and cost structures of higher education institutions. First, documented the reduced importance of state appropriations and the increased importance of tuition revenues during the early 1990s in public universities. Second, considered how the changed revenue structure influenced cost efficiency in public higher education…

Examines college preparation programs for low-income, urban, minority youths. Offers overview of college preparation models and analyzes a university-sponsored, inner-city program in which approximately 67 percent of participating students graduated from high school and enrolled in a university. Finally, proposes a "culturally responsive model"…

Examined strategies reported by students during reading to develop knowledge in their area of professional training. Discovered the reading, encoding, self-regulation, and resource management strategies used most often by students, which were not sufficient to attain effective learning. Less frequently used strategies added nuances to the…