Offers suggestions for a restructured preservice teacher education curriculum in South Africa and ideas for an integrated, thematic approach to teacher education. Outlines personal and professional characteristics of effective teachers, discusses the aims of teacher education, and proposes a three-year teacher education curriculum that includes…

Argues, based on a constructivist view of learning, that if knowledge is constructed rather than recorded as received, instruction must be viewed as creating learning environments that enhance the process of knowledge construction, and should guide, support, and accompany students in constructing an increasingly sophisticated understanding of…

Examines the concept of a "people's university" in the South African context, focusing particularly on the role of historically black universities. Argues that South African blacks feel universities in general do not reflect their views, values, and aspirations, and that black universities should be more representative in their governance…

South African experiments with an intervention in university chemistry instruction are critiqued for their poor descriptions of the method, problems with research methodology and data, reliability and validity issues, and assumptions made about application of the intervention. The intervention, Academic Support Programs (ASP), taught…

Discusses issues associated with the establishment of a distance education branch of a technical institute in Qwaqwa, a new, formerly self-governing portion of the Orange Free State (South Africa). Focuses on design and utility of the system itself and on implementation of such a technologically advanced project in a Third-World context. (MSE)

A study at a South African university investigated the mathematical reasoning ability of 314 first-year chemistry students and 69 mathematics students regarding ratios and proportions in non-chemistry-related problems. Results indicated students' mathematical readiness in these areas was only weakly linked to their previous achievement in…

Issues in the financing of higher education are discussed, including concern about rapidly increasing student debt, the decline in state student financial aid, rising student costs, college presidents' assessment of the damage in various areas of college operations caused by these changes, and predicted legislative response. Issues are considered…

Between 1991 and 1994, college student borrowing increased by 28% annually, higher than the national rate. The highest rates are among older, part-time, independent, and minority students. Rising debt and rising costs predict a growing problem of indebtedness among students. Social and economic consequences could be severe if this trend continues.…

The growth experienced by Middlebury College (Vermont) in the 1980s brought stature and satisfaction. However, rising costs in the early 1990s resulted in more strategic planning and some retrenchment, focusing on enhancing the institution's excellence in certain liberal arts areas, gradual enrollment increases, cost and price containment,…

Faced with declining state support, New England's public higher education institutions are stepping up private fund raising. In comparison to U.S. leaders in voluntary support, New England's public institutions have not fared well, for a number of reasons. Fund-raisers must persuade donors that their contributions will not result in reduction of…

Campus-based public policy institutes with local, state, and regional orientations may play a profound role in shaping New England's future by addressing a variety of issues, including achieving quality in public schools, access to health care and other social services, job creation, environmental protection and creation of livable communities,…

New England is experiencing globalization at a rapid pace, including enrollment of foreign college and university students. If the area is to reap the economic and cultural advantages of foreign enrollment, it must maintain a hospitable climate for both foreign trade and foreign students. This process can be enhanced by the admissions and alumni…

Recruitment of foreign students would be economically advantageous to New England. Currently, the typical foreign student in Boston makes international 15 trips to the area in a lifetime. Alumni connections are especially important, both for institutions and for the region's economy. Increasingly, other states and regions are discovering the…

Higher education must prepare graduates for a globally connected world. While most international education is geared to specialists, Connecticut College is attempting to bring an international perspective to all undergraduate liberal arts disciplines. Other New England colleges can contribute by building a globally competitive workforce,…

Tables and graphs show: economic impact of foreigners visiting New England; reasons for visits (1995); foreign student enrollment, 1983-1995 and by field of study and country of origin; leading destinations of U.S. students abroad; leading countries of origin of foreign students, 1995-96 and 1962-63; foreign student expenditures and job creation…