Two articles evaluate the impact of new transmission and information technologies on education: "Technology and Education--Friend or Foe?" (Pelton) and "Third Generation Distance Education: The Challenge of New Technology" (Bates). (SK)

This review of library services for distance education concludes that (1) better marketing is needed; (2) library staff should be more involved in program development; (3) faculty should promote library use in their courses; and (4) many distance learners lack independent learning skills, including use of library resources and information. (SK)

To learn more about how students select their dissertation topics, all doctoral graduates of a research university were surveyed. Factors affecting the choice of topics include the preference of the adviser, trends in the field, the likelihood that the research will be published, and the projected benefit on job prospects. (Author/MLW)

A telephone survey was conducted to discover what colleges and universities were doing and calling assessment. Results indicated limited university involvement in activities commonly associated with the current assessment movement (measures of added value or student progress and growth). Reported activities were testing and evaluation. (Author/MLW)

A study to determine the relationship between organizational decline and three domains of effectiveness (academic, morale, and external adaptation) in private colleges and universities is discussed. The results demonstrate that the relationship between decline and effectiveness is not uniform across three types of institutions. (Author/MLW)

The application of a pairwise comparison methodology (Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process) to the doctoral program selection process is illustrated. A hierarchy for structuring and facilitating the doctoral program selection decision is described. (Author/MLW)

A study to determine whether faculty conformity to the four norms of science identified by Merton are integrating mechanisms or whether they are forces of fragmentation is discussed. The four norms are identified: universalism, communality, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism. (Author/MLW)

The development and testing of a conceptual framework of board competencies is traced and alternative approaches to measurement are analyzed. There is a focus on issues of theory development, on the use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and on suggestions for further study. (Author/MLW)

A general process for faculty to use in comparing the relative efficacy of college outcomes assessment instruments for gauging student progress toward goals is outlined. Analysis of two standardized general education exams, the American College Testing College Outcome Measures Project and the Educational Testing Service Academic Profile,…

Analysis of the impact of current student financial aid policy on different sectors suggests that new policy is required. The success of the proprietary sector in increasing its market share at the expense of other sectors (e.g., community colleges) provides useful lessons about aggressive recruiting. (Author/MSE)

A place-to-place migration pattern study shows patterns for first-time college students, especially freshmen, for each state and the District of Columbia in fall 1986. State-to-state matrix tables show patterns by sector (private and public). (Author/MSE)

A study examined doctorate completion time in 11 scientific and engineering fields for 1967-86. On average, a 20 percent increase in completion time was found. Four measures of time are compared. (Author/MSE)

A study of college student withdrawal with new freshmen in a large research university suggests a reciprocal relationship between social and academic integration, with different effects for males and females. (Author/MSE)

Age-publishing profiles are estimated for four science fields using data from a 1977 survey of doctorate recipients. Results are presented separately for graduate faculty and faculty at non-graduate departments. Results suggest that the graying of America's scientific community was accompanied by slowed rates of research in higher education.…

The most predominant personal study goals that motivate students at FernUniversitat (a West German distance teaching university) are directly related to their wish to improve their employment potential. These are the goals that are least often realized. The question is whether the FernUniversitat should discourage students with unrealistic…