The universe of postsecondary education is expanding. It is an era of rapid demographic and labor market changes, increased competition and shifts in institutional form (e.g., the rise of for profit degree granters, the hybrid form of nonprofit/for profit partnerships, corporate universities), and new forms of delivery driven by emerging…

This paper presents part of the results of a completed study entitled "A Longitudinal Study of Minority Ph.D.s from 1980-1990: Progress and Outcomes in Science and Engineering at the University of California during Graduate School and Professional Life." It focuses particularly on the graduate school experience and degree of preparation for the…

A survey of 2800 teachers from 33 two- and four-year colleges shows markedly different perceptions of teaching goals and roles. The most significant differences occurred across fields of study. For example, whereas 55 percent of the science teachers said they were primarily concerned about teaching students the facts and principles of their…

The instruction that we provide, the intellectual climate that we create, and the policy decisions that we make should all start with the question, "But will it improve students' learning?" Basic to any answer is the state of our knowledge about learning. A spate of recent research has resulted in comprehensive and lengthy reviews of surveys of…

Globalization trends and innovations in the instructional technologies are widely believed to be creating new markets and forcing a revolution in higher education. Much of the rhetoric of globalists has presented a simplistic analysis of a paradigm shift in higher education markets and the way nations and institutions deliver educational services.…

Uses John Searle's concept of "Background" to explore the acquisition of scholarly know-how, particularly as it relates to graduate students whose previous education impedes their epistemological access to scholarly practices. (EV)

Examines how a disciplinary shift was brought about in an individual. The impetus for the shift was social and organizational, the process was undergone in a bureaucratic context, and the outcome was a scientific identity of a transdisciplinary nature, in which competencies in the social and life sciences were interwoven in daily practices. (EV)

In the aftermath of SP-1 and Proposition 209, the University of California has adopted several strategies in order to maintain access. In the long term, the university seeks to work with individual students to improve their academic preparation and to expand partnerships with the K-12 public sector. The state's need to educate more of its minority…

Since 1995, the University of California has been prohibited from employing affirmative action principles in student admissions. In response to this constraint, the UC has sought to pursue a number of other avenues for promoting the selection and retention of a diverse student body. In this paper we look at how officials and staff within the UC…

As part of the University of California's recent reconsideration of the role of the SAT in admissions, the UC Office of the President published an extensive report, "UC and the SAT" (2001), which examined the value of SAT I Reasoning Test scores, SAT II Subject Test scores, and high school grades in predicting the grade-point averages of UC…

The paper focuses on the land-grant mission of outreach to its community. It reviews the history of the land-grant institution and its missions, especially in the context of changes in higher education at the end of the 20th century that affect funding, demographics, and institutional mission and culture. UC Berkeley provides a case study. The…

Textbooks are powerful technologies that are foundational to introductory level courses. In the research site of an introductory economic classroom, the textbook is positioned as having status similar to that of a canonical religious text. This study investigated how student reading and writing can be problematic when introductory level courses…

The issues of government responsibility and institutional autonomy that arise in university-government relations in the United States and Australia are discussed, and similarities in some European countries are noted. Political and market forces are examined as they affect government relations. (MSE)

The theme of innovation is considered under three headings: the need for innovation; obstacles to innovation caused by slow growth (financial stringency and staffing structures); and approaches to solution (earmarking substantial funds for innovation and creating a system of joint appointments for academic staff in polytechnics and universities).…