A study investigated the steps in college faculty recruitment in Britain, in an attempt to understand the role recruitment and selection play in shaping disciplines. Steps in recruitment (job creation, job definition, listings, references, presentations, interviews) for 10 jobs in English were examined, based on interviews with candidates,…

The use of cognitive social learning theory to help students plan independent study projects is examined and illustrated in the context of a Manchester Metropolitan University (England) senior project program. The theoretical model drawn from the theory focuses on self-regulated learning, and its application emphasizes students' development of…

A program in the School of Education at Queensland University of Technology (Australia), designed to improve the experience of graduate students in a research-based master's program, is described. Strategies for overcoming problems of student isolation and building a sense of belonging are highlighted. It is argued that graduate students need…

An approach to teaching university-level environmental education that uses structured controversy to challenge and enhance students' conceptions of environmental issues is described. Students are confronted with alternative viewpoints and evidence and engage in peer discussion to formulate their own position, understand other viewpoints, see the…

An instructional approach used in a civil engineering curriculum at Queens University of Belfast (Northern Ireland) incorporates development of communication skills into active learning assignments. A "learning from disasters" exercise and two mock public inquiries illustrate the use and benefits of the technique. (Author/MSE)

In the context of heightened interest in providing college graduates with transferable skills for use in later job performance, one institution's efforts are examined. A study of five diverse courses at Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland) investigated course content, teaching approaches, and students' perceptions concerning development of…

The first of two assumptions underlying the thesis of this paper is that, in the face of escalating costs, uneven demographics, faltering revenues, and a serious erosion of public confidence, United States higher education must become more productive. Universities and colleges of all types must produce demonstrably more education, research, and…

This report addresses the issue of "academic productivity," and the critical views of academia held by the public. The section titled "Quality Academics, Quality Productivity," posits that using new notions of productivity, with their emphasis on quality rather than quantity, will allow academia to increase its own productivity, with faculty as…

Four papers address the changing roles of system administrators in multicampus public higher education systems such as the State University of New York (SUNY). In the first paper, by Joseph C. Burke, "Unity and Diversity: SUNY's Challenge Not Its Choice," the role of a public university system is defined as doing for its campuses only those…

In this report three administrators explore the challenges of integrating technology into the mainstream of academic life especially at the State University of New York (SUNY). Frederic V. Salerno, in "Pedagogy is the Traveller on the Educational Superhighway," asks how technology can be integrated into academic life and sees the answer in an…