Colleges and universities considering adoption of new technologies should first consider why the initiative is occurring; whether it is based on careful discussion of educational goals and means; what social visions are built into and enacted by a given technology; how context of use will shape the way the technology is used; and how different…

Confusion over the role to be played by technology in college instruction is common, with administration sometimes in opposition to faculty over transformation of courses into courseware and the action of teaching into commercially viable property. The major proponents of such a transformation include vendors of network hardware, software, and…

Interviews with 21 state legislators, leading technology activists in their states, reveal that policymakers are feeling pressured to ensure that all education sectors have access to the best in educational technology and are attempting to reconcile the costs of such innovation with the educational benefits. Findings of the study, including…

Decisions to incorporate computers into public schools and universities, for administrative or classroom use, follow from the unquestioned assumption that computers are the latest expression of social progress. The paradox is that neither the computer industry nor educational policymakers understand the connections between the cultural forms of…

Attaining the goals that higher-education reformers target (making the academy more accessible, affordable, and effective) via technology is likely to require a significant overhaul of postsecondary institutions, including the use of time, resource allocation, roles of faculty/staff, and institutional mission. Closer examination of how technology…

Recent research on how college students learn and what constitutes an effective educational experience is reviewed, and implications for bringing about desired changes in the undergraduate experience are discussed. Topics examined include students' ability to reason with abstractions, development of moral values, extent to which the curriculum and…

Common pitfalls for colleges and universities in hiring faculty and in career development efforts are identified, and recommendations are made for both faculty and administrators to begin to halt the attrition of minority and female faculty members. (MSE)

Increased willingness to speak out about sexual harassment has several implications for the academic community. Faculty must behave carefully at all times, understand the risk of having a relationship with a student, and avoid sexual overtures. Recent court decisions offer some guidelines for conduct and for determination if harassment exists.…

There is an illusion that each of the thousands of women now teaching writing and other service courses for inadequate pay, benefits, recognition, and job security is doing so only because of her own choices or misjudgments. The illusion must be dispelled; exploitation is at the center of the phenomenon. (MSE)

The process and results of establishing collective bargaining for Rutgers University's (New Jersey) part-time faculty, largely women, are discussed. Negotiations for achievement of parity with full-time faculty through pro rata benefits and salaries, the most contested issue, are described briefly, focusing on administration resistance. (MSE)

A study examined attitudes of 95 women biomedical researchers in dual-career relationships toward mobility for enhancing occupational advancement. The women and spouses were surveyed concerning use of time, income, job satisfaction, willingness to move, and general career and marital satisfaction. Results indicate changes in gender effects on…

A discussion of the contemporary situation in American Indian higher education addresses three questions concerning current, past, and future Indian education: (1) how resources are currently allocated; (2) the nature of the present Indian educational-political system and any significant changes over time; (3) whether the current system is…

Discussion of declining African-American representation in education, particularly teacher education programs, argues that the barriers responsible must be torn down and immediate action taken to close the gap. Ten workable methods of African-American student recruitment to elementary and secondary teaching and strategies to increase…

A study compared productivity for five groups of college faculty: white men (n=3,182), white women (n=1,221), and faculty of African (n=79), Asian (n=120), and Hispanic (n=67) origin. Variables examined include research productivity, contact hours, administrative service, consulting, promotion/tenure standards, job satisfaction, and affirmative…

It is argued that Total Quality Management holds problems for implementation in higher education institutions and has a core logic that goes against the educational and professional values of academe and the conception of work that unions espouse. Ways in which unions can solve the same problems differently are proposed. Specific criticisms are…