From a learner's standpoint, Scotland's education system often looks less like a neat set of pathways than a tangled jungle. Since devolution, Scottish policymakers and the education community have set out to create a coherent and transparent set of opportunities for adult learners, of a quality to match Scotland's oft-praised unified system of…

"Ombudsman" is derived from the Swedish word meaning agent or representative. It has come to denote a trusted commissioner or agent who looks after the interests or legal affairs of a particular group. Through their unique access to information and investigative authority, ombudsmen often bring endemic problems within child serving systems to the…

The purposes of the study were: (1) to define the campus Ombudsman; (2) to review the circumstances leading to his appearance on the academic scene, (3) to describe his activities, and (4) to analyze the effects of his activities. Campus Ombudsmen were interviewed at six institutions including: the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia…

The Committee on University Governance was charged with the responsibility of conducting a new study of the University of New Mexico's governance and to recommend improvements. This report contains a discussion and recommendations relating to: (1) the creation of a University Community Council, including its functions, size and composition; (2)…

Describes the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Project, an advocacy program designed to help residents of long-term care facilities obtain the services to which they are entitled. The author discusses setting up the project, getting started, the clinical experience, and student evaluation of their experiences. (CT)

This pamphlet describes the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman, an impartial resource to help customers resolve student loan concerns when other approaches fail. The ombudsman helps resolve discrepancies in loan balances and payments, and helps customers understand interest and collection charges. The office helps resolve issues related to income tax…

This 6-page pamphlet shares what the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Office of the Ombudsman has learned from cases it has handled. An initial section offers information on the case management process, noting that the ombudsman process depends on the case's complexity and that many are revolved quickly. Next, it examines customer-reported case…

In this article the author, himself a full-time ombudsman at a large urban college, attempts to correct some prevailing misconceptions about the office and indicate the source of an ombudsman's effectiveness. (Author)

Author feels that ombudsman function should properly be performed by dean of students and his staff. If they are not, changes should be made in organization, personnel, and process of school - not by addition of another bureaucrat. (Author/CJ)

Describes the development, responsibilities, and achievements of the office of the Ombudsman for Children in Norway. (RJC)

Maintains that investigations of abuse of children in group care settings rely heavily on ex post facto interviewing of children and staff. Describes the role of the child advocate, or ombudsmen, in guaranteeing children's rights in the treatment center. Discusses indices of plausibility as the basis for reliable inferences in the absence of…

Seventeen participants completed training as certified ombudsperson volunteers (COVs) for residents of long-term care facilities. Training was effective in increasing their knowledge, and participants were generally satisfied with its content, utility, and format. (SK)