Learning Resources

Abstract: Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation has had an important role in improving medical education as well as in verifying the quality of education in the nation's medical schools. In this manner, it also serves the interests of the public. Every eight years, medical schools undergo an accreditation process to determine whether they are in compliance with LCME standards. However, instead of resorting to cyclic episodes of compliance, medical schools should be in constant conformity with accreditation standards. This can be accomplished by establishing a formative accreditation process that ensures awareness of new standards or revisions and maintains ongoing compliance.

Abstract: This paper reports on a study of changing demands for space in United Kingdom (UK) higher education. Physical spaces that universities require are related to their functions in complex ways, and the connections between space and academic performance are not well understood. No simple algorithm can calculate a single university's space needs, but a number of identified drivers frame space considerations. Space designations are blurring, increasingly multi-functional, and exploited more efficiently. The planning of institutional estates must be incorporated into strategic planning initiatives if institutions are to achieve their academic objectives.

Abstract: When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Southeastern Louisiana University was spared the brunt of the storm and was fortunate that most structures on campus remained intact. However, the storm still affected the campus for weeks. This article reflects on the experiences of university leaders and facility managers as they provided shelter to over 3,000 disaster relief workers and worked to reopen the university's doors to faculty, staff, and students and resume normal academic operations. Insight into the management of campus facilities located outside the core geographic area affected by a natural disaster will assist other campus leaders in their disaster planning efforts.

Abstract: Large-scale crisis such as natural disasters and acts of terrorism can have a paralyzing effect on the campus community and business continuity. Campus officials in these situations face significant challenges that go beyond the immediate response including re-building the physical plant, restoring campus infrastructure, retaining displaced matriculated students and recruiting future generations of students to remain financially and academically viable. This article provides a framework to assist senior leadership to critically evaluate their institutional commitment to emergency planning functions in their respective communities. It also outlines a new “scheme” in how institutions can resolve the emerging changes in higher education in a collaborative, cost-sharing environment.

Abstract: U.S. transportation data suggest that the number of vehicle miles traveled has far surpassed new capacity, resulting in increased traffic congestion in many communities throughout the country. This article reports on traffic congestion around a university campus located within a small town. The mix of trip purposes varies considerably in this context, with the majority of trips related to student movement to and from classes. The university itself becomes a major traffic generator, but in a complex way. This article describes how congestion in a university setting differs from that in a nonuniversity setting; what components drive this congestion; how best to reduce this congestion while adhering to overall university planning objectives; and how to set a foundation for traffic management strategies that provide environmental, social, and economic benefit to the university and, importantly, to the surrounding community. The information presented here applies beyond the campus setting to any community that contains nontraditional traffic generators and shows why context does matter when analyzing and managing traffic.

Abstract: The sustainability movement in higher education has made considerable headway in the areas of research, campus operations, and community outreach, but has been less successful in bringing about curricular reform. To promote greater thinking about sustainability in the undergraduate curriculum, this essay explores three main questions: What are the implications of sustainability for higher education? What are some noteworthy examples of institutions incorporating sustainability into the curriculum? And, what can we learn from their experiences? The author advocates implementation of a "third order" learning model, emphasizing deep learning, a participative process which takes the form of continual exploration through practice.

Abstract: This study examined the quality and the factors which contributed positively and negatively to the quality of some selected students residential facilities in Nigeria. A user-perspective approach was adopted. The quality of the selected facilities was examined at three levels of environmental interaction and from architectural and social dimensions. Twenty purpose-built halls of residence were selected from four Universities in Nigeria and two thousand students were selected from these halls using the stratified method of sampling. The results revealed that students’ halls of residence were perceived to be below average in overall quality and the attributes which contributed the most to this low level of quality were the socio-physical characteristics. Out of the three levels of interaction examined, the bedroom was the only level that was assessed as poor in quality. The results further showed that the social unit size defined at the level of the bedroom as well as the bedroom for studying were the factors, which contributed most negatively to overall quality, signifying their importance. Finally, the implications of the findings for planning and designing future residential facilities were highlighted.

Abstract: Universities with varying budgets and in quite different urban or rural locations look to mixed-use developments off campus to attract students and professors.