Learning Resources

Abstract: Universities worldwide are reconfiguring their campus environments to respond to the emerging pedagogy within higher education with its emphasis on self-directed, collaborative, and problem-solving approaches to learning. In particular, there is an emphasis on forming “learning communities.” In this context libraries are increasingly required to accommodate learning that is more active, collaborative, and that involves considerable use of communication and information technology (CIT) in spaces previously consigned to passive, individual learning. Drawing on the author's involvement as a member of the design team, this article examines the approach at one Australian university library to align its spaces and facilities to meet the emerging pedagogy within higher education.

Abstract: A national study on strategic planning in Portuguese higher education was conducted. The presidents or rectors of 61 public and private higher education institutions in Portugal responded regarding their knowledge of and involvement in strategic planning. The questionnaire addressed whether or not the institutions were using a planning process, what specific components of the process were being employed, institutional benefits and problems associated with the process, and personal benefits derived from the experience. A critical analysis of selected results is provided with comparisons to planning in the United States. Cultural differences and similarities related to the process of planning are noted, and projections on future directions for Portugal and the European Union with respect to strategic planning efforts are offered.

Abstract: Institutional mission influences college and university decision making by providing a shared sense of understanding about core values and aspirations. For institutions to maintain the benefits of having a clear mission, they must periodically revise and redefine the institutional purpose. This article compares the changing missions of two liberal arts colleges and reveals striking commonalities in how this process is accomplished. It also describes several factors that influence mission change.

Abstract: The commonly-used expression “going to college” affirms that higher education is still rooted in place. Our institutions have three cultures in which learners physically immerse themselves: collegiate culture (a generational culture); academic culture (an intellectual culture); and campus culture (an institutional culture). Other agents—the armed forces and the work place, for instance—also acculturate young adults, but colleges and universities alone nurture academic culture. For this reason, the design of campus places as learning spaces becomes a critical issue. We must be endlessly inventive in creating and celebrating the cultures of place in academic life.

Abstract: Current building projects on college and university campuses tend to be planned and funded according to commercial needs and opportunities. Often planning is done without faculty knowledge or advice. The result can be a distraction of the institution’s mission from its core values of service and community. Campus planners can avoid this distraction by making sure that faculty governance has its say before projects begin.