Learning Resources

Abstract: Documents the dramatic rise in sexual harassment charges filed between 1990 and 1995 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against colleges and universities. Using the case of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Emory University, the author demonstrates why higher education institutions are particularly susceptible to such lawsuits and, in many cases, large settlements.

Abstract: Book review: Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice, by Ernest Boyer and Lee Mitgang. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of teaching, 1996. 164 pages. ISBN 0-931050-59-6

Abstract: Book reviews: Interior Design, by John Pile. Second Edition. Harry Abrams Publishers, 1995. 584 pages, 748 illustrations with 181 plates in full color. ISBN 0-8109-3463-9.

Abstract: Book review: Building for the Performing Arts: A Design and Development Guide, by Ian Appleton, Butterworth Press, 1996. 225 pages. ISBN 0-7506-1276-2

Abstract: Book review: Using Performance Indicators to Guide Strategic Decision Making, by Victor Borden and Trudy Banta (editors). New Directions for Institutional Rsearch, no. 82. Jossey-Bass, 1994. 124 pages. Assessing Performance in an Age of Accountability: Case Studies, by Gerald Gaither (editor). New DIrections for Higher Education, no. 91. Jossey-Bass, 1995. 107 pages. A Practitioner's Handbook for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Outcomes Assessment Implementation, by James Nichols and others. Third Edition. Agathon Press, 1995. 280 pages. Assessment Case Studies: Common Issues in Implementation, by James Nichols. Agathon Press, 1995. 212 pages. The departmental Guide and Record Book for Student Outcomes Assessment and Istitutional Effectiveness, by JAMes Nichols. Agathon Press, 1995. 80 pages.

Abstract: Driven by financial pressures and the need for increased, demonstrable efficiency and productivity, many colleges and universities undertake reengineering efforts to restructure their operations. The authors highlight the restructuring efforts at Bowdoin College, and offer some of the lessons learned from the process, such as informing everyone involved of the intended goals, utilizing care in choosing consultants, using pilot projects to test redesigns, and determining what is necessary for appropriate evaluation of the process.

Abstract: Book review: Bonfire of the Humanities: Television, Subliteracy, and Long-Term Memory Loss, by David Marc, Syracuse University Press, 1995. 158 pages. ISBN 0-8156-0321-5.

Abstract: Maintains that the multifaceted missions of community colleges are increasingly under pressure to take on an additional primary mission: helping to rebuild their communities. In time, community colleges may evolve into something more like community service centers – an evolution already well underway at many institutions. In particular, three broad categories of initiatives undertake by the typical community college are explored: community-based education, collaborations with other local institutions; and community services. To address the expanding needs of their neighborhoods, community college may need to become more research-oriented, and increasingly take on the role of community facilitator as well as educator.

Abstract: Although his reputation for park design is perhaps greater, Frederick Law Olmstead left an indelible mark on campus design and the way we think about campus land use planning. The author outlines five of Olmstead’s basic principles for good design that are still employed today: the campus is an extension of the community in which it exists; buildings should be domestic, not institutional, in scale; student dwellings should approximate those they will inhabit in later life; the quadrangle is too inflexible a design; and the physical campus helps to shape the "tastes, inclinations, and habits" of the students.

Abstract: Reviews the scope and common causes of student attrition, highlighting seven major reasons for withdrawal: academic difficulty, adjustment problems, goal development or orientation, weak or external commitments, financial challenges, lack of congruence between the student and the institution, or isolation. Institutions have developed an array of retention programs in response. One such response, the development of learning communities, is explored in depth.