Learning Resources

Abstract: Book review of Foundations of Futures Studies: Human Science for a New Era, by Wendell Bell. Two volumes. Transaction Publishers, 1997. Volume 1: 365 pages, ISBN 1-56000-271-9. Volume 2: 371 pages, ISBN 1-5000-281-6. Pull quotes: "By imagining and forecasting possible futures for higher education, we tend to be freer to discover important possibilities and prepare for strategic actions." "Among the paradigmatic shifts in thought and research in the past several decades has been the elevation of concern about the future to a position approaching equality with concern about the past."

Abstract: Book review for Information Architects, by Richard Saul Wurman, edited by Peter Bradford. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1997. 235 pages ISBN 1-888001-38-0. Pull quotes: "Information architects design ways for us to see the patterns underneath all the information fragments." "Many people in higher education find that the management and understanding of electronic information resources is an enlarging challenge."

Abstract: Book review of The Student Aid Game: Meeting Need and Rewarding Talent in American Higher Education, by Micheal McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro. Princeton University Press, 1997. 161 pages. ISBN 0-691-05783-4. Pull quotes: "Merit aid (properly done) for the more gifted college applicants sends a badly needed signal to the high schools that young people who study hard, develop a talent, and learn a lot can look forward to tangible rewards."

Abstract: Examines educational practices that depend on new technologies and considers how those practices are shaping the way we think about what it means to educate. Also assesses how planning is impacted as a result. Explains how a campus might integrate new technologies into its existing modes of educational services delivery, resulting in a more comprehensive, "technologically responsive" institution.

Abstract: Book review for Lifelong Learning: New Visions, Implications, and Roles, by Norman Longworth and W. Keith Davies. Kogan Page (London), 1996. 174 pages. ISBN 0-7494-1972-5. Pull quotes: "The 21st century will be 'the learning century.'" "Lifelong learning, rather than just university learning early in one's life, will become more important."

Abstract: Contends that most planners make assumptions about planning and about human and institutional ability to change, and that these assumptions necessarily impact the outcome of strategic planning efforts. Examines the functions served in planning comprehensive institutional change, and suggests that planning failures reflect too great a focus on technique and outcome. Applies the analogy of human development to illustrate the organizational life cycle, with an exploration of institutional "identity issues" – the physical, social, and psychological aspects, as well as the institution’s sense of self.

Abstract: A review of planning efforts in the last twenty-five years suggests that few deliver the kind of transformational change that is generally promised. Views planning as a progression from general directions to specific, tangible decisions, and outlines five conditions usually present, in varying degrees, when successful planning occurs: consensus building, focus on institutional needs, good fit with campus culture, effective faculty participation, and effective leadership. An institution revealing a significant weakness in any one of these areas might best direct its attention to addressing that weakness before pursuing overly ambitious planning efforts.

Abstract: Book review for Rethinking College Education, by George Allan. University of Kansas Press, 1997. 222 pages ISBN 0-7006-0842-7. Pull quotes: "Through 'play' and conversation, students can explore, encounter, and contemplate ideas, new perceptions, and alternative ways of life." "How does a college help students become more aware of the social consequences of their experiments with life and mind without throwing a damper over their much-needed free exploration?"

Abstract: Book review for What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives, by Micheal Dertouzos. Haper Collins, 1997. 328 pages ISBN 0-060-251479-2. Pull quotes: "We have not yet learned how to use computers very effectively." "Today, most of the Web is for sales or entertainment. Tomorrow, more of the Web will be used for work and learning around the globe."

Abstract: Book review for Lobbying for Higher Education: How Colleges and Universities Influence Federal Policy, by Constance Ewing Cook. Vanderbuilt University Press, 1998. 272 pages. ISBN 0-8265-1317-4. Pull quotes: "America's colleges and universities came to be described by the word 'postsecondary' so that proprietary, profit-making institutions could be included." "There are still a number of people in higher education who are uncomfortable being described as members of an interest group."