Learning Resources

Abstract: While it was once common to find separate buildings dedicated to the study and research of chemistry, biology, physics, and the earth sciences, there is a current movement in college and university settings toward unifying the science disciplines in one building or complex. This article addresses, in detail, this trend toward unification by discussing the driving forces behind the trend, the benefits of integrated science facilities, the challenges of the planning and design process, and the intricacies of the design approach.

Abstract: This paper revisits anaylsis done in the 1996, using data from the Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity. That analysis found that tenured and tenure track faculty generate a much larger proportion of undergraduate teaching activity then might be expected in light of public criticism of American higher education. The 1996 methodology is replicated using data from two most recent iterations of the Delaware Study. The result is a three year trend line that more clearly indicates how much faculty really teach, and associated coast and productivity measures.

Abstract: Escalation of university-community tension across the nation has generated widespread investigation and speculation by planners into the possible causes. Much of the speculation centered on "campus form" as a significant variable. Did the physical size and shape of the campus and its buildings influence tensions or the lack thereof? Was physical dispersal of the campus preferable to the fortress-like enclave of the traditional urban campus? In search of answers, Educational Facilities Laboratories commissioned a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati--Robert Carroll, a sociologist, and planning professors Hayden B. May and Samuel V. Noe, Jr.--to undertake a study of the phenomenon. Their conclusions are available in a report available from Professor Noe, Department of Community Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, and are summarized by the editor in the following article.

Abstract: Building cost escalation has forced up the price of new campus housing to the point that, under conventional planning and construction methods, dormitory space can cost as much as $10,000 or more per bed. Given such costs, many institutions find it difficult if not impossible to finance new housing without raising student rental charges to prohibitive levels. In response, a number of institutions have sought ways to provide housing at substantially lower cost. One solution is the so-called "turnkey" approach, in which a developer plans, designs, and builds new housing to meet the institution's specifications at a predetermined, fixed cost. This article describes the successful application of the turnkey technique at three institutions--the Universities of Rhode Island, Vermont, and Delaware.