Learning Resources

Abstract: Considers not only how technology has affected teaching and learning, but how we might rethink the roles of teacher and student as a result of new technologies. Examines various aspects of distance learning programs, from implementation to cost to quality assurance, and suggests some guidelines for planning and assessment.

Abstract: Book review of The Responsive University: Restructuring for High Performance, edited by William Tierney. Johns Hopkins University Presss, 1998. 172 pages. ISBN 0-8018-5715-5. Pull quotes: "If the power of academic departments is weakened and numerous deans and vice presidents are 'eliminated,' who will restructure the institution and reallocate resources, and how?"

Abstract: Features the attempts of Stanford University to undo past errors in campus development, with a renewed focus on landscape planning designed to unify the campus. When possible, institutional planners have sought to return to the original campus landscape plan. The author discusses various impediments to the project, and examines several landscaping projects in detail. Concludes with lessons learned in the process, including the need for a comprehensive master plan, the importance of developing new funding sources, and the necessity of consistent and proactive leadership.

Abstract: Book review of Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation Pull quotes: "Unlike television, whose users are passive observers, today's digital technologies present individuals with an interactive learning environment where they actively control their learning experiences."

Abstract: Book review of Planning Focus Groups, by David Morgan with Alice Scannell. SAGE Publications, 1997. 139 pages. ISBN 0-7619-0817-X paperback. (Also available as part of the six-volume Focus Group Kit, ISBN 0-7619-0816-1.) Pull quotes: "Familiarity with the concept of focus-group research has often outstripped the development of sophisticated understanding of what useful focus-group research entails."

Abstract: Book review of Strategic Choices for the Academy: How Demand for Lifelong Learning Will Re-Create Higher Education, by Daniel James Rowley, Herman D. Lujan, and Micheal G. Dolence. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998. 309 pages. ISBN 0-7879-4067-4. Pull quotes: "Higher education must focus more broadly on educating a much larger percentage of the population to prepare our society and economy to survive in a global economy."

Abstract: Describes the evolution of greater participation by boards of trustees in the formulating and developing strategic plans. Using Elon College in North Carolina as an example, the authors suggest how trustees, administrators, and faculty might work together to effect planning, policy development, and strategic change.

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 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 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."