Learning Resources

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: 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: Asserts that planning is a tool, not a replacement for sound campus management. Using three case studies, two at Tufts University and one at Dean College, the author provides commentary on the usefulness of formal participatory planning in effecting change. In one instance, formal participatory planning was used, in the second it was avoided, and in the third, it was partially employed. Concludes with a reflection on the lessons that may be drawn from each of these examples.

Abstract: Book review of Building a Web-Based Education System, by Colin McCormack and David Jones. Wiley, 1997. 434 pages. ISBN 0-47119-162-0. Pull quotes: "Web-based assessments can go beyond assessment tracking and instead become an instructional component capable of contributing to student retention and understanding."

Abstract: Charges institutions with the responsibility for planning beyond the immediate need for survival, and for imagining instead what might be possible. Sees the potential for colleges and universities to model what it means to be a learning organization at all levels, and suggests cultivating a spirit of innovation, experimentation, and risk taking. At the very least, the author concludes, institutions must learn what keeps them from taking action, reflecting on the needs of learners, or extending across the institution the strategies that have been proven to work.

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."

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."