Teaching and Learning

Holding schools accountable for student achievement can only work if the goals are clear. California's school standards are well-regarded nationally for their clarity and their rigor, but it is not clear what courses students are expected to take beyond the minimum graduation requirements. The paper discusses the relatively successful efforts to encourage students to take higher-level courses in high school in two states, Indiana and Texas; it outlines potential stumbling blocks in these efforts; and it suggests three options for California: (1) Do not focus specifically on higher-...

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the variety of information and communication technology (ICT) applications at traditional universities and to integrate them into a holistic picture of the institution. Using the distinction of three key elements of scholarly activity (research, publication, education), it suggests a functional perspective of the organization as a way to raise questions for the assessment of ICT applications in universities. This may lead to a better understanding of the different rationales in research, publication, and education. Acknowledging...

The Higher Education in the Digital Age Project (HEDA) is concerned with the policy implications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for higher education. This paper specifically analyzes some of the ways in which ICTs are being employed as possible solutions to the triad of pressures facing US research universities: (a) holding down costs, (b) providing access to an increasingly diverse demographic, and (c) maintaining quality. It presents a brief review of activities taking place throughout the US, and discusses some of the pressures that US research universities...

As colleges and universities nationwide anticipate enrolling more than two million new students over the next decade, UC Berkeley is exploring options for serving more students, more cost effectively, in large lecture courses. This research project analyzes economic and pedagogical questions related to the use of on-line lecture and laboratory material in a large introductory chemistry course at UC Berkeley. We undertook a quasi-experimental two-year study to determine if the utilization of on-line teaching materials results in significant restructuring of staff time in laboratories...