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Starting this year, tens of thousands of Russian freshmen found themselves attending a new mandatory course -- "Foundations of Russian Statehood." Swiftly designed under the auspices of Putin's administration, this ideologically charged course aims to position Russia as a unique civilization-state, bolstering Putin's political narrative and providing justification for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Consider, for example, this excerpt from the course's instructional video: "The 'Russian world' extends beyond current Russian borders, transcending ethnicities, territories, religions, political systems, and ideological preferences." As this curriculum becomes standard in Russian universities, it contributes to the emerging trend of weaponizing Russian universities and turning them into instruments in Russia's war of attrition with Ukraine and its broader stand-off with the West. This report discusses this weaponization process and the impact it is having on Russian universities, faculty, students, and the academic communities they belong to. It is regrettably a story of back to the future, reminiscent of the Soviet era of repression and attempts at control and manipulation of academics.

In the discourse that swirled in the mid-1800s around the creation of new American public universities, three major and interrelated tensions became evident: the first related to the continued debate regarding the proper curricular balance between practical education and classical studies; the second focused on the appropriate autonomy of institutions intended to serve the public interest in a society often racked by sectarian and class conflict; and the third centered on the degree to which these public institutions should be selective in their admissions and representative of the state's population. Reflecting the diversity of cultural and political differences of the states, a variety of organizational approaches could be found in mid-century America. However, by the 1870s, a distinct path did emerge, influenced by the passage of the Land-Grant College Act of 1862. The act forced states to more actively define the character of their state education systems and the purpose of their public universities. The origins and early development of a state university in Michigan offers an informative window into each of these tensions. The responses offered by Michigan significantly influenced the rise of the American public university, and the character of its social responsibilities.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce--the world's largest business federation--and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation have for the past five years been attempting to bridge the gap and address trust issues between the postsecondary education community and employer community. Rather than placing limitations on the curriculum or taking away academic freedom from faculty, such a partnership has the potential to unlock new learning pathways that can meet the needs of today's diverse learners. With this in mind, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation created the Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) movement as an effort to bridge the divide between postsecondary education and the employer community. TPM® provides a framework for re-imagining the partnership of these two communities, co-designing learning pathways, and developing authentic, performance-based challenges and learning experiences that address the demonstration of learning gap. In this Occasional Paper, we describe the unique challenges a dynamic, changing labor market poses for employer-education partnerships; including the inherent limitations of current alignment practices and tools. Then, we introduce TPM as a partnership model that allows employers to more meaningfully signal their competency needs to educators and how educators can, in turn, describe their evidence of learning in ways that are understood by employers relative to those competency needs. The latter half of the paper explores how employers and education partners can use TPM as a framework for engaging one another in co-designing learning pathways that produce evidence of learning that is meaningful to both sides. [Foreword by Natasha A. Jankowski.]

Fintech describes new technology aimed at improving and automating the delivery of financial services. The term encompasses a wide variety of finance industry segments, such as crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, payments, data collection, cryptocurrency, credit scoring, cybersecurity for finance, thematic investing, algorithmic asset management, stock and bond investing, private securities transactions and more. New technologies compete with traditional finance models and change the internal processes of financial companies. Universities around the world are beginning to examine fintech preparedness and some are attempting to create coursework to fill the skills gap. Characteristically, the majority of university fintech programs in existence have focused on regulation, security considerations and understanding the impact of technology on the market. This high-level approach does not go into depth about individual technologies, leaving students to learn on the job or pursue additional elective coursework. This white paper recommends some ways public universities can prepare students in fintech. For example, public universities in Massachusetts can strive to offer coursework that gives a broad overview of fintech and regulation by examining in-demand skills as well as the pioneering efforts of early movers in academic fintech. For students, a key goal of fintech education is to develop the tools to think ahead of the curve. In addition, Massachusetts public universities can begin a process of examining their elective coursework across disciplines, identifying areas of opportunity for business students to gain further fintech-related skills. University administrators could consider expanding some elective course opportunities, setting up new tracks for business majors or developing certificate programs for business students to package their additional course experiences for potential employers. Also while business students may feel the impacts of fintech growth most directly in their chosen field, computer science students at Massachusetts public universities may find themselves working for companies providing fintech software or within existing financial services companies doing software design, development and configuration. Academic leaders can begin -- or expand -- a process of assessing current coursework and degree paths, potentially creating new prerequisites or entirely new avenues to degree completion for business and computer science students. By working to understand shifts in the market brought on by fintech and their implications for job skills demand, public universities can endeavor to better prepare undergraduate and graduate students for the future and strengthen one of the core industries of Massachusetts.

How does a large research university establish a culture supporting student-centered evidence-based teaching? In this paper, we describe Purdue University's "Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation" (IMPACT) which has involved 321 instructors and 529 courses. Of every first-time undergraduate student, who first enrolled at Purdue West Lafayette in fall 2011 to summer 2018, 95.1% of them enrolled in at least one IMPACT course in any academic period during that time. We describe the history and evolution of the program, from its roots in National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) models and Faculty Learning Communities to an innovative adaptation of Self-Determination Theory principles. The program aims to maximize autonomy support for instructors, as they design classes to meet their instructional goals and student needs. IMPACT uses assessment on multiple levels: What should we examine in addition to grades to document achievement of learning outcomes in individual courses? How do we measure the learning climate and student engagement in a class? Most important, how does a faculty development program focused on course redesign lead to meaningful and lasting institutional change? In telling this story including lessons learned, readers will discover ways to enhance and evaluate their own faculty development programs to effect evidence-based and teaching-centric culture changes on their own campuses. [Foreword by George D. Kuh.]

The employability of college students is one of postsecondary education's most pressing concerns in the United States and China, especially when it comes to the possible over-production of bachelor's trained students and "skills gaps" where jobs go unfilled due to inadequately prepared graduates. In response, policymakers are focusing on developing students' human capital, in the form of credentials and cognitive skills acquired in technical colleges, so that higher education becomes more aligned with workforce needs. However, the focus on completion and pathways overlooks the role that non-cognitive skills and contextual factors may play in student employability. In this exploratory study we use a cultural capital framework to examine how a group of technical college educators and employers in a large eastern Chinese city conceptualize skills, cultivate them via teaching and training, and utilize them when making hiring decisions. Inductive thematic analyses of interviews, classroom observation, and notes from factory tours with eight educators and two employers revealed the importance of a cultural perspective. Findings include a shared view that both cognitive and non-cognitive skills are essential, a cultural predisposition to lecturing but also a growing use of active learning techniques, and the importance of "cultural fit" during the hiring process. The data are used to advance a new cultural framework for conceptualizing college student employability, which indicates that improving students' prospects in the labor market requires integrating non-cognitive skills development in technical college classrooms, and advising students about the cultural underpinnings of the job search process. Finally, implications of different approaches to correcting "skills gaps" in China and the United States, particularly the varying emphases on structural and/or pedagogical reform strategies evident in each country, are considered in light of the need for all students to acquire both cognitive and non-cognitive skills for long-term success.

University learning objectives and the curriculum have evolved to include more knowledge, skills and aptitudes related to the increasingly international nature of a broad range of professions and occupations. More broadly, graduates are expected to know more about the world outside their home country in order to be informed and responsible citizens and to function personally and professionally in international contexts. There is, however, very little systematic assessment of international learning and programming. A review of the literature indicates that studies of institution level objectives and outcomes are few in number and studies that involve more than a single institution are also relatively rare. There is also a lack of consensus about the goals, nature and importance of the international dimensions of higher education despite a near universal realization that globalization requires institutional changes. As a result, there is no common language or set of concepts that are broadly accepted or shared by academics, institutional leaders or students within and across institutions regarding globalization and international education. Most of the research literature that is applicable to the international programs and curricula of the university appears to be concentrated in two main domains: 1) student mobility/study abroad (including foreign language acquisition and inter-cultural relations) and 2) the international student experience. Some recent research on international students and the larger student body at universities has focused on the campus climate and its effect on the social integration, intercultural contact and learning outcomes of what is often an increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse student and faculty population. The challenges to research related to international curricula and programs at universities are many. To improve research, we need a strong theoretical foundation where the logic and normative assumptions are clearly explicated and the concepts used are coherent and understandable in light of the theoretical approach taken. In addition, researchers and practitioners should strive to develop some degree of common language and common concepts that can serve to develop more opportunities for finding relationships and links between the broad range of disciplines, theories and methods that are present in the field. More research and high quality studies should be pursued at multiple levels of analysis beginning with the individual learner, the course or degree program, the institution, the broader state or regional system, the national level and the international or global level. The capacity to study and assess international curricula at multiple levels across different student populations, institutional forms, and national cultures can only strengthen the quality of the research.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English and math were finalized in 2010 and, as of July 2012, have been adopted in full by 45 states. These standards provide a framework that is intended to ensure that all students who graduate from high school in the United States have attained the knowledge and competencies that prepare them well for college and for their future careers. Two sets of assessments that map to these standards are currently under development by two consortia of states and are expected to be deployed beginning in 2014. Based on a review of literature and on interviews with individuals involved in the CCSS nationally and in Washington, Florida, and Kentucky, this paper outlines the development of the CCSS and the CCSS-aligned assessments, the involvement of higher education representatives in their design and implementation, and how the CCSS and the aligned assessments can be used to support the mission of community colleges. The authors recommend that community colleges use the CCSS 11th grade assessment as one in a set of multiple measures used in placement decisions for students entering college directly after high school, align developmental education and introductory college-level courses in math and English composition to the CCSS to smooth the transition for recent high school graduates entering college, and work directly with local K-12 partners to help more graduating high school students enter college without needing remediation. The following are appended: (1) Overview of the Common Core State Standards; and (2) Comparison of CCSS Assessment Systems.

For many students at community colleges, finding a path to degree completion is the equivalent of navigating a shapeless river on a dark night. While academic preparation and financial supports are critical components of student success, subtle institutional features may also play an important role. This paper thus reviews the evidence for what is called the "structure hypothesis: that community college students will be more likely to persist and succeed in programs that are tightly and consciously structured, with relatively little room for individuals to unintentionally deviate from paths toward completion, and with limited bureaucratic obstacles for students to circumnavigate". This review of the literature inside and outside of higher education suggests that the lack of structure in many community colleges is likely to result in less-than-optimal decisions by students about whether and how to persist toward a credential. Though there is no silver-bullet intervention to address this problem, this paper highlights several promising programs and suggests directions for future experimentation and research. (Contains 8 footnotes.)

This paper reports on research into the field of computer security, and undergraduate degrees offered in that field. Research described in the paper reveals only one computer security program at the associate's degree level in the entire country. That program, at Texas State Technical College in Waco, is a 71-credit-hour program leading to an Associate of Applied Science in Network Technology degree and focuses heavily on computer networks and operating systems, containing courses that prepare individuals for careers on corporate security teams. The majority of computer security and information security training is offered in master's and doctoral-level programs. The paper proposes Norwalk Community College (NCC) in Norwalk, Connecticut, develop a new degree program at NCC. It also details the process of developing the degree program, starting with advisory committee members' development of a knowledge and skills list for entry-level computer security professionals, identification of the components that could be taught in a formal program of study, and the packaging of knowledge and skills components into logical course delivery units. The paper argues for development of similar programs at other community colleges. (NB)

This study examined: first, the impetuses college faculty respond to as they propose new degree programs; and, second, whether these impetuses can be correlated with the components of either resource dependence or institutional theory. It also examined implications of "vertical extension" (whereby institutions extend their academic programs upwardly) and "academic drift" (the tendency of institutions to copy the role and mission of prestige institutions) as related to new degree programs. Institutional theory suggests that three type of isomorphic forces influence organizations: mimetic forces, normative forces, and coercive forces. Resource dependence theory proposes that the key to an organization's success is its ability to acquire and maintain resources within an interdependent model of causes or agents. Interviews were conducted with the 39 faculty at 13 research or comprehensive universities who had been active in the proposal and implementation of new degree programs. Faculty cited three major impetuses for adding new degree programs: (1) intra-university competition for stature; (2) competition for new faculty members; and (3) community need and student demand. Results support both resource-dependence theory and institutional theory. (Contains 29 references.) (DB)

In a 3-year program, the National Center for Schools and Communities enabled nine universities (Boston College, Massachusetts; California State University, Long Beach; Clark Atlanta University, Georgia; Eastern Washington University; Howard University, District of Columbia; University of Houston, Texas; University of Utah; Washington University, Missouri; and Wayne State University, Michigan) to develop curricula and internship experiences to prepare social work and education students for collaboration in public schools. Most programs included didactic course work and a joint internship for small cohorts of 4 to 40 students. Interview and focus group data suggest that while university faculty felt the personal costs of collaboration outweighed the personal benefits, public school teachers and graduate students generally felt the exchanges were worthwhile. Two major lessons were learned: (1) establishing goals that can be operationalized in common requires sustained, focused dialogue whereby parties experience each other's special capabilities and come to understand the limits for action imposed by each other's organizational context; and (2) interorganizational collaboration is the responsibility of leaders and cannot be delegated. The paper also addresses whether comprehensive approaches will enable more children to succeed in school, whether public school principals should assume primary responsibility for service integration, and whether university preparation for work in collaboration is a good way to advance collaboration in later practice. (MDM)

Over the last decade, there have been rapid developments in field methodologies within participatory approaches to rural and agricultural development. At the same time, the use of "soft systems" methodologies for bringing potentially conflictual or disparate actors together for action has spread from the business world to other applications. These new methodologies are based on the ideas that: (1) action for change and impossible as a voluntary process without a commitment to change and that participation is a necessary condition for commitment, and (2) complex decisions in conditions of uncertainty and immediacy are best handled from a systems perspective. Information about and competence in using and adapting these methodologies remain largely in the store of "craft knowledge" of professionals. Academic institutions have been slow to train students in the emerging professionalism of systems management and participatory research and extension, and have tended to view such professional work practices and skills as best developed in the field. This paper outlines reasons why such a view is no longer viable; outlines principles and goals for training and practice in rural development, agricultural research, and extension; describes efforts of a few universities worldwide to address these training needs; and examines questions about whether the needed skills can be taught in the classroom. Two university innovations in this area are described: systems-based curricula at the University of Western Sydney (Australia) emphasizing experiential learning, student reflection, and problem solving; and an intensive 3-week course on participatory research and extension at Guelph University (Ontario). Contains over 100 references. (SV)

A study of the college curriculum decision-making process examined the generation of options or alternatives considered as part of a general education curriculum revision in the late 1980s at a major church-affiliated university. This process was examined in the framework of the rational-choice model of human behavior. Data were gathered from a detailed documentary record and retrospective interviews with key individuals. Archival and ethnographic data were then synthesized to produce a picture of the workings of the decision-making group. The study found that the 2-year curriculum revision resulted in a program not very different from its predecessor, and that none of the curricular alternatives considered was dramatically different from the original program. Factors examined closely included the role of departments and existing school structure in curriculum design, the approach taken to cultural diversity, and creation of a new general education governance committee. The study concluded that in all of these cases, the alternatives considered and the net result supported maintenance of the status quo. In addition, the rational-choice model of decision-making was seen as inadequate for analyzing the complexity of the organizational reform process. (Contains 27 references.) (MSE)

The report describes the educational system of Kuwait from primary school through university. An introductory section gives an overview of the system, and subsequent sections detail curricula at each level, pre-university (including primary, intermediate, and secondary) and university-level. Pre-university education is divided into four instructional sectors: general, vocational, religious, and special education. University-level education includes applied education and undergraduate and graduate study at Kuwait University. A brief section on private education describes four school types, following either the British, French, or American educational systems or the Ministry of Education curriculum. Samples of student records are reproduced. Two appendixes provide notes on what happened to the educational system during the Gulf War and the names of private schools. (MSE)

This report describes the first year activities of the Project on the Implementation of General Education. The research examines how general education programs are actually developed and implemented on college campuses that have limited resources, specifically focusing on comprehensive doctorate-granting institutions in New England. It is noted that when a change process is initiated, usually at the insistence of an administrator, it takes an average of over 3 years to complete. Several variables are described that appear to contribute to the successful design and implementation of general education curricula on college campuses. They include the need to obtain initial agreement about the reasons for change early in the design process and the critical role that faculty development activities and extrinsic rewards for involvement play long after the changes are implemented. Results from two case studies and site visits are discussed. These studies show that in each of the situations examined, the success of the process depended upon the ability of campus leaders to acknowledge the tensions in the process and to develop mechanisms that could mediate the differences that arose. Contains eight references. (GLR)

Issues concerning the influence of college curricula are considered as part of a background briefing paper for a special panel of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. The objective was to examine features of contemporary college studies to determine what should be protected or changed to improve the quality of postsecondary education. Attention is directed to the following concerns: (1) the shape of college curricula as reflected in program and degree requirements, the ways in which content is delivered to students, and the grounds for credentials; (2) the influence of college curriculum on secondary schools and secondary school students; and (3) the assessment of the effects of curriculum requirements and delivery on what college students learn. Specific issues include: the influence of the changing student constituency; modes of teaching and learning; the potential and limitations of educational technology; the value of various new forms of assessment, particularly "value-added"; factors accounting for the proliferation of courses and degree programs; whether personal improvement courses should be credited toward baccalaureate degrees; whether class contact hours is a justifiable criterion; and whether there are regional variations in college exit standards. A list of papers commissioned for the panel is included. (SW)

The focus of this paper is the subject matter preparation of teachers: what subject matter preparation entails, where and when it occurs, and with what outcomes. Since research on teachers' learning of subject matter is a relatively new domain of inquiry in teacher education, the literature is scant. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to offer a framework that can contribute to future research in this area. The paper is organized in three parts. To lay a foundation for the argument, the first section examines the concept of subject matter knowledge, for although the claim that teachers must know what they are teaching appears self-evident, agreement does not exist about what is included in the idea of knowing subject matter for teaching. The second section offers a framework for the sources and outcomes of teachers' subject matter learning. In the third section, this framework is used to consider extant evidence about teachers' subject matter preparation. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues raised in earlier sections that suggest directions for future work on the subject matter preparation of teachers. Over 50 references are included. (JD)

The results of analyzing institutional change profiles for 17 four-year undergraduate colleges are discussed. Using critical event cycles as a unit of analysis, attention was focused on distinctive patterns of institutional adaptation. Based on site visits, a list of 33 critical events at the 17 campuses was developed, from which 13 critical event cycles were identified. The most pre-emptive pattern associated with organizational change (in 6 of the 17 colleges) was the prominence of the enrollment shortfall followed by the presidential shake-up cycle. All of the colleges experienced a financial crisis in the early 1970s, precipitated largely by unanticipated enrollment shortfalls. All appointed new presidents between 1971-1975, who were granted broad powers for restabilizing the institution. Patterns associated with persistence and stability were also identified. The picture that emerged was generally one of institutions driven primarily by external forces/actors and student consumers, and only sometimes by powerful presidents. Changes in Carnegie classification in 1970, 1976, and 1978, as well as substantive changes in curriculum and student and faculty composition during the 1970s, were also analyzed. Lists of the critical events and cycles are appended. (SW)

In some areas of the college curriculum, such as the humanities and social sciences, the process of transforming the curriculum to reflect women's studies has reached a fairly sophisticated level. Other disciplines, however, especially the sciences, have proposed greater dilemmas for feminist scholars. This paper presents a multidimensional framework for feminist curricular transformation, along with a view of what a feminist scientific environment would look like. The framework contains six domains of transformation and three levels of existing and future action taken to achieve a feminist curriculum. As an example of a scientific curriculum transformed to reflect feminist concerns, a research methods curriculum in psychology is outlined. A 152-item reference list is included, as are specific suggestions drawn from teaching experiences. (DB)

A modified form of vector analysis is examined that was applied to graphs depicting the number of undergraduate student credit hours taken by majors and nonmajors in each of 18 arts and sciences departments. The analysis permitted the identification of instructional service strategies adopted by various academic units and the evaluation of the impacts of curricular reform. Analyzing Induced Course Load Matrix (ICLM) data in this manner is claimed to reduce information overload and perceptual roadblocks to the use of ICLM data. It is concluded that changes in the instructional service function that have occurred across a four-year period within each department and differences in instructional service across departments during a single year can be more easily understood. Results are illustrated by graphs. (Author/SW)

In this working paper on needed research issues, areas of inquiry are grouped in a way that parallels the programs of the National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL); additional categories are also cited. The following topics are addressed: (1) issues of student learning (participation and involvement, intellectual development, attributes and learning styles, and assessing outcomes); (2) curricular issues (models and designs, general education versus specialization; liberal education versus vocational study; and teaching and learning across the curriculum); (3) studies of teaching and of the faculty (faculty career preparation and development, selection and assessment, knowledge and expertise); (4) the organizational context for teaching and learning (leadership, effectiveness, structures and management practices, institutional linkages, and external influences); (5) the technological information environment (general impact, impact on learning, and impact on access to information and literacy); and (6) general research issues (research frameworks; definitions, measures, and analysis of student characteristics and outcomes; and longitudinal studies and databases). Each topic section includes selected references for institutional leaders, and for researchers. (LB)

The literature on the development of college students is discussed, and recommendations are offered for developing a course on student development theory and research. The following observations about the literature are considered: (1) the literature on the college student is actually two separate literatures, one focused on outcomes and the other on development, and there are few links to guide meaningful synthesis; (2) the literature is largely monocultural, focusing on white upper and middle class students at large residential research universities; and (3) there is a lack of process models that tie directly to specific theory and that can be used to guide practice on college campuses. The outcomes approach is more sociological and uses demographic data to assess broadly defined groups of students. The student development approach takes a more psychological approach and uses theories to identify developmental levels or tasks of students. It is suggested that in courses on college student development both bodies of literature be used. To locate readings on students who are not part of the dominant culture, readings from other disciplines such as counseling may need to be tapped. Included are 28 references. (SW)

Accepted guidelines for academic program review often clash with the needs of administrators, who require timely and frequent information for monitoring the quality of academic programs. A method is described for developing key indicators that permit annual scanning of all programs. The goal was to develop indicators that would flag programs showing unusual variation; these programs are then selected for more thorough, focused evaluation. The process described developed the following model components, with specified program characteristics for each: (1) market demand (student demand, employer/business demand, demand from transfer institutions); (2) resources (students' entry skills, faculty/staff, space, equipment, supplies, operating budget, and college facilities and services); (3) process (applications, enrollments, academic progress and performance, full time/part time faculty ratios, student satisfaction, retention, withdrawals, and changes of major); and (4) outcomes (graduation, placement, employment, transfer rates, achievement of competencies, salaries, "transferability," and satisfaction of students, employers and transfer institutions). Validation of the model is also discussed. Contains 10 references. (Author/KM)

The primary purpose of the Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICCD) Program Evaluation Process is to ensure curricular relevance, instructional quality and the effective and efficient use of resources. Developed and pilot-tested on 38 vocational-technical programs, the model is being utilized by more than 120 technical and community colleges in the United States and Canada. The process consists of two phases, an annual review of the program in terms of 10 data elements and an in-depth program review conducted once every 3-5 years. The 10 data elements are unduplicated enrollment/headcount; contact hours generated by the program; full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment generated by the program; program graduation/completion rates; program leavers and withdrawal rates; program majors' intent for enrolling in the program; program costs; average class size; success of program leavers and graduates; and meeting highlights. Phase II consists of faculty self-study; an internal review team visit and report, surveys conducted of 6 target groups, and decision-making. Contains 38 references. (Author/KM)

A descriptive profile of 72 U.S. doctoral programs for the study of higher education is presented. Attention is directed to program goals, academic offerings, organizational structure, faculty and student characteristics, and admissions and degree requirements. Directors of the 92 higher education programs listed in the ASHE-ERIC "Directory of Higher Education Programs and Faculty" (3rd edition) were asked to provide a brief program description and complete a questionnaire. Seventy-two programs provided useable responses to the survey and 65 provided program descriptions. The findings are compared to those of an earlier study by Dressel and Mayhew (1974). Information is provided on the following: areas of specialization, titles of core courses, the number of faculty members with formal full-time and part-time appointments, the academic rank distributions of full-time faculty, the use of part-time faculty by programs, the percentage of faculty that are tenured, the number of students in doctoral higher education programs, the proportions of full-time and part-time students, the numbers of students who are EdD or PhD candidates, student-faculty ratios, the number of assistantships and/or fellowships awarded each year, and admission and degree requirements. Appendices include a questionnaire, a list of participating institutions, and titles of academic programs. (SW)

Faculty beliefs about educational purpose and the nature of their academic field strongly influence how they plan introductory courses. Significantly different conceptions of educational purpose among faculty in different fields may inhibit agreement on plans for curricular coherence and ways of communicating expectations to students. Interviews with 89 faculty members teaching in diverse colleges and representing eight fields also identified faculty attention to student preparation, available textbooks, and locally important factors, but little attention to alternative instructional strategies during course planning. The development of a tentative general model of course design and related questions to guide future study, based on the findings, is discussed. Nine tables of data from the interviews are appended, as is a schematic of the contextual filters model of course design. Contains 25 references. (Author/KM)