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Many colleges and universities today are faced with the problem of low student academic achievement in math. Some of them are trying to improve student academic achievement through the use of technology. Their proposed solution is to teach children how to use the technological tools available to them and integrate that technology into the curriculum to improve student achievement. The Department of Mathematics at Norfolk State University (NSU) realizes that the use of technology (and its integration into the mathematics curriculum) may be a possible solution to the problem of low student academic achievement in undergraduate mathematics programs. As a result, the Department integrated a computer-assisted assessment (CAA) system to expose students to new advances in technology and to improve student achievement in mathematics courses. The present CAA system has been in effect since the fall semester of 2000 for their Mathematics 101 course, a one semester developmental course in university elementary algebra. This paper is a description of that system. The following are appended: (1) Elementary Algebra syllabus offered by the Mathematics Department at NSU; (2) CAA deadline schedule; (3) sample CAA test; and (4) sample CAA final report.

An examination of the effect of financial aid on college and university enrollment during a period of steady-state and decline is presented with a focus on the student's decision to go or not to go to college, to matriculate at a private or public college, to attend an in-state or out-of-state school, to transfer from a community college to a four-year college, or to go to graduate or professional school. Student financial aid is analyzed in terms of its effect on admissions policies, attrition and retention rates, stop-out rates, transfer rates, and graduate rates. Retrospective analysis is used to determine the effects, and literature related to student financial aid and published between 1970 and 1981 is reviewed. National, statewide, institutional, and districtwide studies are included. Most studies using a national or statewise base find financial aid significantly affects enrollment in American colleges and universities. Funding for both private and public higher education is ultimately tied to enrollment. Financial aid has been found to be a significant factor in the recruitment and retention processes, and it also helps students decide whether to attend a public or private institution. It will become even more important as institutions of higher education dip deeper into the lower socioeconomic groups in order to compensate for predicted enrollment deficits. With enrollments and financial aid decreasing, many private institutions will be hard pressed to find students unless the trend is reversed. Contains 21 references. (SM)

An analysis was made of the use of computing tools at the graduate and undergraduate levels in colleges and universities in the United States. Topics ranged from hand-held calculators to the use of main-frame computers and the assessment of the SPSSX, SPSS, LINDO, and MINITAB computer software packages. Hand-held calculators are being increasingly used in college and university classes. As this trend continues, it is forecasted that more institutions of higher education will either have to supply calculators for student use or require all students to buy the same type of calculator. Many computer software packages were used in college and university classrooms: LINDO was found to be good for use in courses involving contemporary mathematics, managerial accounting, and management of operation systems; MINITAB was good for quantitative analysis courses in business administration programs, in basic statistics courses, and in other statistics related courses; and SPSS and SPSSX, two very similar statistical software packages, were good for courses in basic statistics, advanced statistics, business administration analysis, education research, social science research, and psychological research. The implementation of these software programs was considered helpful in equipping students to face the challenges of the twenty-first century. Contains eight references. (GLR)

Statewide coordinating agencies are examined concerning their role in determining whether or not to establish new institutions, branch campuses, or professional schools, as well as in deciding which institutions to reallocate or eliminate and which research and public service activities to institute. The historical background and purpose of statewide coordinating agencies is also described. The question is raised as to whose viewpoint the agency really represents, the institution's or the state government's, and it is suggested that if it is not to be merely a capricious and arbitrary decision making body, it could represent the best interest of both parties. The coordinating agency, it is argued, cannot afford to be just a rubber stamp organization that merely approves every new proposal for an institution that is proposed by the state government and higher education. Rather, by considering each proposal on its own merit, the statewide coordinating agency will assure each body involved that the decision it reaches will be both fair and unbiased. Contains 7 references. (GLR)

The study examined change in the role of Director of University Services and Auxiliary Enterprises (USAE) at the College of William and Mary (Virginia) as a result of reorganization of the Business Affairs Office. A review of the literature on organizational development and higher education leadership was conducted. A questionnaire was then designed and the nine members of the administrative staff of the USAE component of the Business Affairs Office were interviewed concerning attitudes toward the role of the Director, the place of USAE at the college, and related areas. Hypotheses to determine whether the change had reached completion were formulated which compared responses of old and new components of the USAE offices and of components directly and indirectly under USAE. Findings indicated that the change in the USAE segment of the Business Affairs Office had reached completion at the time of the study. This state of completion may have been due, in part, to the fact that many of the relationships the Director of USAE had with its components probably existed, informally, before the reorganization took place. 26 references. (DB)