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This study examined the costs and benefits of reaccredidation processes at a public research university. A case study approach was used to examining the costs and benefits of reaccredidation activities by Middle States Association (MSA), American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business-International Association for Management Education (AACSB), and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) under separate and combined conditions. The costs and benefits of a recent accreditation review (2000) were compared to similar accreditation processes in an earlier decade (1991). Data sources include library archives, meeting observations, institutional records, and interviews with purposefully selected faculty and administrative staff and accreditation site visitors. In 1991, 28 university staff, faculty, and administrators were interviewed; in 2000, 27 people were interviewed. The evidence suggests that the joint process is less costly (more efficient), and that the institutional benefits are greater, especially since the combined accreditation process was linked to the institutions ongoing strategic planning process. (Contains 12 tables and 19 references.) (SLD)

Although multi-institutional data are more available than ever, researchers still face daunting hurdles when collecting data from multiple institutions. These hurdles are particularly high for stand-alone projects. This paper makes the case that, despite the difficulties, results from multi-institution research benefit both participating colleges or universities and higher education as a whole. In support of this argument, a detailed case study of the data collection for one multi-institutional research project is reported. This case study describes an investigation into the departmental factors associated with disproportionate loss of women from undergraduate computing majors. The case study identified data source, illustrated challenges to collecting data from numerous institutions, and noted potential rewards for both higher education and participating institutions. (Contains 2 figures and 16 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper examines the status and role of teaching faculty at research-intensive universities. After agreeing that research was the dominant element in the university's reward system, a case study format was used to examine the attitudes of 11 active and 18 less-active researchers at a large public research institution regarding their own adaptation first to the institutional reward system, and secondly to their stated attitudes and beliefs toward teaching and research roles. The study found that while active researchers reported somewhat more positive attitudes toward research than did the less-active researchers, there was considerable variation across and within the two groups; both groups held strong allegiance to the historic teaching mission of public universities. The paper concludes by placing the tensions between research and teaching within the broader context of the contemporary debate over the character of higher education. (Contains 27 references.) (CH)

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins III) directs state and local education providers to improve vocational and technical education programs. Most of these improvements are aimed directly at changing what teachers do and what and how students learn. The National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) is charged with evaluating the impact of Perkins III and making a report to Congress by July 2002. Of chief interest to Congress is how these recommendations for program improvement are realized in high schools and how they affect what goes on in classrooms. This paper, written to inform NAVE, argues that to understand the quality and effects of curricular and teaching changes undertaken in response to Perkins III, the evaluation must focus on teachers and classrooms. This paper has three goals: (1) to examine the principal themes and issues related to assessing quality vocational education (with an emphasis on teachers and teaching); (2) to lay out a research plan to assess quality practice; and (3) to discuss the conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges to conducting the research. (YLB)

For the twenty-seventh year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the National AECT Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. (Individual papers contain references, figures, and tables.) [For Volume 2, see ED499962.]

The Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia is investigating the elements of social capital and developing a set of indicators that show when social capital is building. The indicators can be used where groups or organizations with a shared purpose engage in productive interactions that benefit not only the individual member groups but also the "learning community" as a whole. The intention is that the indicators will be applicable to geographic communities, professional or common interest communities, such as professional associations, and groups of businesses such as Executive Link[TM], the subject of this paper. Executive Link consists of farm businesses that meet for nonformal training in several chapters in eastern Australia. Each chapter consists of about six farm businesses and their owner/managers who share their business management expertise. Executive Link appears to have features of a learning community, including a shared purpose and learning interactions across the boundaries of individual member businesses and chapters. This paper identifies networks, commitments, and shared values as the elements of social capital that contribute to the quality of learning interactions. Suggested indicators of social capital building include development of a shared language, shared experiences, trust, self-development, and an identification with the community. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/TD)

This paper analyzes approaches to facilitating school-university transition in South Africa and explores the theories underlying this process. A review of the literature and a case study of the process at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) show what is happening to the school-university transition at the end of apartheid. UPE has taken a broadly based approach to facilitating this transition, focusing its efforts on what can be achieved on campus in preference to extending its limited resources to the school context. There is a privately sponsored Saturday morning program designed to prepare disadvantaged students for the university. Several modules have been developed to help students adjust to the university, notably "English for Academic Purposes" modules for those for whom English is a first or second language. Students in South Africa clearly need support in their transition from school to the university, but most support is given on campus shortly before and just after initial registration, with little effort made, for financial and capacity reasons, to prepare students before they reach the university. There is little chance that the selection of the secondary school system described as disadvantaged will emerge from its difficulties in the next few years. This suggests that institutions of higher education will need to provide the best possible context for incoming students. (Contains 65 references.) (SLD)

This case study revisited the admissions index (400 x high school grade point average plus total Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score) used by a private, Catholic, western university by measuring the correlations between high school GPA and SAT scores with the second term GPA to determine the weight of each variable in the index. Data came from 6 cohorts of recent freshmen, totaling 4,871 students. High school GPA turns out to be the best predictor for first-year academic achievement. The weight ratio of high school GPA and SAT is 1.65. Adding more weight to high school GPA is necessary to increase quality, chances of success, and selectivity. Further correlation analysis between second-term GPA and degree GPA presents a high correlation (r=0.811), which supports the use of second-term GPA for currently enrolled students to predict their academic success. However, different ethnic groups and gender groups also present different weights of predictors. It may change freshman class ethnic composition if ethnic and gender factors are not carefully considered in increasing the weight of high school GPA. (Author/SLD)

For the twenty-fifth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. This is Volume 2 of the 25th Annual Proceedings of Selected Papers On the Practice of Educational Communications and Technology Presented at The National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology held in Dallas, Texas. This volume contains papers primarily dealing with instruction and training issues. Papers dealing with research and development are contained in the companion volume (25th Annual, Volume 1), which also contains over 60 papers. The papers contained in this document represent some of the most current thinking in educational communications and technology. (Individual papers contain references, figures and tables.) [For Volume 1, see ED496300. For Volumes 1 and 2 of the 2001 proceedings, see ED470066.]

This paper offers an analysis of the "theories of action" embedded in reconstitution reforms. Reconstitution is a reform strategy in which all, or a large percentage, of a school's incumbent administrators and teachers are replaced with educators presumed to be more capable and committed. The report is based on evidence acquired from a 2-year study that documented what may actually happen when reconstitution occurs. Exploratory case studies of three reconstituted schools (one middle, two elementary) in a single district provided the primary data for the report. The findings reveal stark contradictions between the theories of action embedded in the reform and the actual experiences with the reform. These patterns suggest that the reconstitution initiatives may reflect some of the fundamental tensions embedded in two different and incompatible approaches to reform. Although reconstitution would seem to fall clearly in the control camp, the rendition of reconstitution that was examined turned out to be a hybrid reform that combined tenets of control strategies with tenets of commitment strategies. In essence, the district was to be both the punitive and supportive agent. The act of reconstitution implicitly blamed site participants for the condition of schools. Promises of substantial support never materialized. (Contains 25 references.) (RJM)

The title of this volume, "Learning Languages in the Digital Age," focuses on the integration of technology to promote authentic and interactive communication within and outside the walls of the language classroom. Major innovations have shifted Internet use from a consumer to a participatory model; that is, previously, Internet users were placed in the role of consumers who had access to materials and information (this phase of Internet integration is commonly referred to as Web 1.0). Now Internet users can become producers of resources themselves (Web 2.0 is a term used to describe this shift in Internet use from a consumer model to a participatory model). While traditional consumer and communication applications continue, widespread participation as producers of resources has jumped dramatically. Blogging, podcasting, Wikis, and other forms of democratized media are all examples of applications that promise to challenge traditional systems and roles and to enhance the nature of language teaching and learning. This shift from consumer to producer allows language learners to take a more active role in the learning process, participate in authentic communication and create products that can serve as authentic assessment of language production. This volume provides the theoretical foundation for effective language teaching and learning while providing practical applications for the language classroom. Each of the three sections represents an important aspect of language education designed to promote best practices and to increase student achievement: (1) Embracing Technology: Tools Teachers Can Use to Improve Language Learning; (2) Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change; and (3) Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths.

The question of the extent to which effective leadership in vocational education and training (VET) depends on the specific context in which it occurs was examined. Data were collected from the following sources: an intensive literature analysis; studies of purposive sample of 12 diverse VET sites across Australia; and individual interviews with 48 individuals and group interviews with approximately 60 individuals at the 12 sites. The data from the sites were assembled and subjected to preliminary analysis. Selected emerging results were reported. The following attributes were deemed important leadership characteristics: (1) envisages future trends and their impacts on current strategies; (2) demonstrates interpersonal skills by talking and listening to others and establishing rapport; and (3) works to understand the personalities, motivations, and other diverse qualities of people. The following different "takes" on effective VET leadership were identified: (1) leadership is initiated and carried by a single "leader" or manager; (2) leadership is encouragement of each employee; (3) leaders must see the big picture and translate it into each staff member's own contribution so they perform at their best; (4) people are essentially born leaders; and (5) leadership is about enabling people to develop and grow within an environment of increasing complexity and change. (Contains 33 references.) (MN)

This study sought to understand the institutional behavior processes that occur when institutions are faced with anti-affirmative action litigation. A dual case study, conducted at the University of Maryland and at the University of Michigan, was designed to develop concepts linking litigation and institutional response. Using a grounded theory approach, three conceptual schemes entrenchment, battle, and retreat emerged. The first set of responses occurred in the period prior to litigation or during a period of threatened litigation; the second while litigation was pending; and the third set occurred post-litigation. In all three conflict models, aspects of retreat response and aftermath were essentially underdeveloped. The findings indicate that both institutions engaged in various activities to maintain their affirmative action stance legally, socially, and politically. There was also evidence of the institutions engaging in strategies that incorporated polar responses in order to meet diverse objectives. Following the introduction to the problem there is a summary of the literature. The methods section provides an overview of the sampling, data collection, and data analysis procedures. Findings are amplified by extensive quotes and detailed descriptions of the three institutional responses. The paper concludes with sections on theoretical interpretations, recommendations for future research, and implications for practice. (Contains 29 references.) (CH)

This paper examines the organizational context in which student protest is currently enacted and finds a new generation of campus activism organized around multiculturalism. Qualitative methods are used to analyze five case studies of student protest: (1) the Mills College (California) strike of 1990; (2) the Chicano studies movement at the University of California (Los Angeles) in 1993; (3) gay rights demonstrations at Pennsylvania State University from 1991 to 1993; (4) African American student resistance at Rutgers University (New Jersey)in 1995; and (5) financial aid protests involving American Indian students at Michigan State University from 1994 to 1996. Data collection involved 110 interviews with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members and analysis of documents and other artifacts of campus incidents and student organizing efforts. Each case study is presented in terms of a general description of the particular movement and its relationship to identity concerns, the precipitating events that escalated to highly visible campus demonstrations, the student response to the precipitating events, and organizational outcomes associated with a particular student movement. The study finds that all five cases were fundamentally linked to issues of multiculturalism and identity struggle. (Contains 46 references.) (DB)

This paper reports on research evaluating a faculty development program, Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment (CCLE), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study combined a contextual study to examine historical data and three case studies with participant verification. CCLE is a voluntary professional development program designed to encourage faculty collaboration. It has two stages of participation: stage 1 is a year-long commitment to meet weekly with a team of seven to nine fellow faculty for readings and activities leading to the development of a consensus diagram of the learning environment; in stage 2, faculty are involved either in direct classroom implementation of innovations mentored and observed by other team members or in an in-depth study of a topic. The contextual study analyzed more than 250 interview transcripts with faculty CCLE participants during the program's first three years and found that faculty work was usually seen as competitive and isolated. The case studies are each reported in terms of three common themes: (1) developing personal awareness; (2) articulating the process of collaboration; and (3) expanding the scope. Results are also interpreted in the context of cycles of organizational change. (Contains 40 references.) (DB)

This paper presents a case study of the initiation of a doctoral concentration in higher educational leadership at the University of Maine. The case study documents the perceptions of curricular needs defined by practitioners in the state, the resulting efforts to develop a field-sensitive curriculum, and the impact of the academic decision-making process on the appearance of innovation as the proposal progressed. It was found that there was a greater convergence in expectations for the focus of the program among external constituents, including employers and potential students, than among College of Education and Human Development faculty. It is concluded that the appearance of programmatic innovation may be compromised to academic form and tradition in the course of academic decision making, while innovation may nevertheless flourish under the autonomy of the faculty member in an individual case. Three appendixes contain integrated and consolidated responses from focus groups, a list of commitments for higher educational leadership faculty, and requirements for the doctor of education concentration in higher educational leadership. (Contains 10 references.) (MDM)

This document contains 43 papers from a conference on researching inclusion. The following are among the papers included: "Include Me Out: Critique and Contradiction in Thinking about Social Exclusion and Lifelong Learning" (Paul Armstrong); "The Linking of Work and Education To Enable Social Inclusion" (Dave Beck); "Including Citizenship in the Adult Curriculum" (Roseanne Benn); "Researching 'Inclusion': Reality and Rhetoric; It's All in the Curriculum Approach" (Darol Cavanagh); "Flexibility and Inclusion in Lifelong Learning: Working the Discourses in Further Education" (Julia Clarke, Richard Edwards); "Researching Inclusion: The Development of Adult Education for Women" (Janet Coles); "Peripheral Vision: Staff Development and Part-Time Tutors in Adult Education" (Derek Cox);"Valuing Exclusive Educational Provision for Disabled Adults" (Mark Dale); "Without and Within: Inclusion, Identity and Continuing Education in a New Wales" (Ian Davidson, Brec'hed Piette); "Adding Life to Your Years: Transformative Learning for Older People at the Irish Museum of Modern Art" (Ted Fleming); "The Network Society and Lifelong Learning--The Work of Manuel Castells and Theories of Adult Education" (Nick Frost); "An Inclusive MBA? Researching Curriculum Design and Delivery" (Roger Hall, Caroline Rowland); "Including the Excluding Image: Researching and Teaching Cultural Images of Adult Educators" (Ann Harris, Christine Jarvis); "Re-Visioning the Boundaries of Learning Theory in the Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)" (Judy Harris); "Reducing Exclusion--Introducing Choice: The Introduction of Distance Learning into Taught Courses" (Christine Hibbert); "Accountability, Audit and Exclusion in Further and Higher Education" (Phil Hodkinson, Martin Bloomer); "Voices from the Community: The Challenge of Creating a Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Inclusive Learning Environment" (Ann-Marie Houghton, Helen Ali); "Opening Pathways to Inclusion: The Importance of Non-Accredited Learning in the Lives of Students in the Local Authority Sector" (Ann Jackson, Belinda Whitwell); "Education in a Uniting Society?" (Nick Small); "'We're Not the Only Ones Learning Here'--An Investigation of Co-Tutoring and the Dynamics of Power within a Class of Adult Dyslexics" (Barbara Taylor); and "Including Mezirow's Concept of Perspective Transformation in the Study of Adult Education" (Miho Tokiwa-Fuse). Many papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

This qualitative study examined the challenges faced by four academic departments that had large enrollments of international graduate students. The comparative study of four academic departments in three professional schools at a Midwestern research university examined how faculty members adjusted to their roles as advisors and teachers of international students; whether departments altered curricula to address the students' particular needs; and whether institutions had formal policies regarding enrollment levels of international students. The study found many examples of faculty changing roles to better address international students' needs; respondents also alter their roles as advisors and research supervisors, spending more time explaining tasks, providing extra supervision, and even becoming more personally involved in students' lives. Most departments also have at least some informal policies regarding international students, particularly in regard to English language requirements and funding. The study also discusses environmental factors shaping perceptions and responses, including differences between "technical" and "sociotechnical" disciplines; differences based on departmental organizational and physical structure; how faculty characteristics influence responses; and international students' influence on the responses. (Contains 24 references.) (CH)

This qualitative case study assessed web-based instruction in a computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) course designed for workforce development. The study examined students' and instructors' experience in a CAD/CAM course delivered exclusively on the Internet, evaluating course content and delivery, clarity of presentation of complex technical concepts, and student receptivity to the Internet delivery mode. Components of student experience examined were motivation, nature of interactions, advantages and disadvantages, issues associated with Internet delivery, and student outcomes. Narrative data from telephone interviews (n=20) with students in the United States and Canada was the principal source of data. The course packet, provided electronically, included a syllabus, faculty, calendar, assignments, notes, e-mail link and index, as well as links to industrial and educational sites and the university home page. Findings indicated that the Internet delivery met the expectations of the students by offering a course not available through traditional delivery; participants were satisfied with all components of the course except for selected technical problems and they felt that this distance learning course was as effective as a traditional course. (Contains 40 references.) (CH)

This paper analyzes the current proposals by the government of Alberta, Canada, to implement an accountability framework for the province's postsecondary institutions using performance indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for performance indicators based on a discrepancy model of evaluation using three metaphors: mechanical, medical, and economic. This is followed by a critical examination of performance indicators with delineation of potential weaknesses and strengths as well as recommendations for practice. Finally, the Alberta plan is used as a case study to illustrate the concepts developed in the paper. The Alberta plan for performance indicators in the public postsecondary sector is seen as reflecting an economic metaphor of performance indicators which will result in measuring fiscal effectiveness as opposed to educational effectiveness. Further, while the Alberta government has indicated that the performance indicators will allow for inter- and intra-sectoral variations, no allowances seem to have been made for a value-added assessment of student outcomes, which is at the heart of the purpose for postsecondary educational institutions. (Contains 19 references.) (Author)

This study explores the ability of shared governance systems to make institutional hard decisions, focusing particularly on discontinuance of academic programs. A case study method examined shared governance processes at four research institutions to identify themes and patterns across the institutional decision-making process. Between 11 and 16 individuals at each institution were interviewed using structured, open-ended questions; additionally, meeting minutes, institutional reports, other relevant documents, and newspaper accounts were reviewed. Data was analyzed within and across the four cases. The study found that: (1) in all cases, central administrators initiated and led the process; (2) while faculty at all four institutions were involved in the process, both through and outside formal governance structures, at each institution one group actively participated in determining which programs to close while the other tried to dissuade decision makers from closing specific units; and (3) in three of the four institutions, trustees played only a peripheral role approving the decision of the institution. The findings point to legitimacy of the process as the centerpiece of shared governance; despite variations in the degree in which the process was shared, no faculty at any institution complained about lack of involvement nor did administrators complain that faculty were too involved. (Contains 38 references.) (CH)

This comparative case study investigated instructional methods that effectively enhance the development of students' critical thinking. Four institutions were selected for study; two at which students reported experiencing high degrees of growth in the ability to think critically, and two at which students reported experiencing low degrees of growth. Analysis of the data, which came primarily from 55 interviews and 28 classroom observations, suggests that the development of critical thinking is linked to an emphasis on writing and rewriting. At the two schools scoring high on an institutional growth in critical thinking (IGCT) measure, there was a strong focus on writing, a focus absent from the two schools that scored low on IGCT. At one school (high IGCT, low selectivity) a curricular policy stipulates that writing be an integral part of all course programs (which are taught by a multi-disciplinary team of faculty members). Another classroom factor that appears related to the development of critical thinking is an emphasis on class discussion, which again exists at the two high IGCT institutions. Appendices include a table showing selection criterion for case study sites, a summary of classroom observation data, and descriptions of categories for the observation data. (Contains 38 references.) (RH)

Two graduate-level educational administration courses, one delivered by computer-mediated (distributed) means and one held face-to-face, were evaluated based upon the needs of adult learners and active learning precepts. The same course was delivered to both classes by the same group of professors, using identical course requirements. The on-campus class met once a week for three hours in the evening; eleven adult students and two or three professors attended each class. Distributed class sessions (using a Lotus notes platform) took place at the time of students' choosing throughout the week, with all assignments and exams conveyed through writing. The professors were all experienced in the subject matter and in teaching; two of the three had previously taught using the software. The survey revealed that the characteristics of students in both classes were more alike than different. The distributed education class had a slight edge on the final grades, with the strongest indicator of difference seeming to lie in the greater amount of confidence the students brought to the class. The study also notes that the distributed students who had previous experience in distance learning spent more time in class. (RH)

This qualitative case study explores the influences of sustained discourse across disciplines on college faculty attitudes and behaviors related to scholarship and intellectual interaction. The study, conducted at Emory University (Georgia), involved 25 faculty who had participated in a series of semester-long seminars that explored topics of common concern among university faculty. The sample reflected various departments, disciplines, ranks, and experience (excepting the business school). Participants were asked semistructured, open-ended questions concerning the general nature of the seminar experience, positive and negative features of the seminars, and ways in which the seminars might have been improved, as well as questions about what influence the seminars had on participants' interactions with other faculty members and on their ties to the university. It was concluded that the seminar series expanded the intellectual horizons of all participants by providing a model for interdisciplinary discourse and encouraging exploration of different approaches to knowledge and truth. The program also built a reservoir of good will that enabled participants to engage in unfamiliar and difficult discourse. Many participants also developed a wider and warmer view of the university as more than a collection of disparate parts, and for many the seminar helped mitigate feelings of intellectual or physical isolation. (Contains 46 references.) (CH)

This document contains three commissioned papers and other materials from a 2-day conference. "Politics, Policy, Practice and Personal Responsibility: Adult Education in an Era of Welfare Reform" (Deborah D'Amico) examines the relationship between literacy, poverty, and welfare reform and the implications of those relationships for literacy practice. "Welfare, Jobs, and Basic Skills: The Employment Prospects of Welfare Recipients in the Most Populous U.S. Counties" (Alec R. Levenson, Elaine Reardon, Stefanie R. Schmidt) evaluates the basic skills and employment prospects of current adult recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. "Families First: Implications of Welfare Reform for Tennessee Adult Basic Education" (Connie White, Mary Ziegler, Beth Bingman) compares Tennessee's Families First program, which contains special provisions for individuals functioning at or below grade level 8.9, with other state welfare reform programs. "Themes from the Small Group Discussions" (Hal Beder) provides an overview of discussions about the issues and problems raised by the Personal Responsibility Act and ways adult literacy instruction and the adult literacy education system should respond to welfare reform. Concluding the document are the conference recommendations on practice, policy, and research. Two papers include substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Fourteen school-to-work programs characterized by strong work-based learning components and solid employer involvement were examined in a 3-year study to identify pedagogical factors associated with successful work-based learning programs. The main data collection activities were as follows: site visits to the 15 programs to interview faculty, staff, students, and employers and to observe any classroom-based links to the work-based learning components; 2 telephone surveys (a survey of employers participating in the programs and a survey of employers not participating in programs); and case studies of 5 of the programs that included observations and interviews with 26 student interns. The researchers used a task analysis framework that was designed to analyze the situated pedagogy of particular work contexts. The following pedagogical strategies were identified and analyzed: front-loaded instruction; on-the-job training; just-in-time instruction; back-loaded instruction; mutual self-instruction; laissez-faire instruction; observation; and mentoring. Among the pedagogical tactics used within each strategy were the following: lecturing; tours; modeling/demonstrating; dry runs; giving orders; helping out; coaching; critical feedback; testing and checking; storytelling; reminding; trial and error; and practice. The case studies emphasized the importance of educators enhancing students' learning opportunities at the workplace with connected activities and exercises back at school. (Contains 22 references.) (MN)

This document contains six papers about and from a roundtable discussion of poverty alleviation, work, and adult learning. The "Introduction" (Madhu Singh) presents an overview of the roundtable. "Work-Related Adult Education: Challenges and Possibilities in Poverty Areas" (Enrique Pieck) describes work-related adult education strategies and argues that training alone is insufficient for poverty areas. Competence reform in Norway is examined in "The Future of Work and Adult Learning: The Norwegian Case" (Ole Briseid). "The New Role of Adult Education Institutions: From Schools to Learning Agencies" (Peter Krug) explains why educational institutions must become open learning centers and act as facilitators of the transition between schools and universities and continuing education. "Trade Unions and Adult Vocational Learning for the Informal Sector" (Christine Nathan) discusses the situation of women construction workers in India and suggests how trade unions can help them through adult education. Adult vocational education's responsiveness to those it serves is considered in "Ethical Implications of Contemporary Trends in Work and Adult Vocational Learning" (Richard D. Bagnall). Concluding the document are abstracts and the tables of contents of two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Education publications on work-based learning. (MN)