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There were two projects at the National Defence University of Finland (NDU), which both ended by the end of 2022. One of them tried to find the answers to the main question: How artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to improve learning, teaching, and planning? The other tried to find the answer to the main question: What new skills do officers need when artificial intelligence is coming? We did literature reviews and found out that intelligent technology combined with data analytics can offer several improvements to traditional classroom teaching. From literature reviews, we also found some new skills that officers might need to be able to handle AI-based technologies. This is a position paper presenting the arguable opinions of the writers. We have found lots of benefits that the use of intelligent learning technology can bring, mainly by supporting individual learning paths. There is also an obvious need for AI officers who should have a deeper understanding of the AI-supported technology than normal officers. This project and some other similar projects have raised a lot of discussions, one seminar series about artificial intelligence and we do have some trained AI officers as well. [For the full proceedings, see ED629086.]

This paper describes the success one institution achieved by placing a faculty committee at the heart of its effort to create an electronic institutional portfolio for accreditation, accountability, and assessment. Working in partnership with the institutional research office, the committee provided faculty opportunities to think about and discuss the larger questions of institutional priorities, faculty roles, and assessment of student learning in a cross-disciplinary environment. This collaborative approach to developing the portfolio drew institutional research to the center of campus planning and decision making and marked a change in the perception of institutional research on the campus. (Author/SLD)

This paper compares discussions of instructional resources in academic departments with highly continuous planning with those of departments characterized by less continuous planning. Members of 44 departments in different fields and institutional types were interviewed about their department's planning contexts, roles, processes, and decisions. Interviews were conducted with 44 department chairs and 83 faculty members. Compared to departments that scored low for continuous program planning, high scoring departments discussed instructional resources more frequently and systematically, and had more complex instructional resource concerns. Departments in the low continuous planning group tended to describe instructional resource discussions as "complaining" rather than "planning." Disciplinary and institutional differences and implications for instructional resources and planning are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 14 references.) (Author/SLD)

An increasing number of public research universities have turned to incentive-based budgeting systems (IBBS) as a means of managing change. It is appropriate to view IBBS as a new attempt to introduce rational systems into university administrative structures that are largely political in nature. This study examined the influence an IBBS has on planning processes in a university 10 years after its implementation. Based on a review of the evaluation of IBBS for public universities and its linkages to planning process, the authors introduce the use of organizational frames as a basis for studying the impact of IBBS systems. Interviews were conducted with 13 senior faculty administrators who had substantial experience in university governance. The findings show that IBBS constrained bureaucratic and political tendencies and improved planning, but created new ambiguities that should be addressed if IBBS is to continue to evolve. The IBBS was characterized in terms that indicated it was viewed as a new rational model that was not laden with the bureaucratic nuances more traditionally associated with structural descriptions of university governance. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper reports on the first phase of an ongoing study of strategic planning in U.S. higher education. In this phase, the chief planner at each of four private higher education institutions was interviewed, focusing on participation in planning, communication, and success. Themes related to these three topics were identified. The preliminary findings suggest that further inquiry into the roles of technology, control, champions of planning, and the reciprocal nature of communication and participation will shed light on the roles of communication and participation and their relative importance in the strategic planning process. Phase 2 will be a comparative case study with 10 60-minute interviews (5 faculty and 5 staff) at each of the institutions. This phase will also include a structural analysis comparing the roles of communication and participation by organizational and governance structures and a deeper examination of the nature of communication, participation, and success. (SLD)

Papers in this collection were prepared for the annual meeting of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This volume contains papers related to organizational effectiveness and future directions. Chapter 1, "Mission, Planning, and Organizational Change," contains: (1) "Revitalizing Mission: A Collaborative Model" (Stephany Schlacter and Kurt Schackmuth); (2) "Coping with Uncertainty: Five Steps toward Institutional Strength in the Twenty-First Century" (Jon E. Quistgaard, Joann Fredrickson, and Ivan Lee Weir); (3) "Accomplishing Change in a Decentralized Institution: Key Moments in Ohio University's Transition to a Learning-Centric University" (David Descutner and Stephen J. Kopp); (4) "What Changes When Everything Changes: One University's Processes for Unification" (Robert L. Funaro, Nancy McGee, and Jacqueline Taylor); and (5) "Self/Strategic Study Planning: A Unified, User-Friendly Model" (Richard W. Stroede). Chapter 2, "Quality Improvement in Higher Education," contains: (6) "Applying the Baldrige Criteria for Quality Improvement: Focus on Leadership" (Robert A. Sedlack, Julie A. Furst-Bowe, and Claudia Smith); (7) "Putting Total Quality Improvement Management to Work in a University Setting" (Allan M. Hoffman and Mary Pat Wohlford-Wessels); (8) "Planning and Performance: Getting Where You Need To Go Using Key Performance Indicators" (Rich Wagner, Mike White, and Dick Pooley); (9) "Using Dashboards To Navigate Institutional Destinations" (Laurie Adolph, Rassoul Dastmozd, Ron Serpliss, and Gail Spies); (10) "Alternative Road to'Paradise': Growing toward AQIP" (Don Betz, Ed Cunliff, and Donna Guinn); (11)"Completing AQIP's Vital Focus Assessment: What We Learned" (Leonard G. Heldreth and Teresa Kynell); (12) "Restructured Expectations for Two Community Colleges Based on the AQIP Journey" (Robert Callaway, Marcia Ballinger, Jan Donely, and Ron Wright); (13) "Building the University Brand from the Inside-Out: The Higher Learning Commission's Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) and Its Implications" (Lawrence V. Gould, Tonja Vallin, Robert F. Scott, and Chris Crawford); (14) "Implementing AQIP: Engaging the Campus" (Robert McCue, Sheila Stearns, and David Fuller); and (15) "Completing a Five-Year Strategic Plan While Incorporating AQIP" (Laura David and Terry Kuhn). Chapter 3, "Using New Technology To Enhance Student Learning," contains: (16) "Assessment, Accreditation, and the Web: IUPUI's Electronic Institutional Portfolio" (Trudy W. Banta and Susan Kahn); (17) "Digital Institutional and Student Portfolios Demonstrating Success, Achievement, and Reflection" (Neal W. Topp and Sheri Everts Rogers); (18) "Application of the Higher Learning Commission Guidelines for Distance Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Education to a Comprehensive Distance Education Evaluation" (Dawn Voight and Randall Coorough); (19) "Guidelines for Online Learning: A Collaborative Approach" (Michael Wahl, Ronda Edwards, and Garret Brand); (20) "Best Practices for an Online Degree Program" (John Howard); (21) "Creating a Virtual Faculty: Ways To Bring Order to Online Instruction" (Ann Roberts Divine and Anne Wessely); (22) "A Comprehensive Approach to Online Student Services" (Gary Langer and Robert Griggs); (23) "Student Achievement of General Education and Discipline Goals: Online versus On-Campus Students" (John T. Kontoglanes and Cheryl Hughes); and (24) "Distance Learning: An Assessment and Retention Resource" (Eileen Stenzel). Chapter 4, "Effective Learning Environments," contains: (25) "Evaluating Libraries and Other Support Areas: Accomplishing Your Institution's Purposes" (Rachel Applegate); (26) "The Library's Role in Assessing Student Learning" (Jill Gremmels and Claudia Ruediger); (27) "Returning Academics to Center Stage: Benefits of a Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Day" (Gina E. Lane, Marc A. Cadd, and Nina T. Pollard); (28) "Crossing the Great Divide(s): Implementing, Assessing, and Improving Interdisciplinary Core Curricula" (Charles Taylor, Richard Schur, and Jeanie Allen); (29) "Meeting Generation Next: Today's Postmodern College Student" (Mark L. Taylor); (30) "Providing Positive Institutional Climates for American Indian/Alaska Native Students" (Joseph J. Saggio and Jim Dempsey); (31) "Utilizing Quality Reviews To Reengineer the Delivery of Student Services" (Cynthia D. Armster, Deidra J. Lewis, and Charles Guenerich); and (32) "Utilizing Standardized Assessments in Retention Planning and Quality Improvement by Faculty and Student Development" (Kim Haworth). Many papers contain references. (SLD)

This paper explores the application of a mathematical optimization model to the problem of optimal enrollments. The general model, which can be applied to any institution, seeks to enroll the "best" class of students (as defined by the institution) subject to constraints imposed on the institution (e.g., capacity, quality). Topics explored include how the model was applied to actual data and the results of that application. The presentation touches on how well the model mimics "real life," insights that can be gained from the output, the model's limitations, and the modifications that might be warranted to improve performance. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper continues previous research (N. Moreland and R. Carnwell, 2000) in which the development and background of the Learning Support Needs Questionnaire (LSNQ) were explained. The LSNQ identifies and elicits practical, emotional, and academic learning support needs, and is followed by an action planning process designed to assist the students to address learning needs considered important to student academic success but not met sufficiently. The LSNQ questionnaire was administered to two groups of distributed learning students, one enrolled in an institution in the United States (n=211) and one from the United Kingdom (n=126). While the distance education students in the United States had overall higher expectations of the different types of support than their peers in the United Kingdom, both groups had significant but slightly different learning support needs. The failure to address the significant unmet learning needs by both the learners themselves and the providing institutions is likely to lead to unsatisfactory learning experiences, reduced achievements, and perhaps, student attrition. (Contains 3 tables and 29 references.) (SLD)

The United Kingdom does not yet have any lifelong learning pedagogies. The country has a stratified and segmented educational system, with little connection between those sectors that might be regarded as contributing to the concept of lifelong learning. The reasons for this lack of connections between sectors were examined during an 18-month study that included a literature review and resulted in identification of the following pedagogic "identities" assumed by adult educators: educator as critical practitioner; educator as psycho-diagnostician and facilitator of learning; educator as reflective practitioner; educator as situated learner within a community of practice; and educator as assurer of organizational quality and efficiency and deliverer of service to agreed or imposed standards. These identities were analyzed within the following conceptual dimensions: learning within a community versus individualized learning; disciplinary community versus pedagogic community; moral and social accountability versus organizational accountability; educator as "person in the world" versus anonymous/invisible educator; and student as "person in the world" versus anonymous/invisible learner. The analysis established that it is impossible to disentangle learners' situatedness from the educative process and that the split between adult education and higher education lies at least partly in the relationship between pedagogical theory and practice. (Contains 38 references.) (MN)

This study presents a process used to assess the general education component of the undergraduate curriculum, focusing particularly on the components of the methodology that provided the data used to suggesting changes in the program. The study was undertaken at an urban institution with an undergraduate population of 6,000, and involved analysis of graduates' transcripts to examine course sequence and compliance with university policy on course sequence enrollment, analysis of syllabi, a course audit questionnaire set to faculty, development of an academic profile of students, and a survey of faculty and staff. The revised curriculum that was the outcome of the study requires a base of 18 undergraduate credits, including English composition, fundamentals of math and/or intermediate algebra, civilization, and first-year experience. A 48-credit distribution component requires that students take 6 credits in each of six areas: natural sciences, social sciences, arts/media, humanities, multicultural/language studies, and quantitative and computer literacy, plus 12 additional credits as electives. The study notes that optimal use was not made of all the data collected, but suggests that as the program progresses only data needed to make necessary program changes will be collected, and that the process will become better understood. (CH)

This paper examines the development in China of junior colleges (JCs) and adult higher education institutions (HEIs) and compares them to their community college counterparts in the United States, focusing on what China can learn from the American experience. It notes that higher education in China has expanded rapidly in recent years, with the number of colleges and universities more than doubling between 1977 and 1995 and enrollment increasing by a factor of five. According to the Ninth Five-Plan for Educational Development and the Long Range Development Program Toward the Year 2010, enrollment is expected to increase from 2.57 million students in 1995 to 4.5 million in 2010. To accommodate the increase, the Chinese government does not plan to expand the number of institutions but rather have the JCs and HEIs expand their current scale of operations by increasing enrollment. It is recommended that the Chinese government establish specific policy guidelines for further developing JCs and HEIs, that educational leaders be granted more autonomy to operate their institutions, that JCs and HEIs consider more open admissions policies, articulate transfer arrangements between JCs and HEIs and four-year institutions, and ensure that JCs and HEIs are properly funded. (Contains 11 references.) (MDM)

This paper reviews the literature on academic quality programs and examines issues faced at one institution in which two initiatives emphasizing student outcomes and faculty performance as indicators of quality are underway. In its review of the literature the paper focuses on concepts such as total quality management, peer or student evaluation of faculty, organizational change, and human and technological factors; and it defines the characteristics of quality academic programs as including a culture of shared purpose, an active learning environment, high expectations for students and faculty, continuous feedback for both students and faculty, adequate resources, and good administrative support. At the St. John's University (New York) Centers of Excellence, resource allocation is integrated with assessment of student outcomes and faculty performance. The university uses four categories of measurement to select academic departments as centers of excellence: input (ability to attract high-quality students, excellent facilities, favorable faculty/student ratio); process (programs demonstrating long-term interest and need, and outstanding curriculum); value-added features (evidence of student satisfaction); and output (productive faculty, graduate placement, and evidence of student satisfaction after graduation). Key to the success of the program is careful attention to the balance between the technical (data analysis), organizational (shared values), and personal frames. (Contains 30 references.) (CH)

This paper examines the many facets of administrative information management on the college or university campus. It is argued that, depending on the situation, an effective information manager can adopt the outlook of an architect/designer, data administrator, editor, analyst, reporter, planner, broker, collaborator, interpreter, or marketer. These roles are discussed in the context of an information management model that begins with the campus office or department that supplies the raw data and moves from data base development and administration to the production of analyses and subsequent presentation of these analyses to the customer (the president, deans, committees, governing board, or legislature) who ultimately uses the information in implementing a policy or strategic decision. This model is discussed in relation to Sheehan's (1977) Three-Hat Theory (which focuses on the roles of decision maker, intermediary, and technician), and extends his theory by positing numerous personae who are integral to effective institutional research. One of these many faces--the evaluator--transcends Sheehan's three hats and suggests a further linkage with the Plan-Do-Check-Act sequence as detailed by McLaughlin and Snyder (1993). (Contains 18 references.) (MDM)

This paper describes the results of a collaboration between three local community colleges in Oregon, Clackamas Community College, Portland Community College, and Mount Hood Community College with Portland State University, to study student transfers among the institutions. Using a random sample of 504 students who had completed at least three credits during the academic year 1990-91, but did not enroll at the same college in the following year, the study examined student flow patterns, efficiency of the transfer process in terms of credit-hour loss, and academic performance patterns, focusing primarily on students' behavior and on the collective role of the four institutions in delivering postsecondary education. The study found the pattern of student movement between community colleges and the university to be complex, with students appearing to use the public institutions as a system rather than as four separate entities. The study also found very little of the credit losses experienced by transfer students to be the result of poor articulation between the institutions, but rather due to reasons such as advising problems, poor communication between institutions, or student choice to improve performance records. (Contains 13 references.) (CH)

This study examined the role of faculty participation on strategic change within higher education. An open-ended questionnaire was completed by seven individuals from Singapore and the United States who had had experience with higher education strategic planning and change as both faculty and administrators in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States. It was found that all of the respondents agreed on the necessity of involving stakeholders, particularly the faculty, in strategic change. Many also pointed to the difficulty of getting quality participation from faculty, due to the fact that faculty often have a narrow perspective, that faculty participation involves a large commitment of time, and that faculty are often reluctant to address complex issues or problems. Respondents emphasized the negative impact of overly hierarchical and bureaucratic organizational structures, which were more typical in Singapore than elsewhere. The comments also emphasized the impact that organizational culture, planning processes, reward structures, and institutional mission can have on faculty participation in strategic change. Suggestions for encouraging and improving faculty participation were also offered. (Contains 32 references.) (MDM)

This study examined the effects of budget reductions in the 1990s on public higher education systems in six major states. Finance officers at the campus, system, and state level in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin were surveyed regarding budget reductions, approaches to reduction allocation, the impact of budget reductions, and the degree of institutional restructuring brought about by the budget reductions. It was found that college and university systems generally did not use their planning and budgeting authority to shape system and campus priorities in the face of budget reductions; instead, they relied mostly on short-term measures such as enrollment reductions, tuition and fee increases, vacancies and salary freezes, and early retirements. The results suggest that campuses, especially comprehensive institutions, took a more proactive approach, engaging in short- and long-term planning and reallocating resources selectively. More than a third eliminated degree programs. However, campuses did not depart significantly from the systems' preference for short-term, cost-saving measures such as hiring and salary freezes. In regard to the quality of and access to education, the results suggest a reduction in student access, followed by a decline in undergraduate education quality. (MDM)

An alternative system of course delivery, wholly online computer-managed instruction, was evaluated to estimate its contribution to total full-time-equivalent (FTE) students two years after its implementation at Christopher Newport University (Virginia). CNU ONLINE offers eight online courses and one online degree program. In Spring 1997, nearly 500 students were pursuing studies in 34 offerings through CNU ONLINE. Online students completed a survey eliciting their reasons for online enrollment and whether those reasons precluded taking the classroom equivalent. Most frequent student reasons for taking online course work included a preference for online media; interaction with online colleagues; development of online skills; reduced travel expenses; and reduced travel time. Other analyses examined the campus-wide relationship between course load and commuting distance from campus, comparing pre- and post-implementation semesters. Results supported the hypothesis of a net FTE gain, as opposed to FTE redistribution. The results suggest the potential of online instruction to reduce negative effects of distance and scheduling. The survey is appended. (Contains 12 references.) (JLS)

This paper introduces, as a new, relevant, technique for use in institutional research and planning, the concept of paradigms as presented by J. A. Barker. The paper uses as examples of these concepts analysis of two major problems, frequently found in higher education and institutional research and planning. These examples illustrate how outsider innovations and the so-called "messing with the rules" activity can produce paradigm shifts that help solve problems and help create a vital future for the profession of institutional research. This outsider/insider problem solving concept is demonstrated through a pilot test that was designed to solicit and compare problem-solving ideas from graduate students, faculty, staff, and members from the business community. The two problems addressed concern: (1) the constraints that the tenure system places on program and curricular change; and (2) the lack of professional management training for faculty who become managers of major resources. The paper concludes with an analysis of the responses. Attachments include the memorandum sent to study participants and a review of J. A. Barker's book, "Future Edge: Discovering the New Paradigms of Success." Contains 14 references. (GLR)

This paper explores how public multicampus university system offices address two areas where there is strong state interest but where this interest may conflict with traditional university priorities: undergraduate arts and sciences education and university responsibility for improving K-12 education. It is hypothesized that system offices with strong research university campuses give more attention and resources to undergraduate arts and sciences education, seen as relatively central to the academic core, than to undergraduate or graduate-level teacher/educator professional preparation and related K-12 activities within the university, seen as relatively marginal. More broadly, the study examines how intermediary organizations (university system administrations) exercise influence on and are influenced by those with whom they deal. The systems administrations compared are those within the State University of New York, the University of North Carolina, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California. The paper discusses results of the comparative analysis in terms of the common system roles and responses, the differences in system office responses to undergraduate and K-12 education, differences among university systems, the impact of these office systems, and the difficulties posed by systems' support coming into conflict with campus or legislative regulations. Policy implications are discussed. (Contains 31 references.) (GLR)

This paper addresses societal transformations and higher education's response to these changes and argues that a much larger and deeper change is occurring which should be examined within the context of a paradigm shift. The paper begins with a brief review of the theoretical literature on paradigms; then it demonstrates the use of these constructs in a study of the change process at a land-grant research university (University of Minnesota). Next, the paper enlarges the scope to briefly examine the evolution of American higher education and to provide a sketch of the dominant characteristics of the current American higher education paradigm, based on entrepreneurial-populist principles and ways of thought. The case study demonstrates the power of metaphor, exemplars, and myths in maintaining and even building new paradigms. The current paradigm of "managed populism" is expected to change to one with greater emphasis on quality. Leaders in higher education are urged to attempt to help shape these changes through: (1) recognizing and building on the larger forces at work, (2) utilizing five key strategies (i.e., focus on the customer, demand quality, build from collaboration, utilize technology to the fullest, and recognize the power of accountability measures), and (3) working on characteristics with the most salience for the emerging paradigm. The paper concludes with the presentation of a framework for examining the approaching, inevitable paradigm shift. (Contains 65 references.) (GLR)

The purpose of this paper, the initial report of an ongoing study, is threefold. One is to present and demonstrate the use of the sociology of translation as a methodological framework for the study of power within the higher education policy arena. The second is to define the boundaries and shape of that arena, and the third is to define the meaning of power within this context. The paper notes that the nation's Executive branch has forfeited its role as a policy participant and become a policy barrier, leaving Congress to look for an intersection of policy interests that can be negotiated or forced past the Executive. Through an examination of the student financial aid reauthorization process, the paper reveals the importance of knowledge, communications, coalition building, and grounding policy proposals in the history and culture of the policy arena. The social relationships that foster the exchange and interaction between the Congress and the associations it deals with in policymaking constitute a communication community. The power of this type of community is the product of a common language, cooperative activities, mutual needs, shared history and values, and widely understood signs and symbols. (Contains over 170 references.) (GLR)

This paper examines how the concepts of strategic planning, assessment, and Total Quality Management fit together and relate to one another in the field of higher education. Central to the explanation of how these topics are related is the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, a driving force behind the quality improvement movement in that country. The paper gives special attention to the need to change institutional cultures in order to improve achievement of institutional goals, a central tenet of Kaizen. The concepts of Kaizen are discussed within the context of improving higher education administration, particularly the management of student learning, the focus of student outcomes assessment. A basic hypothesis of the paper is that the historical pattern in American higher education has reflected the western, innovation approach while a more gradual, Kaizen approach is better suited for the current economic and social environment. A comparison is made of the innovation approach to solving problems and the Kaizen approach to change. Contains 12 references. (GLR)

This paper describes the use of a comprehensive participative planning model for colleges and universities that includes processes of environmental scanning, proposed by J. Morrison and others, and key elements of the Objective-Based Assessment, Planning, and Resource Allocation System (OAPRAS) proposed by M. Capoor. The process is explained through its application at Cardinal Stritch College (Wisconsin). A discussion is provided of the three overlapping components of the planning process: strategic planning, operationalizing, and allocating resources. Discussed within the strategic planning component are the role of environmental scanning and the development and use of environmental scanning advisory committees and planning advisory committees. The operationalizing section examines the development of college-wide and departmental goals within an updated context of the OAPRAS model that includes meaningful participation by each planning unit (department or office). The resource allocation component is then examined, and planning and budgeting elements are integrated. The paper then discusses the creation of an institutional plan, which provides a basis for a systematic method of annual qualitative accountability updates and allows for a quantitative measure of the amount of resources spent on each strategic goal. Finally, problem areas that became apparent with implementation of the planning program are revealed, such as role identification, definitions, reports, and time requirements. (GLR)

This paper illustrates how planning, with the aid (or complicity) of institutional research, can be a revolutionary activity that facilitates change within an organization and brings the organization to a more accurate understanding of itself. It describes the use of strategic planning at Minot State University (North Dakota) to change a culture that was insular, reactive, complacent, inward-looking, and dependent on state resources to one that is more outward-looking, interactive, entrepreneurial, and globally aware. A planning model was constructed to complement the basic organizational structure of the institution and still allow for a two-way flow of information, counsel, and influence on university decision-making. The model called for analysis and synthesis progressing through four levels: departments, colleges, vice presidential areas, and cabinet. The strategic planning process involved: a major planning effort in year 1 and annual review and adjustments in years 2 through 5; a four-tiered planning structure; a guidance phase, planning and decision phase, and implementation phase; and yearly evaluation of all programs, activities, and resource allocations. The newly created Office of Institutional Research was charged with the evaluation of the first round of strategic planning. Strong and weak points of the planning process are discussed. The paper concludes with discussions and observations of what was learned in the planning lessons and how Minot State's planning process changed institutional culture. Contains 27 references. (GLR)

This paper describes the analysis and policy development involved in formulating a University of Wisconsin-Madison teaching load policy. The paper presents a preliminary teaching load policy developed in 1991 and describes its review and integration into ongoing strategic planning and budget allocation processes. Current teaching load patterns are analyzed to provide a method of testing the policy through the identification of current norms. Results are examined in terms of load distribution between fall and spring semesters, by professorial rank, by gender and ethnic heritage, by department, and by discipline area. Results indicated that the mean annual teaching load for the full-time instructional faculty was 3.6 primary-range group instruction sections, that the three professorial ranks had similar teaching load distributions, that men and women had similar teaching load distributions, that white and minority faculty members had similar teaching loads, and that teaching load varied between departments and discipline areas. Analysis suggests possible sources of variation in certain types of section loads, and the paper explains how teaching load measures are being incorporated into the budget allocation process. (JB)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of assessment practices of educational quality at universities in the Netherlands. The project involved analysis of questionnaire responses from 239 study programs at all 13 Netherlands universities followed by 12 case studies. The paper first provides a brief account of the theoretical background of the research project, identifying hypotheses expected to explain the degree of effectiveness of the quality assessment procedures. The study concluded that: (1) quality management in teaching has received much more attention in recent years; (2) larger amounts of resources based on assessment findings are being employed to foster improvement based on assessment findings; and (3) the Dutch quality management system has been receiving a high level of approval within the institutions. The study's efforts to explain differences in assessment utilization from the perspectives of contingency theory and political economics perspective were not successful. (Contains 26 references.) (GLR)

A discussion of the future of education for language-minority students in the United States looks at proposed legislation and other government initiatives and prevailing educational reform movements. It is argued that reform in this country must begin with a change in attitudes toward and expectations of language-minority and limited-English-speaking students, and followed up with carefully planned instructional approaches. Significant recent initiatives are cited, including the National Educational Goals statements, Goals 2000--The Educate America Act of 1993, the School to Work Opportunities Act, and the Improving America's Schools Act, the reenactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It is proposed that to create and sustain the change needed, two elements will be required: bold, innovative action and certain specific expectations of schools, state education agencies, colleges and universities, parents, and the Department of Education. Expectations for each of these groups are outlined, and a vision of the future of education in the United States is offered. A list of references, a brief annotated bibliography, and a list of resource organizations and projects are appended. (MSE)