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Rather than viewing curriculum as linear, a post-modern, learner-centered curriculum design is a spiral or recursive curriculum. Post-modernism provides a much less stable foundation upon which to build a model of student learning, a model that recognizes and even celebrates individual difference and one that is supported by research on how people learn. We propose one such curricular approach through an examination of a Bachelor of Integrative Studies program.

Colleges and universities across the country are struggling with the issue of accountability, especially with regard to student learning. One attempt to revitalize undergraduate education and to respond to the calls for change is defined by a shift in the dominant pedagogy to a learner-centered focus. If academic administrators are to promote and facilitate learner-centered education, they must understand the current research on how students learn and the resulting changes that knowledge brings to the classroom. One of the many issues related to this paradigm shift for academic administrators is the question of faculty evaluation. How will the evaluation of teaching faculty evolve in this new paradigm? Of the many facets of faculty evaluation that are part of the administrator's responsibility, classroom observation provides numerous challenges in the new paradigm. In this article, the authors consider how academic administrators might approach classroom observation in the new paradigm.

A new generation of faculty is entering the academic workforce and they are increasingly dissatisfied with current working environments. Institutions must begin to address the changing nature of this new generation. This article reports on a New Faculty Orientation program based on elements of the learner-centered pedagogy. The goal was to achieve an atmosphere of trust and safety in a community of scholars, to encourage collaboration and experimentation. (Contains 1 table.)

In order to improve problem-solving dispositions, a section of an inquiry-based math sequence for first-year business students was linked with a section of our general education English sequence. We describe how the linked classes worked and compare some preliminary results from linked and unlinked sections of the math sequence.

The ability to teach one's self is a critical skill for workers in the 21st century because of the rapidity of change and innovation. To educate students to meet this challenge, we need to re-envision curriculum with the goal of producing graduates who have the ability to complete the transition from novice to expert after graduation and continue to deepen their expertise throughout their careers. Using engineering education as a model of current efforts in curricular revision, we present a method for curricular review based on learning types in order to design an undergraduate experience that is transformative and congruent with a learner-centered approach.

One attempt to revitalise undergraduate education has been by shifting the dominant pedagogy to a learner-centred focus and supporting an emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning. The discussion regarding efforts to refocus undergraduate education to be more intentional by moving towards a learner-centred paradigm is encouraging, yet it is crucial to acknowledge that most of the effort and literature on the learner-centred paradigm and the scholarship of teaching and learning have necessarily focused on strategies for the classroom. It is equally important for administrators to consider the impact of the paradigm shift on their roles. Assessment and evaluation are the very core of the learner-centred paradigm. Assessment is both the single-most important gage of learning that drives the educational process and the most effective means of implementing institutional change. In this article, the authors offer a means of assessing the degree of learner-centredness in current teaching practices through a systematic review of course syllabi. Using a rubric developed for this purpose the authors have reviewed course syllabi in order to develop a benchmark for the degree of learner-centredness present in current teaching practices and employed the results as a vehicle for planning professional development. (Contains 2 tables.)

Institutions are attempting to revitalize undergraduate education through the shift of the dominant pedagogy to a learner-centered focus. While this is encouraging, it is crucial to acknowledge that most of the efforts and literature on the learner-centered paradigm have necessarily focused on strategies for faculty. It is, however, equally important for administrators to consider the impact of the paradigm shift on their roles. Professional development and leadership training that takes into account the need for both a technical shift and shift in perception is key to the success of the transition to a new paradigm.

In an effort to completely transform both teaching spaces and pedagogical orientation, a multi-stage project that tied professional development efforts for faculty and administrators to a redesign of existing classroom facilities was initiated. The goal was to simultaneously transform learning and spaces for learning in order to change the cultural paradigm that affected both the concept of being a teaching institution and the sustainability of the campus. In this article, the authors describe the most significant lesson learned from these multistage renovation projects--to achieve the goal of a learner-centred curriculum, changing the physical spaces is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. As noted at the beginning of this article, the "idea" of the university cannot be changed without considering the "physical" presence; likewise, the "physical" presence cannot be changed without vigilant attention to the "idea" of the university. Changing a culture requires buy-in, engagement, and intellectual investment, which, in this case, was gained through the process of ongoing assessment and professional development. The point of assessment was not solely to assure feedback as they proceeded through the stages of this project; the ongoing assessment empowered the different constituents and individuals, involved them in the process, and most importantly, sparked a campus-wide discussion, not just about space, but about learning and what it means to be a learning-centred campus.

Notes that Ferris State University's writing center uses HyperCard software in the Macintosh environment to assist students in technical/professional programs to develop professional portfolios. Suggests that this approach offers consistent instruction and equal access to content information as approved by faculty in specified disciplines in a self-directed self-paced instructional atmosphere. (RS)

In considering the issue of transforming higher education, people tend to think of the university in the abstract: the idea of providing education and what that means in these changing times. The authors suggest that the physical university should also be considered. At Ferris State University, educators have made a comprehensive effort to transform the university by creating a learning-centered culture focused on three central elements: (1) classrooms; (2) learning spaces outside the classroom; and (3) professional development. They undertook a multistage project to renovate learning spaces in a systematic fashion, combining the renovations with professional development efforts for faculty and administrators. They transformed the academic milieu both physically and intellectually with the primary purpose made of fostering a more learning-centered culture and environment. In this article, the author discusses the multistage renovation project and the role of assessment in creating a learner-centered environment.

The article reports on the accountability that an organization should uphold. It mentions that it is important for leaders to have their self-reflection as it is equally necessary as the reports that they do. Also, the challenges that higher education faces is to understand the defining and measuring results. It states that the result lies on the type of business or the so-called the business of learning. Several literatures such as the article of Judith Eaton entitled "Institutions, Creditors and the Federal Government" are also discussed to explain the accountability of organizations.

The author reflects on her experiences as an administrator at Ferris State University in Michigan. She argues that the difficulty of trying to explain what the job entails is a part of the problem which hinders an administrator to find his job satisfying. Moreover, she states that administrative position requires impressive qualities, yet the job does not feel as idealistic. An overview of the Writing Center in their campus and things which makes her job fulfilling are presented.

The article offers information on the key factors in developing leadership skills of faculty members in the United States. Developing leadership skills among faculty members through learner-centered curriculum is said to be the fundamental element in attaining excellence in the American education. A report from Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) on effective active learning is presented, followed by discussion on the call to focus on learning-centered programs in an effort to develop leaders. Learning-centered program involves focus on learning attitude while teaching. It is stated that administrators, faculty members and policy makers on higher education must work together in searching for effective leadership program.

The article describes the author's experience of returning to teaching after 13 years of college administrative work. She claims that the lessons she had learned in refining her skill as an administrator are the same underlying principles of the learned-center paradigm of teaching. She explains that her years as administrator has been rich in research on learning, cognition and how the brain works.

The article offers information on learning the academic leadership development. It is said that there are many service providers for academic leadership development that offers everything from seminars and online tutorials to multiweek academies and institutes. It is cited that at the department chair level, the offerings include topics such as time management, teamwork and effective communication. Higher-level administrative offerings focus on topics about strategic planning, creating alliances and articulating a vision.