The Perceptions of Administrators Concerning the One Florida Initiative

The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of Florida law school administrators on the impact of the OFI （one Florida initiative） and the addition of two MSI （minority serving institution） law schools on diversity in Florida＇s legal profession. This research explored the impact of Governor Bush＇s EO （executive order） on diversity within the SUS （state university system） of Florida law schools. Further, this study examined the impact of the creation of two MSI law schools after implementation of the OFI, as perceived by the administrators. The concept of CRT （critical race theory） provides modern legal debates outlining the usefulness of historical civil rights policies in opinionated climates. This study will examine the role of CRT in relation to affirmative action and desegregation case law. CRT forms the framework for examining the impact of the creation of two MSI law schools in the state of Florida. In conclusion, this study found that minority representation in law schools has improved in Florida as a result of the OFI as well as the addition of two MSI law schools. Black representation, however, continues to lag behind other races, particularly the Hispanic population. This study concluded that the OFI has helped improve minority representation in the legal profession.     

Complexity and Curriculum: A process approach to curriculum-making

It is argued that the complex learning with which higher education institutions are concerned is best promoted by coherent curricula. However, curriculum coherence is not widespread. Outcomes-led rational curriculum planning offers one way of creating coherent curricula, but it is argued that, despite its appeal, it is a poor approach to adopt. An alternative, process model of curriculum creation is described and claims are made about the advantages it can have as an approach to planning coherent learning programmes.     

World of Work: perceptions of people who are blind or vision impaired

Unemployment and underemployment have, for many years, been a social and economic problem for people with disabilities. This study looks at consumers’ perceptions of access to employment for people who are blind or vision impaired as one target group within the disability field. Using the Employment Access Questionnaire (EAQ), the perceptions of people who are blind or vision impaired were compared with the perceptions of people who are not blind or vision impaired (nondisabled). Results of the study indicated that people who are blind or vision impaired and people who are nondisabled view work as equally important in their lives. However, people who are blind or vision impaired reported that they were significantly less satisfied with career development and services and training opportunities as compared with their peers who were nondisabled. A factor analysis of the data gathered from 85 blind or vision impaired and 84 nondisabled participants revealed a four factor structure for the EAQ. These results are discussed with reference to previous work in this area and suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Independence and Prescription in Learning: Researching the Paradox of Advanced GNVQs

This article outlines the context in which General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) have been developed with particular reference to the independent learning dimension of their principles and practice. It provides an overview of the problems associated with the GNVQ approach from the literature and from a study by the authors of twelve post-16 institutions in the process of implementing Advanced GNVQ programmes. It analyses the dimensions of independent learning and argues that GNVQs provide a hybrid learner experience in which autonomy in the organisation of the individual learning process is mediated by a heavily prescribed GNVQ framework. The article concludes by locating this paradox in four central dilemmas characterising post-16 curricular policy in the UK.     

Organizational socialization and induction in universities: Reconceptualizing theory and practice

This paper argues that the theory and practice of induction and socialization of new academic staff in universities have been based on a partial, corporatist, perspective influenced by now defunct structural-functionalist theory. We develop a more sophisticated theoretical understanding of organizational socialization and explore its consequences for the practice of induction of new academic staff. These ideas are based on secondary data derived from a number of studies of new academic appointees (NAAs), 27 in-depth interviews we conducted with academics in ten Canadian and English universities, both chartered and unchartered, and a five year ethnographic study of academic staff in a single unchartered English university.     

院校研究与质量保证——以美国高等教育为例

自从20世纪80年代的"里根改革"以来,美国高校的成本越来越多地要由学生及其家庭而不是政府分担,使得人们愈益关注投资高等教育的收益。因此,美国高等教育质量倍受社会公众的关注。院校研究在高等教育质量保证方面具有积极的促进作用。它为高校能够对外部的报告、认证、项目审批,以及内部项目评议和专项研究等方面的社会问责做出说明,同时也在学生学习评估、教师行为分析以及学籍管理三方面发挥了关键作用。