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The research objectives of this project were to create new mathematical tools for understanding different kinds of information networks, especially the dynamics thereof and also to import tools from geometry to analyze network dynamics. In particular, we aimed to create new mathematical frameworks for visualizing and teasing apart multiscale network dynamics. We see this as extremely relevant for the analysis of large document corpora. The primary technical approach exploits ideas from linear algebra, markov processes, diffusion networks, differential geometry, and machine learning.

Articulation can be understood as the processes and relationships involved in the vertical and lateral movement of students throughout a formal education system. Transfer, or the mechanics of credit, course, and curriculum exchange, is one process of articulation, while lifelong learning incorporates experiential learning and continuing education units into articulation policies and strategies. Short-cycle institutions, known variously as community colleges, polytechnic institutions, or institutes of technology, play a significant role in linking lower and higher education. These institutions are instrumental in the horizontal and vertical transfer of students, including regular academic transfers, stopouts, adults interested in lifelong learning or transferring credits from work experience, and underprepared students. Four types of transfer agreements exist between institutions: formal and legally based guidelines and policies, special statewide agreements on vocational-technical credit transfer, state system policies, and voluntary agreements among systems or individual institutions. Assessment procedures for experiential learning, including the use of student portfolios, have been developed, although procedures for exchanging such credits have been slow to develop due to the volume and diversity of such experiences. Although it is difficult to forecast the future of articulation, it is likely that programs will have to adapt to new student populations, the growth of business-sponsored training programs, new technologies, and declining funding. Contains 21 references. (HAA)

Includes bibliographies

The number of articulation agreements between Canadian colleges and universities has been increasing steadily since the early 2000s. Though various implications of these agreements have been discussed, missing are the students' grounded transfer experiences. This paper discusses the academic and social experiences of college transfer students at a Southern Ontario university. Using multiple methods, this paper identifies the following issues regarding the college transfer experience: transfer shock; expectations about university life; the social aspects of the college transfer experience; and student concerns about college transfer credits. Student-based recommendations for the development and assessment of college transfer processes are also presented. Across Canada, community colleges and university relationships are structured according to two arrangements. British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec pioneered the development postsecondary systems in which direct university and college collaboration have been encouraged. Subsequently, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have also developed stronger links between colleges and universities (Stanyon, 2003). In Ontario, the community colleges and universities have traditionally maintained relatively separate roles with community colleges being established to fulfill the demand for technical training while universities have provided career-oriented preparation for professions and knowledge-based occupations (Beach, Boadway & McInnis, 2005, p.10). However, Ontario has recently moved in the direction of the latter provinces in initiating formal articulation links between university and college programs (Stanyon, 2003). In Ontario, a growing number of college students are now pursuing post-graduate studies at universities. In 2004, over 4100 Ontario college graduates enrolled in university studies within six months of completing their college studies (ACAATO, 2005). In addition, a recent study indicates that over 20% of Ontario college students intend to pursue university and/or further college studies (ACAATO, 2005). According to the Ontario College University Transfer Guide, these students currently have 217 transfer agreements from which to choose (OCUTG, 2006). 173 of these agreements are bilateral (versus multilateral or direct entry articulation categories). The most common type of articulation agreement in Ontario is the degree completion arrangement (N = 156) in which "[a]college(s) and at least one university negotiate an articulation agreement whereby graduates of a diploma program receive specified transfer credit for a completed diploma program toward a degree and then complete a specified number of additional credits at the university in order to qualify for the baccalaureate degree" (OCUTG, 2006). The success of these college-university articulation arrangements depends, in part, on an understanding of the experiences, challenges and motivations of students who transfer from one type of institution to another, as well as the experiences of staff who oversee the implementation of the articulation agreements. This paper is one in a series of two papers which focuses on the college transfer experience from the student's perspective; the companion paper describes the experiences of university staff. Relatively well-established research in the United States has identified a range of student and institutional issues related to the transfer experience. Some of the issues include the effects of transfer upon student grades commonly known as "transfer shock" and "transfer ecstasy" (Carlan & Byxbe, 2000; Cjeda, 1997; Fredrickson, 1998; Glass & Harrington, 2002; Laanan, 2001; Rhine, Milligan & Nelson, 2000), student withdrawal rates (Minear, 1998 in D.S. Peterman, 2002; Van Middlesworth, Carpenter-Davis & McCool, 2002), student perceptions of the cultural differences between college and university (Davies & Dickmann, 1998) and institutional remedies to enhance the success of transfer students (Rhine, Milligan & Nelson, 2000). The importance of understanding the factors and processes that contribute to the experiences of college transfer students has important implications for the retention, graduation and overall success of students. While there are statistical analyses and reports detailing the mobility of students from college to university (ACAATO, 2005), their grade patterns, graduation rates and withdrawals (Chan, 1995), we know very little about the qualitative experiences of college transfer students, particularly in a Canadian context. This paper presents the results of a case study that analyzes the academic adjustment and social activities of college transfer students at a medium-sized university campus in Southern Ontario where college transfers constitute approximately 20 percent of the student population. The goals of this paper are threefold. First, it attempts to identify whether the "transfer shock" phenomenon is evident among students at this university institution. If transfer shock is evident, then a finer-grained analysis is performed to examine if the phenomenon is specific to certain academic programs. Second, the paper explores the perceptions and experiences of college transfer students to better understand the ways in which university and college experiences are similar and the ways in which they are different, and the implications of these similarities and differences for a successful transfer experience. Finally, the paper identifies the difficulties, if any, faced by college transfer students and subsequently proposes recommendations for established and prospective transfer arrangements in other postsecondary contexts. (Contains 2 tables.)

This document is a discussion supplement to Frederick Kintzer's paper in the book: "Lifelong Learning: Policies, Practices and Programs." It is designed as a contribution to the third discussion session: Participation Issues and Lifelong Learning. The introduction provides definitions and a description of the rise of lifelong learning and short-cycle higher education. The paper then discusses the modification of courses and changing delivery systems. The desire for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries to modify curricula and course design to include interdisciplinary approaches, distance learning, and professional training are described. This section also discusses the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, a massive U.S. organization allowing the military and families to enroll in college level courses at various educational institutions. Next, the paper addresses cooperative involvement among different types of schools and with business and industry. This includes a collaboration of higher education institutions, with simultaneous admissions and joint awarding of associate and baccalaureate degrees. Lastly, the paper discusses technological advances which allow computerized banking of credits. It is concluded that lifelong education must be supported nationally and statewide. Contains 24 references and a list of acronyms. (YKH)

El Paso Community College (Texas), a task force school in the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning project, is experimenting with a sponsored experiential learning system. An important requisite for a valid sponsored experiential learning program is an articulation agreement between El Paso Community based agencies and the college. The purpose of this research study was to measure the response of students, agency supervisors, and community college faculty involved in the experiential learning program concerning problems in communication and cooperation among all parties. A semi-structured interview questionnaire instrument was distributed to 15 members from each of the three components involved in the program. Responses were received and processed for all 45 subjects. The results of the survey strongly favored increased communication and cooperation between agency supervisors and faculty. Agency supervisors and faculty deviated in their degree of intensity toward how and to what extent articulation between the community based agencies and the community college could be achieved. Recommendations based on survey responses are included, and the survey instrument and a list of the community based agencies participating in the program are appended. (Author/AH)

El Paso Community College (Texas), a task force school in the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning project, is experimenting with a sponsored experiential learning system. An important requisite for a valid sponsored experiential learning program is an articulation agreement between El Paso Community based agencies and the college. The purpose of this research study was to measure the response of students, agency supervisors, and community college faculty involved in the experiential learning program concerning problems in communication and cooperation among all parties. A semi-structured interview questionnaire instrument was distributed to 15 members from each of the three components involved in the program. Responses were received and processed for all 45 subjects. The results of the survey strongly favored increased communication and cooperation between agency supervisors and faculty. Agency supervisors and faculty deviated in their degree of intensity toward how and to what extent articulation between the community based agencies and the community college could be achieved. Recommendations based on survey responses are included, and the survey instrument and a list of the community based agencies participating in the program are appended. (Author/AH)

This articulation agreement contains 158 programs of courses appropriate for community/junior college students who want to transfer to Mississippi's 8 public universities. At the bottom of each program are listed the universities that offer baccalaureate degrees. Each university will accept courses as listed on the particular transfer program without loss of credit toward the conclusion of the 4-year degree. It is intended that this articulation agreement be a minimum program transfer for all students moving from the community/junior college to the university system, as well as moving between universities in the system, acting as a "safety net" for transfer students. It is not intended to replace any individual articulation agreement between a particular community/junior college and a university, which would allow additional courses to transfer into a specific program of study. It is vital that the program of study is reviewed periodically and revisions made where appropriate. The chairman of the Articulation Committee for Chief Academic Officers and for the Academic Deans Association shall maintain contact on a continual basis as needed and shall meet during the first week of May each year to carry out a comprehensive review of this document. (JA)

The original and revised National Health Education Standards (NHES) and performance indicators provide the foundation for curriculum, instruction and assessment in health education. The article clarifies the revised NHES and performance indicators for classroom teachers, health education teachers, curriculum directors, state department of education health educators working on the development of state-level standards, and health education teacher education faculty working in institutions of higher education. This articulation of the standards and the performance indicators will facilitate their appropriate utilization in planning, implementing and evaluating health education curriculum, instruction and assessment for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 as well as professional preparation and development experiences for pre-service and in-service classroom and health education teachers. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the revised NHES and the performance indicators is important for classroom teachers, health education teachers, curriculum directors and other local school personnel as well as individuals working in institutions of higher education and state education and health agencies. This article provides an overview of the NHES, an in-depth description and clarification of the NHES and the sub-concepts and sub-skills embedded in the performance indicators, and strategies for integrating the NHES and performance indicators with health education curricula, instruction and assessment. (Contains 3 tables.)

This ambitious novel was Wolfe’s first and was published in 1929. It is the work that he is perhaps best known for. The story is viewed as having a largely autobiographical influence. It speaks of the protagonist Eugene Gant’s desire to get an education, become a writer, find love, and generally make his way in the world by escaping the small North Carolina mountain town that he grew up in. In the book, the town is known as Altamont—based on Wolfe’s hometown of Asheville. The title is drawn from John Milton’s poem “Lycidas”: Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth; And, O ye Dolphins, waft the hapless youth." - Summary by Verla Viera