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Show r r a ADVERTISEMENT r I !: Got a gadget which has gone astray Back to school time By L.J. ROBERTS Have taxes got you stumped? Do your computers messages look like ET calling home? Wondering if that software you've developed is entirely legal? Trying to beat telephone installation charges by hooking up your own unit, but afraid you'll blow all the fuses? You say that brand new VCR needs repair already? Youre planning to write your own business programs and need help? Relax. Tackling business basics, programming your computer, installing a telephone and repairing that VCR certainly mere child's play, but with help Book Company fall 1985 releases, you can turn these problems into simple and painless tasks. Chilton Books provide the basic building blocks to turn the most awkwardly adult into an with a childlike ability to grasp new. seemingly complicated tasks. So, just put on your thinking caps (bet you haven't heard that one for a long time) and become a student of computer and business management. Tops on the list of helpful formulas and theories for solving business problems is The MBA Toolkit ($18.95, 336 pages), by Walter R. Hilker and Erin Preston Gee, covering balance sheets, ledgers, annual reports, cost accounting and much more, including formulas in Basic. For those offices manned with a Macintosh, look for Managing Your Office with Macintosh by Phillip & Kathryn Good guide ($16.95, 176 pages), a to sales analysis, word processing, personal mailings and financial reports. Framework Business Solutions ($19.95, 336 pages) by Martin S. & Carole Boogs Matthews shows how to use Framework's innovative integrated software to create budgets, general ledger and financial planning projects. Author Bruce Powel Douglass presents an excellent programming sourcebook in Applications Programming in IBM Basic ($29.95, 390 pages). For those using the language of the first choice of software developers, comes arent from Seiko clock U welcomed by all. This handsome compact travel alarm neatly fits on desk lop while accurately providing; time. When it's time to spread your work out all over your desk, neatly fold it up until its finished. Whether it's Seiko's dependable alarm clocks or accurate quartz wrist watches, they're both important items every v student needs. 10 new Chilton MASTERING EVERYTHING from VCR repairs to Managing your office with intosh , Chilton Books provide the basic building blocks to turn the most adult into an Writing Business Programs in C Language, by Martin Franz & Phillip Good ($16.95, 200 pages), an guide to running, modifying and writing your own programs. Computerized Bookkeeping A Tax Form Preparation, by Phil Philcox ($19.95, 260 pages), shows how to use any spreadsheet package to computerize and simplify tax preparation to keep your accounting department and the IRS happy. And to make sure everythings above- board, there's Computer User's Legal Guide, by R. Lee Hagelshaw ($17.95, 240 pages), with answers to legal issues like warranty and software liability. Finally, so you can repair your own ma Mac- chinery Chilton publishes three guides; Guide to Kaxpro Repair A Maintenance by Gene B. Williams ($12.50, 224 pages); Guide to Telephone Instantiation A Repair by John T. Martin ($12.50, 96 pages), complete with wiring configurations for buildings: and single homes and multi-unGuide to VCR Repair A Maintenance by Gene B. Williams & Tommy Kay ($12.50, 160 pages), with simple instructions to keep VHS and Beta units in top operating condition. These books are available in bookstores or may be ordered directly from Chilton Book Company, One Chilton Way, Radnor, PA 19089 (add $1 .75 for shipping and handling). it Stale colleges, universities, respond to adult interest in degree programs More and more adults arc attending college or returning to school to finish de- grees, and state universities are , responding to that trend by placing a greater emphasis on programs geared toward adults and by becoming more sensitive to the special needs of the adult population. Many state universities, acutely aware of the declining population and its effect on freshmen enrollment, are beginning to market both their traditional and alternative degree programs toward the adult (25 and older) audience, according to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), a Washington, DC group which represents more than 360 institutions across the country. "There is a new heightened awareness of the needs of these individuals, says Chris Koukola, a spokesperson for the Crosse, a uniUniversity of Wisconsin-L- a versity member of AASCU. We're making the university appear accessible and friendly. It can be a scary place if you haven't attended in a few years. Many adults are afraid they cannot compete, but in fact do better (than the traditional stu- dent)." The time involved in completing an as-- f. in the past prevented many adults from enrolling in college. But, with new procedures that shorten the process, adults are now finding college more accessible. Many colleges and universities now accept nontraditional credits, that is, credits -- ''date's or bachelors degree has awarded for experience on the job, for training received from an employer, for telecourses, or for successful achievement testing in one or more subjects (through the College Level Examination Program, a series of exams that can allow the student to test out of a subject). One nontraditional method increasingly used by many schools to evaluate what adults have learned on the job is portfolio assessment, wherein a student is awarded college credit for experience that matches up with the content taught in a particular course offered at the college. Methods such as these are attracting large numbers of adults to college, many of whom were previously either intimidated by the expected demands of the new environment or reluctant to begin anew at a later age. Many of these adults, aware of the increasing emphasis by employers on academic credentials, have decided to enter or reenter college to get a better job, to learn a new skill, or to simply enrich their lives. Colleges are seeing an increasing number of older women, who are now unencumbered by childraising responsibilities, returning to school. Another emerging trend is the growing number of adults who are single parents mostly women now attending school. Colleges, through adult reentry programs and continuing education offices, are making the campus less threatening by offering orientation and counseling programs tailored to the special needs of adults. Classes for degree programs and programs are being scheduled at more convenient times during evenings and weekends so that adults with job , and family responsibilities can attend. The following are examples of how schools are adaptsome AASCU-membing to the new adult market: The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), normally required for entering freshmen, has been waived at a number of schools, California State including the University System, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Augusta College in Augusta, Georgia. A program at the State University College of New York at Brock-poallows an individual to complete a degree with 96 credits. Half of the student body in the program are adults. A program at California rt er and men are offered at the University of Wisconsin-LaCross- e, and school officials there have discovered a tremendous need from the adult community or this aid. Many colleges, in fact, are finding that adults, after sampling a few courses, enroll either full-tim- e or complete their deattendance. gree through part-tim- e College officials are discovering that an untapped market exists in the adult field and that adults are responding in over- whelming numbers. Were just amazed at how many people are interested in our Adult Reentry Program," says Augusta College spokesperson Marion Cheek. Although Augusta has historically catered to 'State University, Sacramento, allows an older student (the average age of the adults over the age of 60 to attend college student body is 27), it is now reaching free. An orientation program for adults, called the Open Sesame Committee at Georgia State University in Atlanta, provides information, encouragement and role models to women who are considering college after a break in their education. It sponsors workshops that include panel discussions led by reentry students and faculty. Of the 400 women who have partici- pated in the program, 25 percent later enrolled. The State University College of New York at Brockport is developing curricula for a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies degree, specifically aimed at adults. The interdisciplinary degree will offer in business, technical courses writing and humanities. Scholarships for both adult women out even more to the adult, a move stimulated by the new academic affairs president. It is a trend seen across the country. For example, the New England Board of Higher Education reported recently that the vigorous admissions rate among New England colleges and universities can be attributed to the growing number of older e students enrolling in college or full-tim- part-tim- e. In New York, at the Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York, the Adult Degree Program is growing by leaps and bounds, says college spokesperson Jane Salodof. The college this fall will offer a new bachelors degree in nursing for licensed nurses 25 and older who have been out of school for at least five years. Nurses who qualify will be exempted from some cur riculum requirements, and credit will be given for work experience. Another AASCU school. Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, established in 1972 for adults, offers only upper division (junior, senior and graduate level) courses in different locations within the city. It goes one step beyond the portfolio assessment by having a faculty mem- ber directly observe the working environment of the student and later testing that student in the subject area related to his or her work. Another alternative for adults who wish some kind of postsecondary credits is to enroll at an external degree college such as Empire State College in New York or Thomas A. Edison State College in New Jersey. These colleges do not offer classes, but assist the student in identifying the available options that will allow him or her to gain credit for work experience. At Thomas Edison, where the average student age is 39, a student can earn a certificate in any of several business areas in which he or she may have expertise, such as accounting, finance or marketing, Among the methods that can be used to earn credits for the certificate, as well as for a degree, are CLEP exams, portfolio assessment, independent study, correspondence courses and telecourses. For further information about the college or university nearest to you that accepts credits, write to the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning, 10598 Marble Faun Court, Columbia, MD 2 1044 or call (301) 997-353- 5. 9 N ) |