From a goal of academic excellence for the few in the 1950's, higher education moved to a goal of educational opportunity for all in the 1960's. Although the open access philosophy led to the influx of many poorly prepared students, the teaching methods of the 1950's persisted. Only in the 1970's have college teachers begun to deal with the problems presented by diverse students with varying learning rates and styles. Higher education is now in the midst of an instructional revolution in which individualized, self-paced methods have come to the fore. Although traditionally selective colleges are not yet involved in this movement, as they continue to admit students who have attended community colleges utilizing individualized instruction, they may soon be faced with a student rebellion aimed at self-pacing and other new instructional strategies. As the movement spreads, the concomitant shift in emphasis from "teaching" to "learning" will require major role changes for college teachers; in the 1980's they will be as skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of student learning problems as they are in their disciplines. A final implication of the movement is that the concepts of credits, grades, and semesters will soon be replaced by self-paced competency-based education. (DC)