Worldwide, economic and other factors are pressing institutions of higher education to assess student learning to insure that graduates acquire the skills and competencies demanded in the 21st century. This paper summarises the status of undergraduate student learning outcomes assessment at accredited colleges and universities in the United…

Engaging undergraduate students in research activities has been advocated as an innovative strategy to improve American higher education (Boyer Commission, "Reinventing undergraduate education: A blueprint for America's research universities." The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stony Brook, NY, 1998). This study compared the…

In this paper, the author summarizes the role and contributions of the scholarship and institutional research about student engagement and its relevance for student development professionals and others committed to enhancing the quality of the undergraduate experience. The presentation is organized into four major sections. First, the author…

Students' expectations for college form the foundation for the nature of the relationship they have with their college or university. "Taking Expectations Seriously: A Guide for Campus Applications" is the companion guide to "Promoting Reasonable Expectations: Aligning Student and Institutional Views of the College Experience" (Jossey-Bass, 2005).…

Academic selectivity plays a dominant role in the public's understanding of what constitutes institutional excellence or quality in undergraduate education. In this study, we analyzed two independent data sets to estimate the net effect of three measures of college selectivity on dimensions of documented good practices in undergraduate education.…

Investigated whether student engagement in three good educational practices (cooperation with peers, active learning, faculty-student interaction) increased between 1983 and 1997 in response to the calls to improve the quality of undergraduate education in the United States. Found that the frequency of involvement in these good practices did not…

Examines the quality of the undergraduate experience in the 1990s, using student data that spans the four decades beginning with the 1960s. Two questions are addressed: whether college students in the 1960s and 1970s gained more from their undergraduate experience than subsequent cohorts, and whether reforms are having the desired effects. Data…

The American College Personnel Association's "Student Learning Imperative" is a statement of principles for college personnel working outside the classroom that is designed to focus on the core mission of undergraduate education student learning and personal development. Current use of this statement around the country is reviewed, and…

A study of 14 diverse colleges and universities reputed to provide unusually rich out-of-class learning opportunities for their undergraduates is reported. The institutions exemplify how John W. Gardner's seven attributes of healthy, self-sustaining communities can be manifested on campus. (MSE)

An alternative view to a 1979 study on institutional quality done by Astin and Solomon is presented. The study indicates significant changes in rank have occurred among the 25 most selective four-year undergraduate institutions. Kuh proposes naturalistic inquiry research. A rebuttal by Astin is appended. (MLW)

This survey of 149 students explored learning from out-of-class college experiences such as leadership, peer interaction, faculty contact, work, and travel. It found that many different experiences potentially contribute to valued college outcomes, that sex and ethnicity did not explain differences in students' activities and outcomes, and that…

Presents six principles to guide institutional efforts to enhance student learning and personal development by more purposefully integrating curricular goals and outcomes with students' experience outside the classroom. Implications for practitioners and graduate preparation programs are discussed.(Author/SR)

The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of student effort, campus environments and institutional culture to student learning in three types of institutions: small residential colleges; large residential universities; and universities located in metropolitan areas. Data sources were qualitative assessments of 13 campus cultures…

A study investigated whether college students' experiences with three good practices in undergraduate education (faculty-student contact, cooperation among students, active learning) increased from 1990 to 1994. Subjects were 5,962 students in 17 baccalaureate and 22 doctoral-granting institutions. Results indicated increased faculty-student…

Indices and manifestations of quality in undergraduate education are considered and a four-part framework is developed. Context indices represent institutional characteristics that remain relatively stable over time (e.g., expenditures per student and size of student body), while input indices reflect characteristics of entering students (e.g.,…