The responses of 10 disciplinary task forces to an Association of American Colleges challenge to improve the college major were examined, using content analysis. Consistent with previous research on academic planning, results showed that the disciplines respond to curricular reform proposals in different but characteristic ways. (Author/MSE)

Institutional researchers can play a key role in linking basic, policy, and evaluation research to improve teaching and learning. Potential intervention points to improve teaching and learning, types of research, institutional research role, learners and teachers, curriculum content, etc. are discussed. (MLW)

Based on reports of 10 disciplinary task forces concerning improvement of college instruction, it is suggested that faculty respond to suggestions for curricular change in ways that reflect their disciplinary perspectives. It is concluded that faculty from varied disciplines need thoughtful leadership to develop support for any common curricular…

A national survey of faculty (N=2,311) teaching introductory college courses revealed 10 factors influencing course planning including: discipline-related content, student characteristics, facilities, resources, and campus support services. The strength of these influences differed substantially by discipline but only modestly by institutional…

A study analyzed faculty goals for intellectual development in introductory college courses, to examine disciplinary differences and similarities. Faculty usually assumed intellectual development would occur in conjunction with knowledge acquisition. Differences were found between disciplines, but not along conventional hard/soft discipline lines.…

A summary of major writings on college and pre-college curriculum literature are presented in this report, which is an early step in establishing a framework for the research program of the NCRIPTAL (National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning) Program on Curricular Integration and Student Goals. Section 1 on the literature…

Faculty beliefs about educational purpose and the nature of their academic field strongly influence how they plan introductory courses. Significantly different conceptions of educational purpose among faculty in different fields may inhibit agreement on plans for curricular coherence and ways of communicating expectations to students. Interviews…

Viewing curriculum as an academic plan permits development of parallel course and program planning models that are dynamic, conceptually related to student learning, and familiar to institutional planners. Opportunities gained by using the academic plan umbrella for curriculum are described. (Author/MLW)

In this working paper on needed research issues, areas of inquiry are grouped in a way that parallels the programs of the National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL); additional categories are also cited. The following topics are addressed: (1) issues of student learning (participation and involvement,…

Universities that devise models to involve faculty in curricular change, building on commonalities among academic fields, can progress toward curricular coherence. The story of an imaginary committee developing a core course for lower-division students, based on information drawn from research, illustrates this planning process. (Author/MSE)

This review essay considers one recent and two earlier books on pluralism and canon in American college curriculum: (1) "Battleground of the Curriculum: Liberal Education and the American Experience" (W. B. Carnochan); (2) "Canons and Contexts" (Paul Lauter); and (3) "Realms of Meaning: A Philosophy of the Curriculum for…

This document is a guide for use in self-study by groups of college faculty using the Course Planning Exploration (CPE) survey. The CPE is designed to uncover approaches to course planning and thereby stimulate discussion, collegial learning, and development among faculty members. Section I describes the CPE including the history of its…

The integration of undergraduate liberal and professional education is discussed in the following chapters: (1) "A Call to Action"; (2) "Binding Values, Changing Times and Curricular Balance"; (3) "Seizing Opportunities for Excellence"; (4) "Defining the Educated Professional"; (5) "Extending a Constructive Debate"; and (6) "A New Spirit of…

This book proposes a broad view of the college curriculum, suggesting that it be defined as an "academic plan." The plan included decisions about what, why, and how students learn; ways to determine whether students have learned what they are supposed to learn; and methods of using this information to improve the plan. Taking both a macro and a…