Assessing student attainment in the major field of study is increasingly important to employers and accrediting bodies alike. Construction and manufacturing firms do not like engineers who design faulty bridges and airplanes. Marketing firms want to hire students who understand the difference between a niche market and a global market. School…

Despite their apparent popularity among those seeking degrees and credentials, today's colleges and universities face several interrelated public criticisms and concerns. When these competing concerns about student success, productivity, cost, and educational effectiveness all collide at the campus level, they create an array of campus tensions…

A diverse society has created a diverse education system, which in turn requires diverse and complex mechanisms of quality control. The diversity and complexity of the industrial, service, and knowledge-based economy, with its vast variety of occupations and dynamic labor markets, heavily influences the curricular structures and academic profiles…

A study at one research university investigated whether differences in departmental teaching and research climates are associated with differences in student outcomes. Results suggest departments with a balanced orientation toward research and teaching have the most favorable impact on students in terms of intellectual growth, disciplinary skills,…

Analysis of federal crime statistics, community demographic data, and college characteristics found falling rates of violent and property crime on campus, and greater student safety on campus than in surrounding communities. Lowest crime rates were at two-year colleges, highest at medical schools and health science centers. Campus and student…

This study examined the characteristics and factors in the undergraduate experience that appeared to be most strongly associated with vitality in the classroom. Data were collected from 740 representative freshmen at a large research university by means of a university survey instrument that contained over 150 items in four categories: (1)…

Three questions about the relationships between campus autonomy and measures of faculty quality, student quality, and external funding are examined. The results suggest that changes in these measures of university quality are more influenced by state financial support than by state regulation. (Author/MLW)

This study examines the undergraduate characteristics and factors in the undergraduate experience that appear to correlate with beneficial classroom experiences. The study was conducted at a large research university with an undergraduate population of about 10,000 students. Data were derived from a survey instrument that is part of the…

This study analyzed a variety of departmental and student outcomes data obtained from faculty and graduating seniors in 27 academic departments at a Research II University. The purpose was to answer two questions: (1) does a strong research orientation by an academic department promote or hinder student learning and growth? and (2) are differences…