An action research project involving 25 master's supervisors, from health and education disciplines, sought to enhance their understanding of dissertation supervision. Recognising that they were sometimes slightly unsure about their role, they sought to identify issues that contributed to this circumstance, and to develop supervisor preparation…

This article reports on a modified faculty learning community (FLC) composed of university faculty from science education and a variety of engineering disciplines. This research investigated the efficacy of an intentional, long-term, ongoing, interdisciplinary collaboration to benefit the development of science teacher education, including…

Responding to the forces of internationalization and globalization, universities are partnering across national borders to expand their outreach, increase capacity, expand research possibilities, and for a list of other reasons. This study looks at one international university partnership between an institution in the United States and one in the…

Research findings tend to confirm anecdotal observations that instructors' teaching evaluations are influenced by students' grades, making some instructors feel pressured to reduce the academic rigor of their course in an attempt to get higher evaluations. To reduce this pressure, the current study tested whether distributive justice may explain…

The issue of quality in higher education has been a staple of conversation for centuries. In the current environment, this conversation is complex, involving many constituents and, at times, contentious. To explore and address the central question of quality, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has initiated a "National…

In an effort to align its college admission requirements with the new K-12 science standards, the University of California (UC) recently proposed to increase its high school science admissions eligibility requirement--known as area D--from two to three years. UC's new policy has the potential of improving student science learning and readiness for…

The most recent physical education teacher education (PETE) standards were published in 2009. Since that time, institutions seeking accreditation through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP, formerly NCATE) have based their programs' assessments and data collection on these standards. The authors of this article…

The modern world requires engineering specialists with excellent hard skills as well as soft skills that contribute to better communication, creativity, and self-realisation of a person. The authors discovered that modern educational standards are starting to focus on soft skills development, proposing requirements for educational programs that…

Expanding and enhancing transfer pathways may help broaden participation in engineering. However, colleges of engineering have primarily focused their recruitment and retention efforts on students who matriculate directly from high school. Our research increases understanding of the transition experiences for engineering transfer students at…

Massification is a reality facing universities around the world. While increased access to higher education has significant social and economic benefits, rapid growth in class sizes challenges institutions to maintain quality standards while teaching at scale, amidst ongoing cost pressure. This paper analyses this issue within the Australian…

This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This month's issue discusses why college teachers should become familiar with the NGSS.

In a context of international concern about academic standards, the practice of external examining is widely admired for its role in defending standards. Yet a contradiction exists between this faith in examining and continuing concerns about standards. This article argues that external examining rests on assumptions about standards which are…

The public school system in U.S. has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Institutionally, neo-liberal reform has created a new educational apparatus known as charter schools. As they admit students without school boundaries, these schools promise to offer great opportunities for disadvantaged students. The enrollment in charter schools…

This paper discusses recent reforms to university governance and international trends in terms of changes to the academic profession to illuminate how both of these shifts are decreasing the role of the professoriate in academic decision-making. The author argues that there is a need to maintain the relative autonomy of public research…

This study assessed quality assurance practices in Colleges of Education in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Nigeria. Three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised ninety (90) Heads of Departments and Deans of Schools in the three Colleges of…