A survey of 59 faculty at two very different colleges investigated assumptions and influences on them as they worked with colleagues in planning program curriculum. While some common factors influenced course and program planning, program planning was irregular or infrequent compared to course planning, typically responded to a specific catalyst,…

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…

Research approaches to the complex issues related to college teaching and learning are discussed. Topics covered include: research itself (why improvement is needed, potential targets for improvement, types of research, and an integrated strategy for productive research); the learning activity; the teaching activity; learners; teachers;…

A study explored faculty views about curriculum planning in academic programs. Fifty-nine faculty members at two very different university campuses (one a small private college with a recent history of faculty-administrative strife, the other a large regional public university with a recently-mandated statewide curriculum review and anticipated…