by Pat Hutchings and Mary Huber Why does it take so long for teaching practices to change in college and university classrooms? Many faculty today are intrigued by new teaching approaches that have been shown to improve the quality and quantity of student learning. And many are experimenting with these approaches, finding ways to engage students more actively--for instance by organizing them to work in groups to solve complex problems, or asking them to apply and demonstrate their learning … [Read more...]

Three universities in the Bay View Alliance are part of a $2.8 million federal grant intended to help STEM departments provide a richer evaluation of faculty teaching and, ultimately, expand the use of practices that have shown to improve student learning. The grant, from the National Science Foundation, is part of a five-year project that includes the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the University of Colorado, Boulder, the University of Kansas (all members of the BVA), and Michigan … [Read more...]

BOULDER, Colo. – Noah Finkelstein rarely minces words, and the words he offers to public universities carry a lofty challenge. Society can make no better investment in its future than by promoting higher education, he said. It is perhaps the most fundamental form of infrastructure we have – institutions designed to influence the lives of students and build the core components of society. Pressures on these institutions have pushed them toward priorities that run counter to their founding … [Read more...]