Skip to main content

Promoting High Quality Teaching Practices in Higher Education: Lessons Learned from the USA

  • Chapter
The University in the Age of Globalization

Abstract

The issue of quality in higher education is an ongoing concern that has received considerable international attention. There are many different metrics that have been proposed, including preparation of faculty, selectivity, graduation rate, placement of graduates and so on in order to measure the quality of an educational institution. In this chapter we do not address the issue and difficulties associated with how to mea- sure the quality of an educational institution. Rather, we start with the premise that important contributors to the quality of an educational institution are the instructional practices used by its faculty. Based on this perspective, we focus on strategies that have been shown to, and can be employed to, improve the instructional practices used in higher education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • ABET. (n.d.). ABET: History. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www.abet.org/history. shtml

  • Austin, A. E. (1994). Understanding and assessing faculty cultures and climates. In M. K. Kinnick (ed.), Providing useful information for dean and department chairs (pp. 47–63). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beach, A. (2003). Strategies to improve college teaching: The role of different levels of influence on faculty instructional practices. East Lansing: Michigan State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becher, T., and Kogan, M. (1992). Process and structure in higher education. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beichner, R. J. (n.d.). SCALE-UP Web Site. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.ncsu.edu/per/scaleup.html

  • Beichner, R. J., Bernold, L., Burniston, E.; Dail, P., Felder, R., Gastineau, J., et al. (1999). Case study of the physics component of an integrated curriculum. American Journal of Physics, 67(7), S16–S24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beichner, R. J., Saul, J. M., Abbott, D. S., Morse, J. J., Deardorff, D. L., Allain, R. J., et al. (2007). The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) project. In E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney (eds), Research-based reform of University Physics. College Park, MD: American Association of Physics Teachers. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID= 4517

    Google Scholar 

  • Beichner, R. J., Saul, J. M., Allain, R. J., Deardorff, D. L., and Abbott, D. S. (2000). Introduction to SCALE UP: Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Physics. Proceedings of the 2000 Annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, St. Louis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berquist, W. H. (1992). The four cultures of the academy: Insights and strategies for improving leadership in collegiate organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birnbaum, R. (1991). How colleges work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, R. T., and Lawrence, J. H. (1995). Faculty at work: Motivation, expectation, satisfaction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bok, D. (1986). Higher learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolman, L. G., and Deal, T. E. (1991). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borrego, M., Froyd, J. E., and Hall, T. S. (2010). Diffusion of Engineering Education Innovations: A Survey of Awareness and Adoption Rates in U.S. Engineering Departments. Journal of Engineering Education, 99(3), 185–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brand, M. (1992). Undergraduate education: Seeking the golden mean. Educational Record, 73(4), 18–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M. (1995). Disciplines with an affinity for the improvement of undergraduate education. In N. Hativa and M. Marincovich (eds), Disciplinary differences in teaching and learning: Implications for practice (pp. 59–64). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M., Eimers, M. T., and Bayer, A. E. (1996). The implications of teaching norms for the improvement of undergraduate education. The Journal of Higher Education, 67(6), 603–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, W. W. (2002). Organizational change: Theory and practice (trans. D. Whetten). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bush, V. (1945). Science the endless frontier, A report to the President by Vannevar Bush. Washington, DC. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush 1945.htm

  • Calkins, S., and Light, G. (2007). Promoting learning focused teaching through a project based faculty development program. To Improve the Academy, 26, 217–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colbeck, C. L. (2002a). Assessing institutionalization of curricular and pedagogical reforms. Research in Higher Education, 43(4), 397–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colbeck, C. L. (2002b). State policies to improve undergraduate teaching: Administrator and faculty responses. Journal of Higher Education, 73(1), 3–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Committee on Science Engineering and Public Policy (2006). Rising above the gathering storm: Energizing and employing America for a brighter economic future. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connolly, M. R., Bouwma-Gearhart, J. L., and Clifford, M. A. (2007). The birth of a notion: The windfalls and pitfalls of tailoring an SoTL-like concept to scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Innovative Higher Education, 32(1), 19–34. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/t95wr9172716121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, M. D. (1995). A department-based approach to developing teaching portfolios: Perspectives for faculty and department chairs. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 6(1), 117–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, M. D. (1995). The development of new and junior faculty. In W.A. Wright (ed.), Teaching improvement practices: Successful strategies for higher education (pp. 283–310). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crissey, S. R. (2009). Educational attainment in the United States: 2007. Washington, DC. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p20-560.pdf

  • Cuban, L. (1999). How scholars trumped teachers: Change without reform in university curriculum, teaching, and research 1890–1990. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dancy, M. H., and Henderson, C. (2010). Pedagogical practices and instructional change of physics faculty. American Journal of Physics, 78(10), 1056–1063.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeBoer, G. (1991). A history of ideas in science education: Implications for practice. New York: Columbia University Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deetz, S. A., Tracy, S. J., and Simpson, J. L. (2000). Leading organizations through transition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • deJong, T., and Ferguson-Hessler, M. G. (1986). Cognitive structures of good and poor novice problem solvers in physics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 78, 279–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2007). Science education now: A renewed pedagogy for the future of Europe. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/document Jibrary/pdfJ36/report-rocard-on-science-education_en.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eylon, B. S., and Reif, F. (1984). Effects of knowledge based organization on task performance. Cognition and Instruction, 1, 5–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, J. S. (1993). Faculty reward structures: Toward institutional and professional homogenization. Research in Higher Education, 34(5), 603–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, J. S., and Beach, A. (2002). Variation in faculty work within research universities: Implications for state and institutional policy. Review of Higher Education, 26(1), 97–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fensham, P. J. (2007). Science education policy-making: Eleven emerging issues. UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001567/156700e.pdf

  • Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Friedman, R. M., and Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, National Implementation Research Network. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ nirn/resources/publications/Monograph/

  • Gatewood, C. W., and Obourn, E. S. (1963). Improving science education in the United States: A paper presented at the commonwealth conference on the teaching of science in schools. Ceylon, December 9–21, 1963. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1(4), 355–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geiger, R. L. (2001). The American University: A reconnaissance for an intellectual history. In M. K. Cayton and P. W. Williams (eds), Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. New York: Charles Scribners and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, G., and Coffey, M. (2004). The impact of training of university teachers on their teaching skills, their approach to teaching and the approach to learning of their students. Active Learning in Higher Education the Journal of the Institute for Learning and Teaching, 5(1), 87–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement vs. traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66, 64–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halloun, L., and Hestenes, D. (1998). Interpreting VASS dimensions and profiles. Science and Education, 7(6), 553–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handelsman, J., Ebert-May, D., Beichner, R. J., Bruns, P., Chang, A., DeHaan, R., et al. (2004). EDUCATION: Scientific teaching. Science, 304(5670), 521–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hativa, N. (1995). The department-wide approach to improving faculty instruction in higher education: A qualitative evaluation. Research in Higher Education, 36(4), 377–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hativa, N., and Goodyear, P. (eds) (2002). Research on teacher thinking, beliefs, and knowledge in higher education: Foundations, status and prospects. In Teacher thinking, beliefs and knowledge in higher education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C. (2008). Promoting instructional change in new faculty: An evaluation of the physics and astronomy new faculty workshop. American Journal of Physics, 76(2), 179–187. AAPT.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C., and Dancy, M. H. (2007). Barriers to the use of research-based instructional strategies: The influence of both individual and situational characteristics. Physical Review Special Topics — Physics Education Research, 3(2), 020102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C., and Dancy, M. H. (2009). Impact of physics education research on the teaching of introductory quantitative physics in the United States. Physical Review Special Topics — Physics Education Research, 5(2), 020–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C., Beach, A., and Finkelstein, N. D. (2011). Facilitating change in undergraduate STEM instructional practices: An analytic review of the literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48, 952–984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C., Beach, A., and Finkelstein, N. D. (2012). Four categories of change strategies for transforming undergraduate instruction. In P. Tynjälä, M. L. Stenström, and M. Saarnivaara (eds), Transitions, transformations and transgressions in learning and education. Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C., Finkelstein, N. D., and Beach, A. (2010). Beyond dissemination in college science teaching: An introduction to four core change strategies. Journal of College Science Teaching, 39(5), 18–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, A., Watkins, D., and Kelly, M. (2001). The conceptual change approach to improving teaching and learning: An evaluation of a Hong Kong staff development programme. Higher Education, 42, 143–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Honig, M. I., and Hatch, T. C. (2004). Crafting coherence: How schools strategically manage multiple, external demands. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 16–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, J. R., and Huberman, M. (1994). Knowledge dissemination and use in science and mathematics education: A literature review. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 3(1), 27–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D., and McKay, J. (1996). Action research into the quality of student learning — A paradigm for faculty development. Journal of Higher Education, 67(5), 528–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A. J. (2001). Understanding and facilitating organizational change in the 21st century: Recent research and conceptualizations. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 28(4), 1–162. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aehe.2804

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A. J., and Eckel, P. D. (2002). The effect of institutional culture on change strategies in higher education: Universal principles or culturally responsive concepts? The Journal of Higher Education, 73(4), 435–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, R. (2002). Five easy lessons: Strategies for successful physics teaching. San Francisco, CA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krockover, G. H,, Hepardson, D. P., Eichinger, D., Nakhleh, M., and Adams, P. E. (2002). Reforming and assessing undergraduate science instruction using collaborative action-based research teams. School Science and Mathematics, 102(6), 266–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson, A. E. (1985). A review of research on formal reasoning and science teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 22(7), 569–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, R. H., Manduca, C. A., Mogk, D. W., and Tewksbury, B. J. (2005). Teaching methods in undergraduate geoscience courses: Results of the 2004 on the cutting edge survey of U.S. faculty. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53(3), 237–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Major, C. H., and Palmer, B. (2006). Reshaping teaching and learning: The transformation of faculty pedagogical content knowledge. Higher Education, 51(4), 619–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marbach-Ad, G., Briken, V., Frauwirth, K., Gao, L., Hutcheson, S. W., Joseph, S. W., et al. (2007). A faculty team works to create content linkages among various courses to increase meaningful learning of targeted concepts of microbiology. CBE life sciences education, 6(2), 155–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, W., Wilger, A., and Colbeck, C. (1994). Department cultures and teaching quality: Overcoming ‘hollowed’ collegiality. Change, 26, 11–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazuzan, G. T. (1994). The national science foundation: A brief history. Arlington, VA. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf50/nsf8816.jsp

  • McDuffie, A. R., and Graeber, A. O. (2003). Institutional norms and policies that influence college mathematics professors in the process of changing to reform-based practices. School Science and Mathematics, 103(7), 331–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menges, R. J. (2000). Shortcomings of research on evaluating and improving teaching in higher education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 83, 5–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menges, R. J., and Weimer, M. (1996). Teaching on solid ground: Using scholarship to improve practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Millar, R. (1998). Students’ understanding of the procedures of scientific enquiry. In A. Tiberghien, E. L. Jossem, and J. Barojas (eds), Connecting research in physics education with teacher education. International Commission on Physics Education from http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~jossem/ICPE/TOC.html.

  • National Academies, (n.d.). Project information: Status, contributions, and future directions of discipline based education research. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key= 49221

  • National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: The National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (2003). Improving undergraduate instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics: Report of a workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Science Board (2007). A national action plan for addressing the critical needs of the US science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education system. Washington, DC: National Science Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Science Foundation (n.d.). National science foundation history. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/about/history/.

  • National Science Foundation (1996). Shaping the future: New expectations for undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. A report on its review of undergraduate education by the advisory committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Science Foundation (2008). Course, curriculum, and laboratory improve-ment (CCLI): A solicitation of the division of undergraduate education (DUE). Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. Retrieved June 25, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08546/nsf08546.htm

    Google Scholar 

  • Nonaka, I., and Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, M. W., Cameron, K. S., Mets, L. A., Jones, P., and Ettington, D. (1986). The organizational context for teaching and learning: A review of the research literature. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, M., Anderson, A., McLendon, M., Park, L., and Tarbox, S. (2001). Change and transformation in higher education: An annotated bibliography. Retrieved September 5, 2010, from www.personal.umich.edu/~marvp/facultynetwork/bibliography_files/bibliography.html

  • Piccinin, S., Cristi, C., and McCoy, M. (1999). The impact of individual consultation on student ratings of teaching. International Journal for Academic Development, 42(2), 75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prosser, M., and Trigwell, K. (1999). Understanding learning and teaching: The experience in higher education. Great Britain: St. Edmundsbury Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Redish, E. E., Saul, J. M., and Steinberg, R. N. (1998). Student expectations in introductory physics. American Journal of Physics, 66(3), 212–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reif, F. (1995). Millikan Lecture 1994: Understanding and teaching important scientific thought processes. American Journal of Physics, 63, 17–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saroyan, A., and Amundsen, C. (2004). Rethinking teaching in higher education: From a course design workshop to a faculty development framework. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seymour, E., and Hewitt, N. (1997). Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoldberg, K. (1991). Strategic changes in Swedish higher education. Higher Education, 21(4), 551–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spillane, J. P. (2004). Standards deviation: How schools misunderstand educational policy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, C. B., Duran, R. L., Barrett, K. A., and Colarulli, G. C. (2005). Fostering faculty collaboration in learning communities: A developmental approach. Innovative Higher Education, 30(1), 23–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sunal, D. W., Wright, E. L., and Day, J. B. (2004). Reform in undergraduate science teaching for the 21st century. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, W. (1988). Organizational culture in higher education: Defining the essentials. Journal of Higher Education, 59(1), 2–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The White House (2009). Remarks by the President on the ‘education to innovate’ Campaign. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-education-innovate-campaign

  • Tobias, S. (1990). They’re not dumb, they’re different: Stalking the second tier. Tucson, AZ: Research Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Ven, A. H., and Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations. The Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 510–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Driel, J. H., Verloop, N., Van Werven, H. I., and Dekkers, H. (1997). Teachers’ craft knowledge and curriculum innovation in higher engineering education. Higher Education, 34, 105–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walczyk, J. J., and Ramsey, L. L. (2003). Use of learner-centered instruction in college science and mathematics classrooms. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(6), 566–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wandersee, J. H., Mintzes, J. J., and Novak, J. D. (1994). Research on alternative conceptions in science. In D. Gabel (ed.), Handbook of research on science teaching and learning (pp. 177–210). New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weimer, M., and Lenze, L. F. (1991). Instructional interventions: A review of the literature on efforts to improve instruction. In J. C. Smart (ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. VII, pp. 294–333). New York: Agathon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winter, D., Lemons, P., Bookman, J., and Hoese, W. (2001). Novice instructors and student-centered instruction: Identifying and addressing obstacles to learning in the college science laboratory. The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 15–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, W. A., Knight, P. T., and Pomerleau, N. (1999). Portfolio people: Teaching and learning dossiers and innovation in higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 24(2), 89–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2012 Charles Henderson, Andrea L. Beach and Noah Finkelstein

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Henderson, C., Beach, A.L., Finkelstein, N. (2012). Promoting High Quality Teaching Practices in Higher Education: Lessons Learned from the USA. In: Bienkowski, W., Brada, J.C., Stanley, G. (eds) The University in the Age of Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137023032_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics