CTE | Center for Teaching Excellence

Quality begins with an organizational culture that values:

High expectations: Students learn more when expectations for learning are placed on high but attainable levels and when these expectations are communicated clearly from the outset.
Respect diverse talents and learning styles: Good practice demands carefully designing curricula and instructional efforts to meet diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
Emphasis on the early years of study: The first years of the undergraduate study—particularly the freshmen year are critical for student success.

A Quality undergraduate curriculum requires:

Coherence: Students succeed best in developing higher order skills (critical thinking, written and oral communication, problem solving) when such skills are reinforced throughout their educational program.
Synthesizing Experiences: students also learn best when they are required to synthesis knowledge and skills learned in different places in the context of a single problem or setting
Ongoing practice of learned skills: Unpracticed skills atrophy quickly, particularly core skills such as computation and writing.
Integration of education and experience: Classroom learning is both augmented and reinforced by multiple opportunities to apply what is learned.

Quality undergraduate instruction builds in:

Active Learning: At all levels students learn best when they are given multiple opportunities to actively exercise and demonstrate skills
Assessment and prompt feedback: Frequent feedback to students on their performance is also a major contributor to learning
Adequate time on Task: Research also confirms that the more time devoted to learning, the greater payoffs in terms of what and how much is learned.
Out of class contact with faculty: Frequency of academic, out of class contact between faculty members and students is a strong determinant of both program completion and learning.