The methods different institutions implement good practice depends very much on their students and their circumstances. Several different approaches to good practice have been used in different kinds of settings in the last few years. The powerful implications of these principles for the way states fund and govern higher education and for the way institutions are run are discussed briefly at the end.
Academic administrators, as faculty members, and student personnel staff, have spent most of their working lives trying to understand students, colleagues, and institutions. It was conducted research on higher education with dedicated colleagues in a wide range of schools in this country.
1. Encourages Contact Between Students and Faculty
Common student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty contact helps students get through rough times and keep on working. Acquaintance with a few faculty members well enhances students' intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and future plans.
Some examples: Freshman seminars on important topics, taught by senior faculty members, establish an early connection between students and faculty in many colleges and universities.
In some college core curriculum, faculty members who lead discussion groups in courses outside their fields of specialization model for students what it means to be a learner. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has joined three-quarters of the faculty as junior research colleagues in recent years. At one community college, students have pursued studies through learning contracts. All students have created a “resource group”, which includes a faculty member, a student peer, and two “community resource” faculty members. This group provides support and assures quality.
2. Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
Learning is better when it is more like a team effort that a solo race. Best learning, like best work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated. Work with others often increases involvement in learning. By sharing one's own ideas and responding to others' reactions, may sharpen thinking and deepens understanding.
Some examples: Still in big lecture classes, students can learn from one another. A common practice is teaching groups, in which five to seven students meet regularly during class throughout the term to solve problems set by the instructor. Most colleges use peer tutors for students who need special help.
Teaching communities are another popular way of getting students to work together.
The courses, on topics related to a common theme like science, technology, and human values, are from different disciplines. Faculty studying the courses coordinates their activities, while another faculty member, called a "master learner:’ takes the courses with the students. With the direction of the master learner, students run a seminar which helps them integrate ideas from the separate courses.
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