Faculty members at colleges, universities, and secondary schools

Who are today’s college students? What do they—and other external stakeholder groups—expect college to provide? How are the outcomes of college study different from what they were when many current faculty members began teaching? What do these changes imply for faculty roles and responsibilities?

These are some of the questions that the report from the Greater Expectations National Panel attempts to answer. Starting with an analysis of the current situation, the report concludes with recommendations, many of which involve action by professors and teachers.

This Web version of the report offers the option of either reading the entire report (simply go to "Enter the Report") or scanning selected sections. While we recommend starting at the beginning and following the entire argument, the sections listed below may be of greatest interest to faculty members at all educational levels. Finally, return to the bottom of this page for suggestions about what you can do next (link also at the end of the report).

• Who now attends college
• Why college education is essential in today’s world
• Pressures on higher education
• Pressures on secondary education
• Various expectations of college
• Barriers to student readiness for college
• Barriers to high quality college learning
• The important outcomes of college study
• The kind of education that develops skills, knowledge, and a sense of responsibility
• Liberal education and other often confused terms
• A practical liberal education
• Campus examples of good practice (see stories throughout Chapter 4)
• Coherent pathways for learning
• Teaching for powerful learning
• Preparing students for college study
• Assessment for improved learning
• Educational change: Starting Down the Path
• Organizing principles of a 21st-century college education
• Summary of the New Academy
• Recommendations

What can you do next?

• Work with your colleagues to clarify learning outcomes that will prepare students for the 21st century.
• Learn how your courses fit into a coherent curricular plan to help students reach the outcomes.
• Examine your teaching practices to see how well they resonate with the desired outcomes, suit your students, and encourage active learning.
• Participate in faculty development activities to learn about and share effective teaching methods.
• Organize or at least take part in conversations across disciplines, departments, and educational levels to create a more seamless, aligned educational experience for students.