Five Reports: Summary of the Recommendations of Recent Commission Reports on Improving Undergraduate Education.

Overview & Synopsis

A synthesis and summary of the recommendations of the following five reports are presented: (1) "Integrity in the College Curriculum: A Report to the Academic Community, The Findings and Recommendations of the Project on Redefining the Meaning and Purpose of Baccalaureate Degrees," by the Association of American Colleges, February 1985; (2) "Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education," by the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education, National Institute of Education, U.S. Department of Education, October 1984; (3) "Improving Teacher Education: An Agenda for Higher Education and the Schools, a Report to the Southern Regional Education Board by its Commission for Educational Quality," 1985; (4) "Access to Quality Undergraduate Education, a Report to the Southern Regional Education Board by its Commission for Educational Quality," 1985; and (5) "To Reclaim a Legacy," a report written by William J. Bennett, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and based on the findings of the Study Group on the State of Learning in the Humanities in Higher Education, 1984. The recommendations are synthesized and summarized in the following chapters: "Recommendations about Resource Allocation and Funding Mechanisms"; "Recommendations about the Faculty Reward System and Incentives"; "Recommendations about Priorities for Improving Undergraduate Education" (providing access and remediation, increasing student involvement, and improving teacher education); "Recommendations about Curriculum and Faculty";"Recommendations about Accountability" (regarding institutional effectiveness, regulatory and quality controls, and student assessment and program evaluation); "Summary of the Recommendations in Tabular Format"; and "Working Party on Effective State Action to Improve Undergraduate Education." (KM)