Despite its crucial role in student success, there is scant research on how honors faculty develop teaching expertise and pedagogical authority. This essay considers the ways in which faculty development programs assist instructors by enhancing the critical skills necessary for positive student outcomes and successful honors programs. While honors…

Academic libraries in Macao, China, began to use the term "information literacy" and to offer information literacy programs approximately three years ago. At the University of Macau, information literacy is considered important to help the honors students become junior researchers. Using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher…

Honors programs are rare in Latin America, and in Chile they were unknown before 2003. At the Universidad Austral de Chile, an interdisciplinary group of scholars linked to environmental studies put forward a pilot project for implementing a new experience in higher education. Challenged by an educational environment where (1) apathy and…

As an educator, the author has been drawn to rubrics at times and repelled at other times. After working with students at various levels for many years, she has come to learn the value of rubrics that are well-crafted. A well-crafted rubric is difficult to create, and it might be easier to dismiss the entire notion of rubrics than to devote the…

How can institutions and communities accelerate Latino student success? Examples of "Excelencia" is the only national effort to identify and promote evidence-based programs accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Since 2005, "Excelencia" in Education has recognized over 300 programs making a positive difference…

An honors curriculum with realistic graduation requirements should have a respectable graduation rate. This number, when low, can indicate significant problems in the program. But a high graduation rate does not necessarily indicate success. A quality honors program, especially one that remains attentive to students' ability to thrive, might have…

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a rigorous preuniversity course of study leading to examinations for highly motivated secondary school students between the ages of 16 and 19. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) offers the diploma program for students throughout the world. Recognition of the diploma is slowly…

The University of Utah School of Medicine offers a supplemental undergraduate Seniors Honors Program in Surgery. The goals of the program have been to allow students to make more informed career choices, obtain positions in competitive residency programs, and a head start in postgraduate surgical training. (MLW)

The failure to successfully complete gateway calculus courses often prevents ethnic minority students from pursuing science and engineering majors. Research suggests that this failure to succeed is caused more by social factors than by attributes related to ability. This article presents the findings of an evaluation study done of the Wisconsin…

Drawing from a literature review and experiences at Moraine Valley Community College, this paper examines the role of the community college honors program in meeting the special needs of superior students; analyzes the characteristics of effective and innovative programs and curricula; and discusses how an honors program can become…

This digest describes community college honors programs with regard to their origins and goals, consistency with institutional missions, and effectiveness. Potential goals for honors programs at community colleges include: (1) providing advanced students an opportunity to learn more than they would in a non-honors curriculum; (2) retaining a…

A study to identify special programs for academically gifted students developed by community colleges in the 19-state North Central region is described. Barriers to program development, program characteristics, program management, faculty, student admission and maintenance requirements, program size and services, marketing and recruitment, and…

Describes and evaluates the Mathematics Workshop Program (MWP), which recruits first-year students of all races but typically enrolls primarily minority students. Data clearly suggest that MWP has succeeded in promoting high levels of academic performance among African American mathematics students. (AF)

Draws from the experiences of Brookhaven College in Texas to offer recommendations for establishing and operating an honors program at a community college. Presents guidelines regarding administrative organization, clerical needs, selection of qualified faculty, student eligibility requirements, program evaluation, and funding. (DMM)

This study, a synthesis of 51 published prescriptive essays and program reports from 1978 to 1997, follows the development of honors programs in comprehensive community colleges. Despite arguments that programs of this sort betray the institution's democratic imperative by implying academic elitism, diverting needed funds from…