All institutional activities should be based on mutually-agreed-upon educational and cultural values as declared in a formal mission statement. A carefully formulated statement supported by conscious, informal commitment to its fulfillment allows an institution to maintain integrity and provide direction. (MSE)

The current discipline-based organizational structure of the college curriculum in which general education is treated as an isolated learning experience should be replaced with a more integrated curriculum. In addition, general education should take different forms in institutions with different missions. Such a curriculum redesign could help…

The relationship between church and college rests on shared commitments and mutual benefit. Maintenance of mutual trust and confidence requires that faculty and administrators affirm their shared mission, and keep curriculum content and campus life consonant with it. Such a relationship enables conflict resolution and advancement of denominational…

To be effective in the current rapidly changing environment, individuals need more than a knowledge base. They also need information literacy which includes techniques for exploring new information, synthesizing it, and using it in practical ways. Undergraduate education should focus on such resource-based learning directed at problem solving.…

Increasingly, educators are calling for resource-based learning at the core of college instruction. To support resource-based learning, college faculty and administrative leaders must model an integrative approach to learning. Information literacy and availability of information technology must be accompanied by a campus culture that encourages…

The State University of New York College at Fredonia undertook a long-term assessment of its general-education curriculum. The experience confirmed that dedicated college faculty can design and implement ambitious tests to assess general learning based on curriculum design and goals, but that it is very difficult to administer them over time with…

Fundamental attitudinal and behavioral changes must occur among faculty, librarians, and students alike before colleges can implement effective information literacy programs. Successful change will require acknowledgment of barriers, collaborative effort, and establishment of a learning community for an information-rich environment. (Author/MSE)

Basic communication skills should be required for all college students. Effective methods of instruction include specific communications courses, integrated across-the-curriculum instruction, on-going assessment, and classes in advanced skills. Competent communication requires knowledge, skill, and motivation. Advanced skills could be taught…

Outlines three major approaches to writing instruction (expressive, cognitive, and social); examines areas in which faculty, employers, and higher education policymakers agree and disagree about necessary writing skills; describes institutional structures that support writing, including writing centers, course offerings,…