Do prospective students get the information they need to assess what can be gained from attending a particular higher education institution? Professor Gibbs' highly influential 2010 report, "Dimensions of Quality", found that student outcomes can be affected by the way that institutions choose to use available resources; class size, the…

Productivity in academic degrees granted by American colleges and universities is declining. While there is some evidence this is caused by an uncontrollable "cost disease," we examine two additional explanations. First, few popular programs and strategies in higher education are cost-effective, and those that are may be underutilized. Second, a…

Using university cost data and student data from 176 members of university economics classes, this study finds that substantial monetary savings are realized by offering large classes, although their students have a 38% decreased probability of enrolling in future economics classes. Money savings may translate into enrollment losses. (SLD)

Considers the size of online classes in higher education. Highlights include size as a factor in course design; interactivity issues; synchronous communication; balancing budget considerations and quality concerns; and enrollment parameters. (LRW)

Academic communities are under intense pressures to balance expenditures with income. Strategies are offered here to increase productivity drawn from the experiences of the University of New Haven. Emphasis is on revenue-cost ratios, class size, and faculty teaching schedules as primary factors in productivity improvement. (Editor/LBH)

An analysis is presented of the basic instructional productivity formula, PR = TL x CS, where PR is the index of productivity, TL is the index reflecting teaching load, and CS is the class-size index. Objectives of the analysis are to: extend the basic instructional productivity formula to include recognition of different types of instruction;…

Although costs inhibit large-scale change, many large institutions are moving toward improvements in undergraduate education, with some imitating some aspects of small colleges. Reduced class and section sizes, elaborate orientations, special freshman groups, and courses in which faculty share cutting-edge research with freshmen and sophomores are…

Considers how to reform on-campus teaching of large classes by using and adapting distance education methods relying mainly on technology and educational media. Topics include student access to media; skill development needed by students and teachers to use the new technology; and cost effectiveness. (Author/LRW)

An examination of the nine institutions that comprise the State University System of Florida attempted to: (1) determine the instructional and instructional-related productivity and the overall utilization of faculty resources as influenced by the size, mission, and complexity of individual institutions, and by the level and discipline of the…

Effective use of available human resources for improving an institution's viability in a retrenchment economy is advocated, with reference to small developing institutions. The use of temporary and part-time faculty is discussed as well as faculty release time and the effects of class size. (Author/SF)

A literature search and survey of 259 Ohio State University faculty addressed advantages and disadvantages of large enrollment classes as well as factors in deciding appropriate class size. Results of both efforts found that the advantages of large classes included lowering of instructor costs, efficient use of faculty time and faculty talent,…

Progress on the University of Texas personalized system of instruction (PSI) project is described. Twelve courses in the College of Engineering and five in other colleges were developed for PSI under a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Each of those courses has now been offered at least once, thus making it possible to begin evaluating…

In this article, the author reports on the use of classroom instructors and full-time professional teaching assistants called "course tutors" for teaching business communication to large groups at an undergraduate university. The author explains how to recruit course tutors, what course tutors do in the classroom, and the advantages and…