This report is third in a series of informational briefings developed as part of "The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust," an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education. The compact between American higher education and the broader society has always been multifaceted. Colleges and…

Ten years ago, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gathered data on 100 colleges from the U.S. News & World Report's annual list of "Best Colleges and Universities." ACTA questioned whether these elite institutions were requiring their students to take rigorous, college-level courses in the core areas crucial for…

The study sought to investigate teachers' perspectives on how the teacher education curriculum could be transformed to be relevant for basic schooling and contribute to sustainable development. The objective was to understand the views of the university lecturers, teachers in schools and teacher trainees on the relevance of the curriculum offered…

To keep up with technology changes and industry trends, it is essential for Information Systems (IS) programs to maintain up to date curricula. In doing so, IS educators need to determine what the IS core is and implement it in their curriculum. This study performed a descriptive analysis of 2,229 core courses offered by 394 undergraduate IS…

In the United States, Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) accreditations come through fulfilling the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and administration (NASPAA) accreditation standards. In 2009, NASPAA made some significant revisions to its accreditation standards. One of the major revisions is the requirement for programs…

Meeting the instructional needs of both students and sales practitioners is a common challenge for sales educators. The dynamic and ever evolving nature of the sales landscape, in conjunction with the need to align sales curriculum with relevant business practices is the focus of this article. Building on previous research, this study investigates…

This study considers social learning practices within and outside the overt curriculum. A thematic approach was used to analyse data from six focus group interviews with 11 graduate entry medical students from a UK university over a year of study. The results indicate that: (1) during their first year of study students form a community of learning…

This paper compares principles of economics curriculum in 2015-16 academic catalogues among the Princeton Review's "The Best 380 Colleges 2016 Edition." The paper finds that 76 percent of schools on the list offer separate principles courses for microeconomics and macroeconomics, while 25 percent offer a single principles course covering…

This article provides a critique and an addition to observations raised by Ballantine et al. in this issue. After reviewing the strengths of Ballantine et al.'s article about the need for a core in sociology, I argue that this debate has gone on long enough and needs to be reframed around areas of agreement. Three major curricular projects (that…

The purpose of this study is to design the course "Character Education" in the light of the "experienced centred" design and to assert an example of "Character Education" course design for higher education students. The research was conducted during the 2015-2016 spring semester as an action research. The participants…

This paper examines the potential to foster "grit" and "growth mindset" in an undergraduate curriculum through the use of high-impact practices. [Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association (NRMERA) (34th, 2016).]

This research paper involved thematic analysis of interview responses from local citizens regarding the university's role in improving race relations. The paper addressed these questions: (1) What themes emerged from participant responses regarding UALR's role in improving race relations? and (2) What themes emerged from participant responses…

Identification of core competencies for undergraduates in food safety is critical to assure courses and curricula are appropriate in maintaining a well-qualified food safety workforce. The purpose of this study was to identify and refine core competencies relevant to postsecondary food safety education using a modified Delphi method. Twenty-nine…

Several comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) professional preparation and research initiatives are underway in the Department of Physical Education and Athletic Training at the University of South Carolina. The CSPAP learning experiences have been mostly integrated into existing courses to help candidates in physical education…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Student Transfer Reform Act of 2010 (SB1440) on student success. For the purpose of this study, student success metrics were identified as time to degree conferral, unit accumulation, and transfer attainment. Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) were systematized as a result of the Student…