As the university attempts to define
quality - it is
important that we decide whether we are trying to define a
quality.university or a quality education. The
distinction, I believe, is whether we want to discuss the environment
or the process. I think the discussion of educational quality is
about process. If we focus on what we are trying to
accomplish for our students - and what we expect them to accomplish
on their own - as they progress through their academic programs, we
will also identify what the university must do to assist in those
goals. A quality university can then be defined as an institution
that offers a quality education. Notice the word choice: Education
is not something that is delivered, but rather something one
acquires. The most a university can do is offer a
quality education to those who choose to acquire it.
Ultimately, the quality of the education
the university offers
depends on the quality of its faculty. It is, after all, the faculty
that teach classes, work with students, do research, write books, and
develop the curricula that become the basis for our studentsU
academic experiences. To be effective in the classroom - and in our
offices, studios, and laboratories - we need to be able to speak with
a level of understanding and expertise that goes far beyond simply
mastering the material of our courses. That requires having the time
to reflect on the significance of the ideas and the time to maintain
an appropriate level of currency in the field. The depth of our
understanding and the excitement we have for our disciplines are felt
by the students in the classroom. The quality of our studentsU
education depends on much more than the amount of material they are
exposed to - or even the amount that they are required to master. It
also depends on their contact with faculty who are involved in the
learning process as participants.
The university should then create the
environment that supports
the faculty in what it is trying to accomplish. That will, of
course, lead to important discussions about the various university
facilities and resources including the library, laboratories, land
use, information systems, etc., as well as its support for innovation
and ongoing improvement in both teaching and other scholarships, and
a commitment to making the decision making processes on campus be
closely tied to the educational goals of the institution.
I do not believe that the quality of the
education the university
offers depends on such things as the calendar it chooses for the
courses it teaches. Some courses, of course, would benefit from a
longer exposure to the material and some from a shorter, more
intense, exposure. But in every case, it is the faculty involvement
with the course that makes it successful or not. Nor do I believe it
depends on the number of units a student takes or even what courses
are required for graduation. To be sure, we want our graduates to be
knowledgeable and skillful in each of their chosen disciplines. And
graduation, of course, is a certification that the basic knowledge
and skills of the discipline have been acquired. But it is not the
specific knowledge or skills that are the essential measures of the
quality of the education offered, but rather that our graduates have
sufficient breadth and depth in their respective fields as well as
the confidence, understanding, historical perspective, sense of
integrity and of tolerance, and the self-reliance to succeed in their
chosen fields and in life. Our graduates should have choices - and that,
of course, requires preparation in their own disciplines for entry into
the work environment. But it also requires the breadth and intellectual
sophistication to continue their education and/or make career changes
which they did not anticipate while they were students. They should
leave the university excited about their experiences here as well as
about the challenges they face. And they should know how to become
engaged in their own pursuits of knowledge and no longer need the
nurturing of the university.