A focus on teaching

At large research universities, faculty members are expected to focus much of their attention on their research. As a consequence many undergraduates find themselves in large auditoriums, listening to lectures by teaching assistants whose top priority is completing their own graduate degrees.

At our small institutions, professors are expected to focus on teaching. Many of them do groundbreaking research and are nationally renowned in their fields of expertise. But the reason they work at private colleges is because they love to teach and have a passion for challenging students to discover how to be their best.

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Students on our campuses engage in a profound learning experience:

• They take many small discussion courses in which they are expected to articulate and defend their interpretation of extensive required readings.
• Evaluation is based primarily on essay exams, written reports and projects rather than multiple-choice exams that test students’ memorization.
• Professors — not graduate students — teach most courses. They work closely with students on their writing and lab activities, challenging them to take learning one step further.
• Faculty make themselves available outside of class and take an active personal interest in their students, often serving as mentors and role models.

College graduates who had these kinds of academic experiences more often reported that they were better prepared for life after college, equipped with effective communication skills, problem solving abilities and other career skills.

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