Involvement in Learning revisited: Lessons we have learned

Journal of College Student Development, Sep/Oct 1999 by Astin, Alexander W

Given the obvious conflict between research and teaching documented in this research, we were naturally curious as to whether it is possible to emphasize both research and teaching in the interest of creating the "ideal" educational environment. To pursue this question, my colleague Mitchell J. Chang and I searched through our 217 institutions to identify those that were somehow able to emphasize both research and teaching simultaneously (Astin & Chang, 1995). An analysis of financial, student, faculty, and curricular practices at these institutions yielded the following findings:

Faculties that manage to emphasize both teaching and research (the "high-high" institutions) must necessarily compromise somewhat between these two emphases, especially research. That is, none of the "high-highs" had extreme (top 10%) scores on both orientations.

Compared to other types of institutions, the high-highs charge more tuition and spend more on instruction, student services, and financial aid.

Students entering high-high institutions, compared to students in general, have much higher admission test scores, come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, and are more liberal, feminist, and artistic. While in college they are more likely to interact with faculty and with each other and to participate in campus protests. Despite their excellent academic preparation, they are less likely to compete with each other for grades.

Students at the high-high institutions show a strong predilection for the liberal arts (especially social sciences and humanities) and little interest in professional fields (especially business, education, and allied health professions). They also end up taking more courses in history, foreign language, ethnic studies, and women's studies and fewer remedial and study skills courses.

The curricula of the high-high colleges emphasize general education, interdisciplinary studies, independent study, freshman seminars, and a personalized/individualized approach to satisfying general education requirements.

Faculty at the high-high institutions frequently engage undergraduates in their research, emphasize the humanities, incorporate issues relating to gender or race in their research, and develop new courses and engage in team teaching.

Investment in Student Affairs

One of the most interesting environmental variables identified in our study is the percentage of the institution's total expenditures invested in student services. That this measure is indeed an estimate of the priority that an institution gives to student services is reflected in the other variables that are strongly correlated with it. For example, this measure has its strongest positive correlations with such things as the priority that the faculty give to student development, the percentage of faculty involved in teaching general education courses, and the use of active learning techniques by the faculty. It has its strongest negative correlations with the use of teaching assistants in courses, the institutional priority given to research and graduate education, the size of the institution, and the institutional emphasis placed on resource acquisition and reputational enhancement.