Instructional quality, student outcomes, and institutional finances

Cover of the report, Instructional quality, student outcomes, and institutional finances

Jessie Brown; Martin Kurzweil

A report from the American Council on Education exploring the question of whether improving instructional quality can increase an institution's revenue. Principal Conclusions (p.22): As the cost of college grows and sources of funding of decline, college and university leaders face mounting pressure to find effective and efficient ways to improve their core business: educating and graduating students. Numerous studies show that research-based pedagogical practices and participation in faculty development can help institutions achieve these goals by increasing student learning, engagement, persistence, and degree completion. There is also evidence that improvements in retention increase revenue and have a positive return on investment. Other interventions—including remedial course redesign, increased course-taking in the first year, and more comprehensive first-year curricular and co-curricular reforms—have been shown to improve cost per degree.

Learn more at: Instructional quality, student outcomes, and institutional finances

Suggested Citation

Brown, J., & Kurzweil, M. (2017). Instructional quality, student outcomes, and institutional finances. American Council on Education.