Fostering Academic Excellence Through Honors Programs

Highlighting the work of 17 distinguished national authors, this special issue suggests a new course for the field of gifted education -- one that emphasizes the individual and suggests that the focus of gifted education be dynamic and contextual. From legal perspectives to changing concepts of giftedness, talent, and assessement; from using new technologies to identify differences in brain structures to using new research paradigms to reveal the nature of giftedness; from compelling reasons for early intervention to tailoring opportunities for college-ready gifed persons, this two-part issues of PJE exposes new dimensions along which paths between previously held beliefs and practices and new courses for thought and action can be forged. A parental perspective is also included.

Surveys the changing landscape of American higher education, from academic freedom to virtual universities, from campus crime to Pell Grants, from the Student Privacy Act to student diversity. In the years following World War II, college and university enrollment doubled, students revolted, faculty unionized, and community colleges evolved. Tuition and technology soared, as did the number of first-generation, minority, and women students. These changes radically transformed the American system of postsecondary education. Today, that system is in trouble. Its aging professoriate prepares for retirement, but low academic salaries can no longer attract the best minds to replace them. A flood of corporate dollars funds commercial research, but money for basic research—the seedbed of American scientific preeminence—has dried up. Colleges and universities also face heated competition with for-profit education providers for students, faculty, and external financial support, along with the costs of providing remedial education to growing numbers of students who are unprepared for postsecondary education. Higher Education in the United States provides a comprehensive analysis of these issues and others that scholars and practitioners of higher education study, discuss, and grapple with on a daily basis.

What exactly are the characteristics of honors pedagogy? What are the teaching strategies that are particularly relevant and successful for academically gifted and motivated students? In spite of the substantial body of literature about the practice of honors education, largely referring to the United States, very little systematic and empirical research has been done about honors pedagogy. This study contributes to a better understanding of honors pedagogies, focusing not just on what might distinguish honors teaching and learning from standard expectations and methodologies but also on how honors pedagogy offers both instructors and students an opportunity to fundamentally rethink their philosophy of education. The present study points out the similar and different approaches and dispositions in American and Dutch honors teaching. Cultural differences, distinctive educational systems, and diverse priorities play a role in defining both the shared and unique perspectives on honors education in both countries. Therefore, a baseline comparison is made between American and Dutch honors teachers with respect to their teaching strategies.

Pursuit of Excellence in a Networked Society gives an overview of research and practice, describing and exploring efforts toward continuous improvement in programming to promote excellence. The talent development of students and teachers is a hot topic in today's knowledge-based society which increasingly demands innovative, reflective, and globally-aware citizens. Educational programmes especially designed to prepare academically motivated students for their future role now wrap around the globe. Therefore, in order to support continuous growth and opportunities for challenging our advanced learners, we have opened up new ways for sharing knowledge and to encourage the building up of partnerships and conversations between researchers and teachers. The Research Centre for Talent Development in Higher Education and Society, headed by Marca Wolfensberger and based at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, organised the first international conference 'Evoking Excellence in Higher Education and Beyond'. As Joseph Renzullli says in the foreword, this conference brought together scholars and educators from around the world to share their work in promoting high-level learning experiences. Presenters discussed their research and practical efforts in honours programmes, gifted programmes, and other contexts aimed at evoking excellence. This book offers a selection of the work of those presenting at this conference. Across six chapters, the following topics are discussed: teaching strategies, culture of excellence, students' perspectives, professional excellence, ethics and intercultural perspectives, and giftedness across educational sectors. The book offers readers a comprehensive view of the field of excellence in education as well as an overview for readers interested in setting-up initiatives to foster excellence among their own students and employees.

There is growing interest in undergraduate research, given its benefits to students, faculty members, and the institution. For higher education scholars, faculty, and administrators, this book logically synthesizes the literature to demonstrate its impact on facilitation of learning and engagement and to chart a course for expanding and improving these opportunities. This book provides a comprehensive overview of undergraduate research as a "high-impact practice" in postsecondary education, from its theoretical underpinnings and research-base, to student participation and faculty incentives. This important resource offers analysis of the current state of undergraduate research, explores challenges and unresolved questions affecting undergraduate research, and provides implications for research and practice.