Normative support for improving undergraduate education in teaching-oriented colleges

A number of recommendations to improve undergraduate education have been put forth in the higher education literature. However, we maintain that the implementation of these recommendations at our colleges and universities is unlikely if norms or "group standards of appropriate and inappropriate behavior" do not support these recommendations. Consequently, this study investigated the normative support for 6 selected recommendations to improve undergraduate education at teaching-oriented colleges. Results indicate support for 3 of the 6 recommendations: "systematic program of advisement," "providing students with prompt, formative feedback on assignments," and "fostering an egalitarian classroom climate." These are the same recommendations supported by norms at higher education institutions that are more focused toward research and graduate education. The implications suggest that the normative structure that supports teaching improvement efforts may be more similar among various institutions than previous research might have indicated.