The Impact of College on Students: Myths, Rational Myths, and Some Other Things That May Not Be True
Academia clings to several myths about higher education and its effect on students. This article outlines 10 of these popular myths—myths about effective teaching styles, indicators of quality education, and the value of faculty research for undergraduate education, to name a few. The authors cite extensive research calling these myths into question and challenge readers to rethink assumptions about higher education.
Contributor Notes
Ernest T. Pascarella presented a version of this paper as the NACADA Journal's featured speaker at the 1995 NACADA annual meeting in Nashville. An abbreviated version appeared in Change (Jan./Feb. 1994), and an earlier version was presented as the Chester E. Peters Lecture at Kansas State University (April 1994). Work on this paper was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching Learning and Assessment. Pascarella is professor of higher education at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Patrick T. Terenzini is professor and senior scientist in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University.
