The Importance of Teaching

The Committee on Undergrauate Teaching was formed in 1964 in response to an obvious and urgent need to improve college teaching and to give it greater importance. Almost as obvious was the opportunity to achieve both better teaching and more emphasis upon it in the colleges and universitities. The memorandum which follows evolved from the discussions of the Committee over a period of three years, from ideas and text contributed by individual members, and from the voluminous and growing literature on learning and teaching. Throughout its deliberations, the Committee had at hand an extensive bibliography prepared under the direction of its Executive Director, Dr. James L. Jarrett. It was also aware of prior experimentation with college teaching, and of experiments in progress. The initial drafts of the memorandum were prepared by the Executive Director. The most advanced of these drafts was subsequently revised by the Chairman, in accorance with the Committee's suggestions. The final editing was complete by Dr. Paul L. Ward, a member of the Committee.