NEA Policy Statements

Efforts at curriculum reform which involve changes in the shape and nature of the baccalaureate degree must incorporate standards of excellence and skills, knowledge, and understanding to help students prepare for the future. No effort at reform can succeed without adequate support for the faculty who have primary responsibility for the curriculum, nor can it succeed unless it addresses the needs of a diverse student population.

The goals of higher education curricula should include mastery of basic skills, active participation in the learning process, in-depth study, critical thinking, understanding of a discipline's characteristic methods, and a coherent and relevant course of study. The goals should also be consistent with NEA principles such as faculty control, equal access to quality education for all students, and multicultural understanding.

Any effort at curriculum revision should be designed to prepare all students for effective citizenship and participation in an increasingly diverse multicultural and multiracial society. A common body of intellectual reference must be inclusive of all traditions and realities. A diverse student population enriches the knowledge base of all students.

NEA recommends the following:

• Curricula must express the goals and mission of individual institutions and address the needs of students.
• In designing the college's curriculum and schedule, the faculty should take the responsibility to ensure that it is suited to the needs of a multiethnic, multicultural society, and that it is flexible enough to allow access for different kinds of students (adult learners, students who work, part-time students, transfers, and other nontraditional students.)
• Curricula must be flexible enough to allow for the incorporation of new technologies and modes of delivery with a constant focus on quality.
• Periodic review of the curriculum should take place within institutions under the guidance of faculty representing various disciplines after consultation with students, staff, and administration.
• Teaching and curriculum development are major parts of the faculty's role. Those faculty involved should be adequately compensated for these activities.
• General education courses are an important part of the core curriculum and should be taught by full-time faculty.
• Major curriculum revisions and articulation agreements at colleges and universities should involve consultation with faculty members at other educational institutions affected by the changes.

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