Conditions of Excellence in American Higher

An analysis is presented of the application of elements of institutional quality identified in the National Institute of Education (NIE) report, "Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education, " in community college settings. Following introductory remarks and general thoughts about ths report's strengths, changes in mission and clientele associated with the growth of community colleges are enumerated, followed by a discussion of the problems currently confronted by these institutions. The next sections offer recommendations for establishing excellence in community colleges, focusing on three conditions: (1) increasing student involvement by, for example, expanding the services for and contact with general studies and vocational-technical students, increasing contact between teachers and students, improving guidance and advisement, eliminating student isolation and passivity, and involving part-time and commuter students; (2) realizing high expectations by, for example, specifying the knowledge and skills required for graduation, establishing collaborative partnerships with feeder schools and senior institutions, developing liberal arts requirements for students in different programs, and ensuring that remedial students perform well in subsequent courses; and (3) improving assessment and feedback by, for example, selecting assessment instruments to match knowledge and skills addressed and stated program objectives, training faculty to use assessment as a teachihy tool, and using student evaluations of programs and the learning environment as a basis for educational improvement. Tables providing relevant data are appended. (LAL