Articles

Documenting Teaching and Learning: Practices, Attitudes, and Opportunities in College and University Archives

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Abstract

Although colleges and universities generate abundant records, postsecondary teaching and learning have been difficult to document. Recent trends in postsecondary education are providing increased access to classroom activities and are creating a climate in which the documentation of teaching and learning is desirable. These trends have the potential to enable archivists to preserve more evidence of teaching and learning than ever before, while also contributing to the teaching missions of their institutions. This article reviews the literature on the documentation of teaching and learning in college and university archives and introduces the scholarship of teaching and learning to the archival community. The article then presents the results of a pilot survey on (1) current collecting practices related to the documentation of teaching and learning, and (2) college and university archivists' awareness of postsecondary educational trends and involvement in campuswide activities surrounding educational assessment and pedagogical effectiveness. The author argues that increased engagement of college and university archivists in postsecondary educational reform could significantly benefit both the archives and the larger institutions they serve.

How to Cite:

McFarland, C., (2005) “Documenting Teaching and Learning: Practices, Attitudes, and Opportunities in College and University Archives”, Archival Issues 29(1), 19–43. doi: https://doi.org//archivalissues.10936