Problems with 'Excellence': Reflections on a Ubiquitous Concept in Educational Development
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| Title: | Problems with 'Excellence': Reflections on a Ubiquitous Concept in Educational Development |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Christopher J. Richmann |
| Source: | Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. 2025 57(4):42-47. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 6 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Quality, Educational Development, Higher Education, College Faculty, Competition, Educational Objectives, Context Effect, Expectation |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00091383.2025.2511581 |
| ISSN: | 0009-1383 1939-9146 |
| Abstract: | "Excellence" is the dominant framework in educational development, appearing more than any other aspirational term in programs, titles, and names of centers for teaching and learning. As a term denoting superiority, "excellence" fosters comparison and competition among faculty, and by signaling performance at the highest level, it implies a kind of pedagogical achievement that minimizes the concrete contexts of teaching and learning and is unrelatable to many faculty. This article identifies three serious flaws with excellence as a guiding light for educational development, concluding with an argument for why this matters and suggestions for moving forward. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503016 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | "Excellence" is the dominant framework in educational development, appearing more than any other aspirational term in programs, titles, and names of centers for teaching and learning. As a term denoting superiority, "excellence" fosters comparison and competition among faculty, and by signaling performance at the highest level, it implies a kind of pedagogical achievement that minimizes the concrete contexts of teaching and learning and is unrelatable to many faculty. This article identifies three serious flaws with excellence as a guiding light for educational development, concluding with an argument for why this matters and suggestions for moving forward. |
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| ISSN: | 0009-1383 1939-9146 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00091383.2025.2511581 |
