Punctuated equilibrium in higher education Documents

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Punctuated equilibrium in higher education 

written by Don Langenberg

The fossil record indicates that biological evolution sometimes occurs in fits and starts, with periods of relatively little change separated by shorter periods of rapid change.  They call this "punctuated equilibrium."  The historical record suggests that colleges and universities evolve in the same manner, and current events indicate that we are in the midst of an academic punctuation mark.  This presentation will explore the implications of this for our institutions, for STEM education, and for physics education in particular.  In accordance with Darwin, we can expect that "Only the fittest will survive," and speculation about what the surviving fittest might look like is in order.

Last Modified March 20, 2009