How College Works (original) (raw)
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Abstract
How College Works, by Daniel F. Chambliss and Christopher G. Takacs reports on a 15-year ethnographic study of students' experiences at Hamilton College, at which the authors serve on the faculty. Their focus is on both mundane and notable elements of students' undergraduate years at the College, attempting to elucidate those aspects that advance or constrain collegiate success in learning and degree achievement. Nearly 400 students were interviewed during the study period, eliciting a substantial cache of stories that are analyzed according to the fundamental question associated with the book's title. The authors' intention is to understand how planning decisions and organizational arrangements might be modified with little or no cost to achieve greater educational and experiential quality.
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