Preliminary findings from research by the Teachers College of Columbia University and Yeshiva University " raises questions about the value of higher - prestige institutions in terms of their teaching quality . " Inside Higher Ed reports the researchers visited nearly 600 courses at six colleges and universities ; three considered highly prestigious , two middle rated , and four lower ranked . “One thing institutions do have control over is using the practices that we know have been related to student learning, and to do more of them,” she said. The team identified five measures ; cognitive quality of the coursework ; standards and expectations of the coursework ; level of instructor 's subject matter knowledge ; extent to which instructors " surfaced " students ’ prior knowledge ; and the extent to which they supported changes in students ' views . The prestigious institutions only outperform their peers on the first criteria .
Preliminary findings from research by the Teachers College of Columbia University and Yeshiva University " raises questions about the value of higher - prestige institutions in terms of their teaching quality . " Inside Higher Ed reports the researchers visited nearly 600 courses at six colleges and universities ; three considered highly prestigious , two middle rated , and four lower ranked . The team identified five measures ; cognitive quality of the coursework ; standards and expectations of the coursework ; level of instructor 's subject matter knowledge ; extent to which instructors " surfaced " students ’ prior knowledge ; and the extent to which they supported changes in students ' views . The prestigious institutions only outperform their peers on the first criteria .