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Recently published evidence of limited learning among American college students confirms the damage done when students, faculty and institutions pursue interests that conflict with the educational process. The 'disengagement compact' in which faculty tacitly trade lenient workloads and grading for higher student evaluation of teaching (SET) scores and fewer complaints from students does damage wherever it operates. The work of Johnson confirms the link between SET and grade inflation. We propose a modification of an earlier grade index, the Real Grade Point Average (GPA), and propose as well an index for SET scores, the Real SET, to make inflated grades and inflated SET scores more visible. Used by institutions, parts of institutions or individual faculty, Real GPA and Real SET would encourage and protect faculty and students who offer or seek out educational experiences that have not been deflected by greed, sloth or cowardice.

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The digitization of information has transformed how colleges and universities function; virtual classrooms, online course management systems, and digitized content have become the norm. Electronic reserves are the fulcrum of this transformation. Colleges and universities now have the opportunity to utilize their resources in new and transformative ways in order to provide the most effective education experience possible. For these dynamic opportunities to be fully realized, however, institutions must address the unique challenges that digital media create. This article analyzes how Central Michigan University changed the way it operates to create a modern and comprehensive electronic reserves system.

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