<p>To me, academic rigor is how much the brain is stretched. In any number of directions. To think in new ways and do new things. To combine skills and concepts. To clearly express higher complexity to others. To be unafraid to take an intellectual or problem-solving risk and thoroughly think it through and test it out. To push beyond to extend one’s capabilities. </p>
<p>It is often considered quantitatively: work-load, number of courses, frequency of assessments, amount produced, etc. And considered measurable by performance in testing. But I think qualitative rigor is rare, hard to teach, and extremely important. An individual student is often on his/her own personal path in qualitative rigor; excellent teachers can inspire and guide students on this path.</p>
<p>Ironically, too much quantitative rigor can impair qualitative rigor.</p>