Good practice communicates high expectations. Expect more and you will get it. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions hold high expectations of themselves and make extra efforts. Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning. There are many roads to learning.
People bring different talents and styles of learning to college.
Brilliant students in the seminar room may be all thumbs in the lab or art studio. Students rich in hands-on experience may not do so well with theory. Students need the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they can be pushed to learning in ways that do not come so easily. See Mike Wohlfeil's Pedagogy Resources Page for additional information about student learning.