Discusses eight steps to modify the way engineering schools operate. They include hiring some experienced engineers as faculty, incorporating peer and student review of teaching performance in faculty evaluations, reversing the tendency to make curricula increasingly narrow and specialized, and adopting a systems approach to engineering education.…

Within any college and university, it is in the academic department where most of the work is accomplished in educating students and carrying out the institution's academic mission. Department chairs are at the front lines of policy implementation. At a recent meeting members of [New England Resource Center for Higher Education's] NERCHE's…

The role of academic deans with respect to faculty work varies depending on the institution. Some evaluate faculty directly, while others are involved through reporting relationships with department chairs. Deans are in a position to allocate resources and shape institutional policies and structures that create conditions for productive…

To identify reasons for peer evaluation of college teaching being more honored in rhetoric than in practice, events that occurred on the campus of a prominent public research university are described and suggestions offered as to why peer evaluation is not often practiced. A Committee on Teaching Effectiveness was appointed in response to…

Noting that librarians are integral to the library's performance of its educational function, this report argues that faculty status should be extended to academic librarians. This argument is supported by an excerpt from the "Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University Librarians," which was developed by the Association…

Responding to enormous enrollment increases, Mexican universities were forced to hire faculty without a Licenciatura degree (corresponds to a United States bachelors degree) and so initiated faculty development activities (FDA) to enhance the performance of underqualified and new teachers. This study assessed the impact of one of these FDAs at the…

Compiled as part of a study of the managerial competencies of research librarians, this annotated bibliography includes sources that relate to the knowledges, skills, and attitudes of managerial personnel, with implications for research librarians. Sources pertaining to competency research methodology are also included. The bibliography is…

Performance evaluation used for both faculty and librarians for 2 years included rating of performance standards, professional achievement, and auxiliary services. After careful application to ensure equitability of the original and revised forms, faculty questioned the implications of emphasis on research and publication, achievement, salaries,…

To make merit-pay plans work, a district's teacher-evaluation system must be both summative and formative--evaluating both for teacher outcomes and for progressive improvement. Only peer-mediated self-appraisal systems seem able to meet such a challenge. Fairly rewarded merit-pay plans depend on accurate teacher evaluations. However, teacher…

This publication presents speeches, papers and discussion from a seminar on higher education in Europe, particularly in the Nordic counties of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, as well as Eastern European countries. Following an introduction the opening speech by Alexander Sannikov, the UNESCO Secretariat, is reproduced. Part I contains papers…

Presents the problem of evaluating teaching, especially in science education. Gives examples of science teaching skills that are difficult to evaluate. Gives examples of individual solutions being used. Announces a National Science Teachers Association survey of teacher evaluation and standards. (CW)

Using data from previous comprehensive studies of incentive pay plans, this report draws conclusions about assessing and implementing various incentive pay plans. Following a brief history of incentive pay plans from 1908 to 1983, an analysis of accumulated research is provided that shows the reasons why incentive pay plans for teachers have…

Six major areas of part-time college faculty employment practices are discussed that illustrate how current practice can be detrimental to part-time faculty performance. Attention is directed to appointment, support services, communication with peers, participation in governance, compensation, and job security. The following areas that require…

Issues of institutional accountability for colleges and universities are examined in the American and European contexts, particularly as market forces gain importance in Europe. Varying forms of accountability (formal, through accreditation; financial; and academic) and two dimensions of accountability (external vs. internal, legal vs. financial)…

The college or university academic affairs committee of the governing board holds the primary responsibility for defining, overseeing, and modifying the "policies" that fulfill the institution's academic mission, including: ensuring that the academic program is consistent with the institution's mission and strategies; ensuring that the academic…