Research on instructional improvement interventions for college teachers is reviewed and implications for practice are briefly considered. Attention is directed to both the methodological soundness of the program evaluations and the findings of the studies. Interventions to assist faculty to change their teaching attitudes, roles, or activities…

A 1979 study conducted by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to develop a plan for assessing and increasing faculty productivity is described. The central issue was the demand for individual faculty, departmental, and institutional autonomy versus demand by the political system for evidence that the faculty it funds produces adequate…

The need for more consistent and comprehensive procedures for evaluating faculty performance is discussed in this newsletter. Declining student enrollments and financial restraints have created a "no growth" climate on campuses and it is suggested that this environment will require a two-thirds drop in the demand for new faculty at a…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, examines work-family issues as they affect faculty recruitment, retention, and productivity. Following a brief discussion of changing work-force demographics, the first part of the paper examines the structure of an academic career, focusing particularly on junior faculty and…

Teaching portfolios, now largely used for evaluation of college teaching, can also be viewed as a form of action research, opening their use to other purposes, including examination of institutional, faculty, and student needs and demands; the dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality in structuring classroom interactions; and the relationship of…

This report, sponsored by a coalition of District of Columbia-based higher education associations and public higher education systems, examines a wide range of faculty employment policies. The project was undertaken to encourage a proactive approach to preparing the higher education workforce for the 21st century and to address concerns of…

In higher education's new environment, colleges and universities must re-examine their tenure codes and practices and consider various forms of post-tenure review. Elimination of tenure does not necessarily end academic freedom. However, any new employment policies must emerge through a process of genuine discussion and negotiation among faculty…

Analyzes 60 sociology doctoral programs from 1975 through 1980. Measures per capita and gross productivity of each department. Shows that conventional assessment measures contain deficiencies. Documents a tendency for conflict between productivity and graduate education. Includes recommendations for future assessments that would measure not only…

A method of student evaluation of preclerkship clinical medical teaching used at the University of Toronto (Canada) is described. The method has a high response rate, yields data on individual teacher effectiveness and course content coverage, is stable over time, and has been well received by students and faculty. (MSE)

This consultants' report reviews the New College of the University of South Florida, a small liberal arts college which is unusual in its lack of specific general education requirements, and its attention to independent study. After reviewing a considerable list of strengths, concerns are identified including the need to ensure that every student…

Surveys of Australian (n=293) and British (n=103) college faculty in 1993 assessed reactions to structural changes in the university systems in those countries. The survey investigated perceptions of institutional culture, resources, advantages, status of women academics, the change process, role of research, workload, faculty evaluation, mission,…

This document presents a format for evaluating the viability of individual campuses in the Pennsylvania State University System (PSUS) including criteria and a process to apply them. A viable campus is defined as having a clear mission with a demonstrable agreement among administrative and faculty visions, having adequate resources, involving the…

A pilot study of the Australian higher education system was conducted to determine the following: (1) whether department heads follow a client-centered, diagnostic/prescriptive model as developed by the Australian Committee of Directors and Principals in Advanced Education (ACDP), and if not, which process is used; (2) which developmental…

In March 2004, the National Science Foundation funded a two-day workshop by the American Political Science Association (APSA) on the advancement of women in academic political science in the United States. The workshop was prompted by an alarming stall in the number of women entering the discipline and persisting through early years of faculty…

The history of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1986 is reviewed, and planning/management issues for medical colleges facing the end of mandatory age-based faculty retirement are examined. Early planning to improve faculty evaluation and development, clarify financial guarantees of tenure, review space utilization, and make retirement…