A Supreme Court decision supporting disclosure of university faculty peer review files is discussed by faculty in law and other disciplines and by a college president. Arguments address the principles of academic privilege, institutional mission, and the soundness of academic decision making. (MSE)

A program for newly appointed lecturers in general practice at the University of Leicester's (England) medical school focuses on development of both teaching and assessment skills and encourages self-appraisal. Participant progress is monitored by direct evaluation and video-recording, with regular feedback an important feature. (Author/MSE)

It is proposed that, to address the lack of women in senior academic ranks, higher education should reexamine appointment procedures, scrutinize the standards by which men have been assessed traditionally, ask men to justify their own merit, and examine the way in which male academics interact with their female counterparts. (MSE)

Discussion of complaints about library education covers historical perspectives as well as current trends. Topics discussed include library school closings; curriculum; skills and knowledge employers want recent graduates to have; American Library Association (ALA) standards; student perspectives; university views of library schools and faculty;…

Contends that student evaluation of teacher performance has lowered the quality of U.S. education. Argues that the assessment instruments used to assess teacher performance are not only limited in effectiveness but are used as an instrument of intimidation to force conformity to politically correct standards. (CFR)

The role of the college athletic coach has changed substantially in recent decades, with the ideal of the coach as an educator obsolescent. Institutions must work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and coaches' associations for reform, addressing three major issues: need for a better hiring process, provision of meaningful…

A study analyzed factors affecting peer assessments of faculty quality and program effectiveness using the 1993 National Research Council graduate program survey. Results indicate determinants for faculty quality and program effectiveness are very similar. Further, programs in private institutions and/or institutions with more highly rated…

The author explores his insights and lessons learned during service as a dean at two business schools.

The contemporary academic labor market is examined using concepts from labor market economics and sociology to elucidate why teaching, universally acknowledged to be at the center of American academic life, is not at the center of the academic labor market and is only modestly rewarded. First, tenets of the neoclassical labor market model are…

The English Department at the Allegheny Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County, in Pennsylvania, has implemented standards for recruiting, training, and providing development opportunities for part-time faculty. To ensure high quality instruction and a continuity of standards between full- and part-time faculty, the same criteria for…

Ramapo College of New Jersey has implemented a program review with self-reflective pedagogy as a critical component. The review is a self-study that encourages faculty to use peer observation to evaluate and improve their pedagogy. The review encourages all faculty regardless of rank to serve as both observers and the observed in a series of…

This paper addresses difficult issues in evaluation of college faculty for scholarship, teaching, and service particularly noting areas that trouble faculty themselves. A section on evaluation of teaching notes long standing debate and disagreement. This section then lists many of the central questions around evaluation of teaching and notes that…

This paper examines issues of academic freedom and the community's role in a review of public and legal events leading to the court's striking down of the 1940 appointment of Bertrand Russell to teach at the City College of New York. Russell was to teach three philosophy courses relating logic, mathematics, and science to philosophy. Episcopal…

This book proposes a plan for higher education reform that rejects the "publish or perish" controversy and stresses strong leadership that elevates the importance of teaching excellence. Chapters 1 and 2, "Agendas," look at the agenda for change and suggest some of the constraints in value conflicts and teacher evaluation. Chapters 3 and 4,…

This book addresses issues in higher education faculty assessment with emphasis on the role of assessment in fostering development of individual faculty members and their institutions. Part 1 describes the role of faculty assessment with the first chapter outlining inadequacies in current approaches. The second chapter offers a perspective on…