Page 138 - Crisis in Higher Education

A Customer-Focused, Resource Management Perspective • 109

topic and the standards for assessing performance. See the curricula
content callout in Figure 5.2. This is the “what” portion of the curricu-
lum, and it should not be determined by students. These interactions
occur continuously to incorporate research that identifies new con-
cepts and techniques that improve the curricula as well as to include
the changing needs of organizations, licensing agencies, and so on.
2. Pedagogy: All faculty and graduate teaching assistants work with
students to investigate the best instructional methods to deliver this
knowledge so learning is optimized. This is the “how” for delivering
curricula. There should be a close working relationship that unifies
course content, pedagogy, and the types of learning materials and
how they are used. See the pedagogy, instruction, and learning mate-
rials callouts in Figure 5.2. When done properly, students learn more
with the same or less effort. It is important to make learning easier,
more fun, and more effective.
3. Instruction: Using the pedagogy, tenured faculty, contractual faculty,
and graduate teaching assistants educate the students. Contractual
faculty and graduate teaching assistants often deliver a majority of
the instruction for undergraduate degree programs. They provide
feedback to tenured faculty about the strengths and weaknesses in the
curricula content and pedagogy.
4. Learning materials: For many years, textbooks dominated this cat-
egory, and tenured faculty often authored them. As pedagogy is
changing to include methods of instruction other than lecturing,
learning materials are shifting from traditional textbooks to more
sophisticated instruments that may include online learning tools,
videos, and other technologies.
5. Advising: Students need guidance so they make on-time progress
toward graduation, address scheduling and other problems, and
provide faculty feedback on the effectiveness of pedagogy. The use
of computer-based tracking systems allows students to assess their
progress and to use advisors as problem solvers. See the advising
callout in Figure 5.2.
6. Placement: As tenured and professional faculty work with organizations
that hire graduates to determine curriculum content, it is necessary to
complete the circle by having effective placement that links students
who are approaching graduation with these organizations. This is more
than having signup sheets and providing space so organizations can
interview students. See the job placement callout in Figure 5.2.