Page 181 - Crisis in Higher Education

152 • Crisis in Higher Education

One final point is that universities would have to make a more substantial
investment in course development than they do currently. Now, faculty
members spend time designing the curricula, picking a textbook and cases,
and creating or selecting lecture materials such as PowerPoint slides and
homework assignments. With videos, interactive learning systems, and
other tools, someone has to take the time and invest in their development.
This upfront cost should be recovered through instructional savings. This
approach is consistent with the concept of economies of scale, which means
investing in fixed cost so the variable cost of operating is reduced, thereby
reducing total cost. Designing course materials to address different learning
styles interacts with Chapter 10 on Redesigning Curriculum and Pedagogy,
Chapter 12 on Reshaping Faculty’s Role, and Chapter 13 on Creating High-
Tech Learning Materials.

7.4 CHANGING THE WAY STUDENTS
EVALUATE FACULTY

Chapter 4 describes the problem created when students evaluate fac-
ulty, especially instructional faculty. In summary, instructional faculty
members are not protected by tenure and are evaluated for contract
renewal based on teaching performance as assessed by students. As a
result, they are susceptible to comments from students that a course is
too difficult and/or covers too much material. Therefore, instructional
faculty members are under pressure to cover less and reduce standards
to appease students. Professional faculty members are far less suscep-
tible to this pressure because they have decades of experience, which
helps them understand what students should know and hold the line
against this pressure.
The solution to the problem has three parts, and the first part is discussed
in the prior section.

1. Take instructional faculty out of the line of fire: When instructors and
lecturers have no control over course content and do not write or
grade the test, they receive less pressure and fewer negative comments
from students. Content and performance standards for courses are
set by potential employers working with tenured and professional
faculty.