Teaching and Research - Gerald Sherman, Moderator

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* Teaching and Research: What are the relative values of each in a technological age? It appears that community colleges are more open to technology and instruction. Do you believe that is because research is not their mandate?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

Answers

I'd like to see the evidence that community colleges are more open to technology and instruction (than what? schools? universities?). I would expect that the variance within each group is greater than the variance between groups.

If there is a difference it is most likely due to the autonomy of faculty in a research university. Top down management doesn't exist in many such universities, and where it does it rarely works. I think colleges, as smaller and more compact institutions, can have strategic plans more easily laid down from senior management. However, I am not convinced that top down strategic plans for instructional technology necessarily bring better results.

Successful use of technology depends on faculty and instructors seeing its benefits, and being able to apply those benefits to the teaching of their subjects. This is just as likely to come from a research professor as from a community college instructor.

The area where though there are often real differences between college instructors and research professors is in faculty development. If instructional design and the use of technology is integrated fully with faculty development, then it will more likely be adopted and better used. Research professors are often - but not always - more reluctant to devote time to faculty development activities, because it impinges on their research activities.

The main problem I see is not in inherent reluctance to use technologies but in the reward structures of research universities. In the USA and Canada, the balance between research and teaching for appointment, tenure and promotion has been lost. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, and will change I believe when the balance between supply and demand for high quality academic staff changes over the next few years. At the moment, though, there is no direct financial reward for research professors to devote any of their time to teaching in most institutions. In fact it is remarkable that so many are as conscientious as they are with regard to their teaching.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2001


Dr. Bates,

"Successful use of technology depends on faculty and instructors seeing its benefits, and being able to apply those benefits to the teaching of their subjects."

This short statement encapsulates an extremely important component that is so often overlooked in the rush to implement DL. If you were given the task to reveal these benefits to the faculty and instructors, what would they be? How would they be applied?

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2001


Dr. Bates, you said, "the balance between research and teaching for appointment, tenure and promotion has been lost. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, and will change I believe when the balance between supply and demand for high quality academic staff changes over the next few years."

What do you mean here in relationship to "the balance of supply and demand"? In certain areas, such as English, there is a glut of Ph.D applicants. In others, such as Computer Science, even paying rates competitive with industry, it is difficult to find even half of the number of professors we need. Where do you see the supply and demand question today and why will a change there change the current situation?

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2001


"If instructional design and the use of technology is integrated fully with faculty development, then it will more likely be adopted and better used."

Our Education Technology department at a K-12 school district was recently restructured away from Educational Services into Information Services. This seemed to me at the time to be a poor model for integrating technology with instructional design and staff development.

What do you think is a good organizational model for K-12 districts that will foster the integration of technology and lead to a successful technology program?

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2001


'The main problem I see is not in inherent reluctance to use technologies but in the reward structures of research universities.' I couldn't agree with you more. Faculty development is a tremendous concern in regards to the delivery of online classes. Quality suffers if the faculty member sees no reward for their technology development. Compound that with an administration that is reluctant to spend money on upgrading their current technology infrastructure and you are certainly set up for disaster. Top down reward systems must be in place I feel in order to get faculty excited about online education.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2001


I know at Cornell University, one of the big "glitches" in developing their "ecornell," was the approval of the contents of this for-profit organization by the faculty. When the press release came out it was emphasized that the contents would be fully subject to the academic supervision of the university.

Perhaps this is another significant reason for less interest and incentive for research university faculty to be involved. With their lack of experience in this area of teaching, they may feel the quality of education in their department would be jeopar

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001


Datta, great point. Most of the faculty who are in research at my institution are struggling with the task of writing rfp's let alone getting up to speed with online technology. I feel Tony has made such remarkable progress because at UBC he has a team of people to work on the online programs. It is such a catch 22 with my institution... can't afford a team and can't afford NOT to have a team.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Dr. Bates has given us a wonderful response to the lead thread question focusing on teaching and research. I want to comment to his statement "Research professors are often - but not always - more reluctant to devote time to faculty development activities, because it impinges on their research activities." This is also the case at CSUH (a teaching institution). It is no accident that virtually all of the professors involved with online education (that is teaching a course totally online) are full professors - we are the ones that have the "luxury" to spent time developing and teaching online courses. Most "junior" faculty are far too busy teaching nine courses a year and trying to write/publish/conduct research. (The institution does not grant release time for professors developing online courses . We do have great faculty development and technological support.)

In the past, I had a fairly good publication record for someone teaching in a teaching institution. Since I have been involved in online teaching (and learning about online education through taking courses) during the last three years, I have only published one book chapter. A "junior" faculty member just can not afford to do that.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001


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