ABSTRACT

A frequently repeated critique of university faculty is that they are not trained to teach nor do they wish to teach. University teaching will not improve with faculty certification to teach. The extent to which regular faculty are replaced by part-time lecturers is a measure of the declining importance of teaching on the part of budget decision-makers and of the fragmentation of student learning. The more classes that are taught by part-time faculty, the more students end up with academic experiences that consist of classes only. Faculty experienced in teaching fully online courses point out that students do not get the extra-informational course content—skills, values, and informal curricula. The traditional measure of teaching quality applies for both in-person and online instruction. The lower the student-to-faculty ratio, the higher the likely quality of instruction. This measure is meaningful and accurate only if the faculty counted is fully engaged with students.