Xref: utzoo comp.edu:2743 sci.edu:824 misc.misc:8682 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!violet!gvreugdenhil From: gvreugdenhil@violet.waterloo.edu (Gord V...) Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.edu,misc.misc Subject: Re: Are there still good teachers? Keywords: survey Message-ID: <18994@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Date: 4 Dec 89 18:37:00 GMT References: <1345@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <552@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL> <2049@csm9a.UUCP> <555@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL> Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu Reply-To: gvreugdenhil@violet.waterloo.edu (Gord V...) Organization: Multiprocessor Systems Group, U. of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 51 In article <555@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL> shaig%shum.UUCP@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Shai Guday) writes: >In article <2049@csm9a.UUCP> fhadsell@csm9a.UUCP ( GP) writes: >%In article <552@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL>, shaig@shum.Huji.AC.IL (Shai Guday) writes: >%> >%It is my impression that most US universities do something very much like >%the above. Here some 16 profs out of 200 have been removed or their >%position drastically changed on the basis of student evaluations. > >Did student evaluations form the sole basis for these changes or were >they merely contributing factors? > >One item not mentioned, which I am wondering about, are there any >requird courses for Master and Phd degrees in which they can aquire >the basic teaching skills? After all, teachers must be licensed by >some Board of Ed., what about Profs? As far as I know, there are no universities which require teaching courses as part of a C.S. grad curriculum. I am currently doing grad work at the University of Waterloo and there is only a requirement of one seminar presentation for a Masters and 3 for a Ph.D. In fact, this situation is consistent with the way education is normally viewed: an elementary level teacher has to be an expert in education and have a reasonable grasp of the subject matter; sec. teachers have to know how to teach and know their subject matter; university profs. have to be experts in their subject area but need to know nothing about teaching (at least formally wrt. education courses.). This is one of my pet peeves about most profs. A basic course in teaching methodology would do wonders for most profs (if they applied the methods). I intend to eventually teach at a university or college level; as part of my undergrad. degree I intentionally took the sec. ed. program in order to prepare for teaching. I am nearly qualified to teach high school and do not regret taking the ed. courses at all. Unfortunately, universities do not usually consider teaching as part of the weighting for tenure. Research is far more important in gaining tenure than is teaching quality. This attitude creates a disincentive for good teaching - good teaching takes time and effort and is not rewarded, so most profs prefer to spend the time in research. Teaching is the "necessary evil" of being a prof. > >% >%-- >% INTERNET:: fhadsell@csm9a.colorado.edu BITNET:: fhadsell@mines >% Frank Hadsell, Prof. of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, >% Golden, Colorado 80401 (303) 273-3456 Gord Vreugdenhil gvreugdenhil@violet.waterloo.edu or gvreugdenhil@watmsg.waterloo.edu Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com