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From: cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.edu,misc.misc
Subject: Re: Are there still good teachers?
Summary: Fortunately, universities do not require teaching courses
Keywords: survey
Message-ID: <1782@l.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 12 Dec 89 19:25:06 GMT
References: <1345@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <552@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL> <2049@csm9a.UUCP> <555@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL>
Followup-To: sci.edu
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Lines: 52

In article <555@shuldig.Huji.Ac.IL>, shaig@shum.Huji.AC.IL (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 you can see from my Summary: line, the answer is no, at least in the
universities with which I am familiar.  The licensing requirements are
so many credits in such-and-such courses with satisfactory grades, and
have nothing to do with understanding and anything meaningful about
teaching.

The university faculty at good universities can evaluate their candidates.
They neither need or want some certifying agency.  Evaluations are not
unanimous, and strong disagreements arise about candidates for positions.

Even second-rate schools can probably evaluate the candidates adequately
themselves, but they rely more on credentials and evaluations by their
teachers.  But they do not ask for teaching courses.  Most candidates
will have done some teaching.

Now public schools are very rarely in a position to evaluate their candidates.
So they rely on an almost meaningless piece of paper, or occasionally an
examination which tests whether the indoctrination of the teaching courses
has been appropriately memorized.

If you ask the good people at the universities, they will advise against
the courses taught by the Departments of Miseducation.  The good teacher
is the one who gives insights into the subject and makes the students think.

It is probably the case that there is little relation between student 
evaluations and the quality of teaching.  I know of faculty who get
outstanding student ratings, but the students have only learned the
unimportant material.  Many teachers cater to the type of "learning"
which goes on in the elementary and high schools, and essentially concentrate
on getting the answers on the tests.  This does absolutely no good after the
end of the course.  Few students are interested in learning; only in the
grade in the course.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet, UUCP)