I very much believe that we should take college teaching seriously. These students are the future generation of the world. I read an article on the INSIDE HIGHER ED which talked about the need of having a vast momentum for improving college completion rates and how good teaching has a critical role in improving student success. This article also talked about the fact that pedagogy is neglected in higher education and how colleges emphasis on “what is taught” rather than “how it’s taught”. Moreover students bring many complex issues into their learning environment. Faculty require teaching skills far beyond content expertise to deal with some of these issues. This does not need a standard teaching method. It requires self-reflection in practice for improvement. “Teaching is both art and science, and we are able to place technological tools in the hands of faculty that enable them to excel in both.” Some of the solutions presented for this problem included finding professional learning structures for doctors, architects or accountants which require constant upgrading and updating skills. In addition to understanding the fact that improving college teaching cannot be imposed on faculty. For this reason the best and most effective improvement initiatives must engage the faculty in design, implementation and assessment. Having scholarships for teaching will also positively impact this process. These scholarships can help in conducting research on technology and curriculum development. By these scholarships we can nurture the growth of excellent teaching faculty. Last is developing a data pool where we capture what is happening in each class with different faculties around the country. These faculties can work together to refine techniques, and question strategies.
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