TEACHING
At Kent State University, teaching is the single most important
activity in which faculty engage. Teaching facilitates learning, and the
University
... views learning in all its forms as central to
its mission. University faculty provide instruction which
reflects current knowledge gained through ongoing
scholarship and adheres to the highest professional and
ethical standards. Faculty members are readily
accessible to students, who are encouraged to take an
active role in the learning process. The University
promotes excellence in teaching by offering faculty
members opportunities for development in the areas of
curriculum and instruction; by providing high-quality
equipment, materials and facilities; and by maintaining
a system of rewards and recognition based on the
premise that teaching, research, and creative activity
are mutually supportive. Because teaching and learning
are not confined to the classroom experience, a high
value is placed on such related activities as individual
instruction, thesis and dissertation direction, and
academic advising. [Kent Institutional Characteristics
statement (KICS)]
The scholarship of teaching is central to the University's mission
and comprises a wide range of activities, including
-- constant updating of knowledge through reading research in
the field and maintaining skills in creative work required of
students;
-- specific course preparation, requiring careful planning,
continual re-examination, review of pedagogical tools and
approaches, and creative adaptation to students' varied
learning styles and cultural perspectives;
-- publicationof textbooks, software, video/audio tapes,
and other instructional materials, or distribution of them by
desktop publishing and computer networks;
-- scholarly publication on pedagogical theory and practice,
based upon one's own and other's teaching practice and
student performance, as well as on current pedagogical
research in the field;
-- engagement in the other three types of scholarship
(discovery, application, and integration) as resources for
improved teaching.
Goal: Continue to reinforce the importance of the scholarship
of teaching and the mutually supportive nature of
different types of scholarship.
Objectives
Develop at the departmental/school levels more
comprehensive ways of evaluating the scholarship
of teaching and incorporate these measures into the
evaluation, reward, and recognition of scholarship
broadly defined.
Increase the number of endowed chairs and, in order
to assist teaching and curriculum development in
departments, create endowed chairs with a teaching
emphasis as well as a research emphasis.
Expand offerings of pedagogy courses for graduate
students preparing to teach and provide for
mentoring of graduate student instructors.
During the 1980s, the number of full-time equivalent instructional
staff at the Kent Campus increased only modestly. After state budget cuts
in FY91 and FY92, instructional staffing declined. The number of full-
time regular faculty has decreased while part-time and term faculty and
teaching graduate assistants have increased. The preparation of graduate
students, particularly doctoral students, for college teaching is an
important concomitant to their research training and will be integrated into
graduate programs in the form of seminars and the development of
mentoring relationships with teaching faculty.
Goal: Monitor and evaluate the number of term or part-time
faculty used to satisfy instructional needs.
Objectives
Reduce, where appropriate, the proportion of
courses taught by part-time faculty by selective
hiring of full-time faculty.
Use, where appropriate, funds budgeted for part-
time instruction for teaching graduate assistants and
teaching fellows in units where the teaching
experience is fundamental to the educational
process.
Continue efforts to ensure that only effective
teachers are recruited and appointed.
Develop appropriate evaluation procedures, awards,
and recognition for part-time faculty, teaching
graduate assistants, and teaching fellows.
Evaluation of teaching quality begins in the hiring process when
prospective faculty must submit evidence of excellence in teaching.
Teaching performance is also carefully considered in the reward/incentive
structure at the University. The University has begun to employ outcomes
assessment tools to ascertain the aggregate teaching effectiveness of
individual departments and programs, as well as the University as a whole.
Goal: Broaden the variety of assessment tools used to evaluate
teaching effectiveness.
Objectives
Expand the use of department exit exams, exit
surveys, LER surveys, performance on entrance
exams for advanced study, placement of graduates,
and alumni surveys as assessment tools for teaching
effectiveness.
Increase the use of peer evaluations and systematic
evaluation of teaching portfolios in the reward
system for faculty.
Develop effective ways of evaluating advising as
part of teaching.
The University encourages faculty to enhance their teaching skills
by providing facilities and support services conducive to the best teaching
environment. It also provides incentives, recognition, and opportunities to
improve skills, stay abreast of changes and developments in the field, and
grow intellectually and creatively. Media resources available to faculty,
staff, and students include sophisticated video, audio, and graphic
production services.
Goal: Improve instruction and learning in all programs by
enhancing University support for teaching development.
Objectives
Provide resources to stimulate and enhance support
for instructional improvement projects, as well as
on-going budget support for teaching supplies and
travel, state-of- the-art instructional and laboratory
equipment, audio-visual materials, and library
acquisitions.
Explore, evaluate, and use appropriate
technologies available for enhancing teaching and
learning (e.g., interactive video, computers).
Facilitate development opportunities to assist
faculty in responding to different learning styles of
increasingly diverse student populations.
Increase the visibility and number of summer
Teaching Development Awards.
Develop a University Teaching Council (parallel to
the University Research Council) to evaluate
proposals and disburse funds for enhancing teaching
effectiveness.
Take advantage of the expertise of faculty in the
College of Education and other appropriate units to
assist in faculty teaching development.