Adapting to the times: Changing roles and criteria for higher ed faculty

Hi Folks! I remember a time when people who LOVED a subject, and wanted to spend their lives immersed in it, went into higher education because they could get paid to stand in front of an audience (without considering whether or not it was a captivated audience) and speak about their beloved subject for an hour and a half, and not consider how much of what they were saying was absorbed by their audience. These were the university professors of old. If the professor had an engaging, charismatic personality and good communication skills, this method worked fairly well. But, we all have had our share of professors who had no spark to their tone, or interest in actual communication or engagement with their students. Those lectures were truly unbearable. There was and there still is no requirement for university faculty to learn how to teach before they become teachers. Past emphasis was mostly on the students learning from the professor, rather than for the professor to invest in teaching methods that would facilitate learning. Technology has provided us with many tools for active learning, and ramped up the faculty participation in the process, but it isn't just the technology that makes for effective teaching and learning. Faculty are faced with the challenge of completely rethinking (or thinking for the first time!) the best ways to introduce and present information, from the volume of the content to the spacing of content introduction, to ensuring students actually engage with the material and take ownership of it, rather than just memorize a series of facts. Clearly, higher ed faculty also need to learn how to teach, and being an expert in your field just doesn't cut it anymore. Challenging but exciting times in higher ed!