Faculty Issues

This list is comes from a wide range of sources: books, articles, faculty, librarians, IT personnel, and campus administrators.  Be aware of these when working with faculty on web-based instruction, and also to identify your own concerns and biases.

• Keeping up with technology has become nearly a full time job in itself. Most people cannot keep up with the latest versions of operating systems, browsers, and other software applications. Most campuses lack of technological support for faculty, so they struggle on their own. Rule of thumb--they are two versions behind on software.
• Faculty who would be on the cutting edge of technology are held back by old hardware, software, servers, students’ access to newer technology, etc.
• Some people are technology phobic (similar to illiterate people who go through life hiding the fact that they cannot read).

• No one knows yet how to take full advantage of hypertext and web technology in instruction.
• Few faculty (or librarians) took education courses, and so are teaching the way they were taught, or some other way they have discovered.  Now their methods and information are out there on the web for all to see.  Suppose they are out of date or incorrect?
• Unlike tried and true lectures and labs, web pages require continual maintenance of content and format because...(see first bullet).

• These packages offer useful class maintenance features, but that means more software to learn.
• Faculty must conform to tools that are commercially available, or ones that the university adopts; they have to fit their teaching format into a style template.

• Faculty want to be compensated (money, hardware, software, staff assistance, time off, etc.) for the “extra” work and hours of student e-mail.

• What are the rights of authors of web content?
• How can one secure the rights to others’ content? or know if it is even necessary?

• Can one web site be used for all students taking the same course?  If so, why is there more than one faculty member teaching that course?  What if a web-based course is purchased from another institution?

• Web publishing is still not accepted as “scholarly.”  Textbook publishing is fine, but not on the web.

• Tenure is tied to research and publication in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals, not to creating of authoritative or instructional web pages.

• Don’t faculty need to be in the classroom with their students, face-to-face?  There is no research to prove this.

• Who owns web content—the faculty member or the university? If a course is sold to other schools, will its creator get the licensing fee?
• Will the university protect faculty if someone tries to steal their course?