March 2008

Teaching vs. Research: Finally, a New Chapter
The argument persists: teaching and research are complementary—each in some synergistic way builds on and supports the other. Standing against the argument is an impressive, ever-growing array of studies that consistently fail to show any linkage between teaching effectiveness and research productivity. Because administrators have a vested interest in faculty being able to do both well, the two sides continue to exchange arguments and accusations in a debate that has grown old, tired, and terribly nonproductive.

Student Moderators in Online Courses
By Joan Thormann, PhD
Several years ago, a colleague of mine suggested that having students lead discussions in the online classroom would be a good idea. I agreed and searched the literature for research on this topic but found nothing. No one at that point had been looking at having students moderate, or they hadn’t written about it. I still thought it was a good idea and decided to pursue this line of research by having my students moderate and follow up with an end-of-course student questionnaire.

Overcoming Obstacles to Faculty Participation in Distance Education
Teaching online can be daunting for many faculty members. Learning new technology, meeting the needs of online learners, understanding online pedagogy, and managing workload and time are some of the challenges they must deal with. And it is up to academic leaders to provide the support and resources to encourage faculty to teach online and to continue teaching online.

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