Using a sample of 371 elementary and secondary teachers, this study examined whether three role stresses (role ambiguity, conflict, and overload) are related to two individually and organizationally related values and how teachers moderated stresses. Organizational commitment is affected by role stress. Teaming might increase role ambiguity.…

Examined changes in amounts of time faculty spent in teaching, advising, and research activities over the past 20 years. Found institutions are becoming more similar in their patterns of faculty time allocation, particularly regarding time spend on research. However, time spent advising and interacting informally with students appears to be…

Teachers need different types of communities to sustain and inspire them. They seek like-minded "outsiders" committed to learning and discussing what they learn. When the author invited "San Francisco Chronicle" readers to help convince his students about reading's importance, he received 1,000 helpful replies. (MLH)

Provides an account of a successful staffing initiative at a PhD-granting institution, the University of Pittsburgh. States that the "Fix English" program aimed to improve the educational quality of undergraduate instruction by increasing full-time faculty involvement, correcting workload inequities, and bringing the English department's…

Despite higher expectations for student learning that require problem-solving, in-depth discussions, and extended small-group projects, central-office directives (in response to standards and testing pressures) are proliferating and intruding on instructional time. These and other routine interruptions convinced the author to end a decade-long…

This survey study examined the current distance education practices of graduate level higher education programs. Highlights include delivery methods (interactive television was dominant); sources of funding (primarily from institutional dollars); and faculty workload and compensation (usually considered part of the normal workload with no extra…

Discusses a year-long study of time spent teaching and maintaining two comparable mature university courses, one offered online and one on campus. Results showed that the distance course required more frequent attention, but the total teaching and maintenance time per student was less than that for the traditional course. (Author/LRW)

Describes the harsh job search process for historians, exemplified by the "Pit," an interview fair held at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. Offers insights from interviewers and interviewees on the "labyrinth"-like process for often undesirable teaching positions. (EV)

Considers workload and pay issues for faculty in distance education courses, and maintains that faculty are doing more work for the same pay. Discusses costs of technology-based instruction; the emerging trend of partnerships in education; venture capital; and the role of the Department of Defense. (LRW)

Discussion of incentives for faculty participation in distance education focuses on two studies that examined faculty reward and incentive issues related to distance education participation. Highlights include intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, incentives and disincentives, and the interplay between perceived costs and benefits of participation.…

Studied institutions' policies and practices affecting full-time and part-time faculty in fall 1998, including teaching assignments, performance evaluations, tenure, and benefits. Data from the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty show the diversity of postsecondary education and the variety of policies related to faculty. (Author/SLD)

Describes specific experiences and benefits of teaching online. Considers how networking student learners to reduce teacher workload appears to be one of the most important functions for computer-based education. (SG)

Describes unbundling conceptually and then discusses its usefulness both in virtual environments and in traditional academic institutions. Asserts that faculty and administrators can use unbundling to compare costs of instruction under different scenarios, distribute workloads to increase effectiveness and efficiency, and, as part of a larger…

Individuals, institutions and organizations that are committed to the quality, long-term research productivity of academics need to view the post-tenure period as a critical turning point. Continuing to engage mid-career faculty in research when the immediate need for publication has decreased is one of the key issues that should be addressed to…

In the last two decades, there have been noticeable changes in the ranks of academic labourers, specifically the increasing reliance on part-time instructors. The use of part-time instructors can be attributed to, among other things, cutbacks in state funding to universities and colleges due to, or as a response to, globalization. This study…