Deborah Allen, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Delaware, was named director of the Center for Educational Effectiveness at the university. The center oversees projects at the university associated with teaching, learning, and the assessment of the effectiveness of those activities.
Dr. Allen is a graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware.
Good idea. I hope that all universities, if they have not done so, would consider a similar operation. Unlike K-12 teachers, college professors need demonstrate no teaching proficiency, so it’s no surprise that colleges are under pressure to improve the effectiveness of faculty teaching and student learning. As I’ve been warning since NCLB became law, the same situation that prompted NCLB has turned up in higher education: high dropout rates (typically a by-product of underprepared students) and inadequate teaching. The situation is often worse for college since, unlike K-12, professors need not demonstrate teaching proficiency. If institutions similar to what the Univ. of Delaware has established don’t become the norm, the academic community shouldn’t be surprised if Congress mandates No Student Left Behind–with the consequences of noncompliance being withdrawal of federal education funds.