The Precarious State of Teaching: Obstacles to the Fulfillment of the College's Central Function
T NHE fundamental responsibility of a college is to provide teaching services of the highest possible order. The basic measure of its achievement is the extent to which students are assisted in acquiring knowledge, skill, and understanding. A college merits our full respect only through effective performance of this primary function. No distinctions gained through research or scholarship, through community service or other contributions, can compensate for failure to maintain an instructional program of high quality. An educational institution justifies its existence through teaching. For this reason, one might expect the quality of teaching services within a college to be a matter of intense concern, not only to those responsible for the instructional program but to its prospective beneficiaries as well. It would seem logical that there should be continuing and thorough evaluation of teaching procedures, a constant search for more effective instructional techniques. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case within most institutions of higher learning. Teaching is often approached in an extremely casual manner, and there seems to be little inclination to inquire very closely into its effectiveness. One can detect no widespread sense of urgency with regard to the teaching function. It is apparently assumed that so long as traditional routines are maintained, instruction is proceeding as well as can be expected. Several factors contribute to this state of affairs. It is extraordinarily difficult to make a sound appraisal of teaching effectiveness, and, in the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary, it is highly convenient to presume that all is well. The response of the general public to college programs offers no forceful indication that teaching services are deemed inadequate. In fact, public reaction may easily be interpreted as reflecting unqualified approval. Furthermore, there are numerous plausible arguments by means of which those within educational institutions may justify current practice and maintain their assurance that the central teaching function is being discharged in a satisfactory manner. External agencies with authority to pass judgment on the colleges ordinarily confine their evaluations to matters only distantly related to actual teaching performance. The relationship between the services of the teacher and the achieve-