On College Teaching

A survey of 2800 teachers from 33 two- and four-year colleges shows markedly different perceptions of teaching goals and roles. The most significant differences occurred across fields of study. For example, whereas 55 percent of the science teachers said they were primarily concerned about teaching students the facts and principles of their subject matter, only 17 percent of the English teachers saw mastery of subject matter as their primary goal. These and other findings are related to research on college teaching, and suggestions are offered for applying findings to classroom teaching.