SUPPORT FOR CAMPUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

 WHEREAS, the last two decades have seen declining federal and state budget support for public universities resulting in the erosion of the quality of education available to students; and

WHEREAS, public higher education is now a major focus of this society as a result of recently published national reports; and

WHEREAS, these reports have been especially critical of undergraduate education; and

WHEREAS, faculty reward structures routinely ignore excellence in teaching in favor of research; and

WHEREAS, institutional evaluations for retention and tenure rely heavily on student evaluations of instruction without providing institutional support for faculty members to find means to improve the quality of their instruction; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers is committed to the improvement of undergraduate teaching; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers has pioneered a program of professional development for K-12 teachers called the Educational Research and Dissemination program, which uses peer teachers to disseminate research on effective teaching that then can be applied in the classroom; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers is developing a similar program at the postsecondary level; and

WHEREAS, several University Professionals of Illinois members have gone through the American Federation of Teachers' ER&D training and have initiated a pilot program on the Chicago State University campus:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers develop an expanded Educational Research and Dissemination program for higher education.