Figlio, Schapiro and Soter asked that question in their study of Northwestern University undergraduates. Their answer:
Our findings suggest that non-tenure track faculty at Northwestern not only induce students to take more classes in a given subject than do tenure line professors, but also lead the students to do better in subsequent coursework than do their tenure track/tenured colleagues.
The Chronicle discusses the study here.
see, comments on a post a few weeks ago, where many argued that newly-minted Ph.D.s in "intersections" are the "stars" among the faculty because they teach so well, the students love them so much, and in every way they further the goals of the faculty (which in many ways are related to judgments based on immutable characteristics of identity).
Posted by: anon | September 10, 2013 at 01:39 PM
So many problems with the study and how it was reported. For example, see: http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/tenuredradical/2013/09/tenured-faculty-tie-shoes-crowd-cheers-wildly/
Posted by: ATLprof | September 10, 2013 at 02:44 PM
From the Chronicle piece:
"piece work performed by casual laborers"
Nope, no problems there with that critique. No evidence of any preconceived and knee-jerk reaction that rejects any evidence that might tend to show that teaching outcomes may be measured by student performance ... and that persons with experience outside academia may know something about obtaining those better outcomes. No, no, a thousand times, NO!
Instead, one should prefer to indulge the carefully contrived rumor of teaching excellence spread among the faculty by supporters of a new member of the faculty (usually, motivated by identity). One should believe, usually with little or no proof, that one who knows hardly enough to be able to impart any meaningful link between a law school course and the law as it is practiced in the US, is able to teach students how the material studied relates to the practice of law.
Those who possess favored identities are usually thought of as teh most "gifted teachers" on the law faculty. Student performance is rarely measured. The attempt of the NW study, albeit flawed, was a step in the right direction.
Want to know how good a teacher a prof is? For a start, put down the students' evals, and instead obtain a copy of that prof's final and the students' essays in response.
Posted by: ano | September 10, 2013 at 03:59 PM
From ano:
"Nope, no problems there with that critique. No evidence of any preconceived and knee-jerk reaction that rejects any evidence that might tend to show that teaching outcomes may be measured by student performance ... and that persons with experience outside academia may know something about obtaining those better outcomes. No, no, a thousand times, NO!"
You know that the cited study at Northwestern did not look at "persons with experience outside academia"?
As for the rest about focusing more on student performance and outcomes, yes, yes, yes. Agreed.
Posted by: ATLprof | September 10, 2013 at 04:34 PM