The life of a university professor is one that is full of standards that must be met in order to provide a high quality learning environment for the students they instruct, and practices which aide in the improvement of this quality. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was set forth in order to better establish these practices for college-level instructors(1), both in and outside of the classroom. The AAUP does an excellent job in outlining the set of practices required of a professor of a university. Being skilled in several important areas, including curricula and teaching styles, acceptable practices regarding their duties as citizens, and an effective ability to communicate with their students are all important instructional practices outlined by the AAUP. The AAUP views these practices as responsibilities for all college-level instructors to abide by, and while there are many professors who do not effectively contribute to these practices, this is certainly not the case for all, as all effective college-level instructors will inevitably meet these criteria.
The AAUP defines an effective professor as one who respects their students as individuals, and therefore recommends that professors develop curricula better suited for matching these individual learning styles(3). Having a diverse curriculum may not seem like much of a requirement for a college professor, but in reality, it plays a very important role in the educational process. College is a very socially diverse environment. This diversity brings along with it, a difference in learning style. It is vastly important for a college professor to understand these differences, and thusly introduce several methods of learning into their classroom. The document continues by addressing the needs of professors in expanding their own knowledge. The AAUP states that a university professor should never accept the limits of their own knowledge threshold, and therefore must always seek to improve upon the practices and teachings utilized in their classroom; knowledge is a continual process(2). A professor at the college level must always practice intellectual honesty, meaning a willingness to have your certainties about the world, backed up by good evidence and a good argument. A university professor must always have a thorough knowledge of the sciences being taught, and must never betray this intellectual honesty by providing false, or unfounded information.
The AAUP also defines an effective university professor, as one who is known as a beacon for the community in which they reside. The document makes many referrals to the social aspects of the profession, and makes many judicial decisions about the lives of university professors outside of the classroom. The document explains one of the duties of a university professor as being much the same as all other citizens, explaining that a professor should be a guide for the intellectual and moral practices of their community, and should promote the betterment of their society. It is also explained within the document, that professors hold an obligation not only to their community as a whole, but to their colleagues as well. It is stated that a professor must aide in the improvement of his colleague, and respect and defend the free inquiry of associates, even when it leads to findings and conclusions that differ from their own. The document is intended to dictate to university professors that they hold an obligation to be unbiased against their associates, and to accept shared responsibility in decisions and practices that affect their institutions as a whole.
The AAUP recognizes the foremost need of a university professor as being an effective instructor and an effective leader. Professors must understand the need for a strong ability to communicate above all other qualities, as it is effective speaking which will serve as the vehicle for education. A strong public speaking ability is crucial both for captivating the interest of the individuals being taught and for clearly addressing and relaying information to those individuals. The AAUP states that communication can often be the difference between a student’s grasping of the material covered in a lecture and the student’s thorough comprehension of what material was being passed on. This alteration can often be the difference between a B and an A. The AAUP states that a university professor must exercise a high degree of self-criticality when evaluating (and perfecting) their ability to transmit knowledge. It is this high degree of communicability that provides the gateway for student success. The document continues by further establishing communication efficiency. It states that education and transmission of knowledge must also occur outside the classroom setting, as a university professor will often need to address concerns and issues from students in this setting. One-on-one teacher-student sessions, as well as field trips and other interactions with students outside the classroom are an excellent way for instructors to develop their communication abilities as well as improving their ability to teach as a whole.
As a whole, the educational and academic requirements of a college-level university professor, as outlined by the AAUP, are simple and straightforward. The ideas behind the system of ethics and practices of a university professor are all very clearly fundamental for the development of a successful university instructor, and have been proven time and time again to be critical in furthering the educational capabilities of their students. All three qualities: Educational diversity and instructor knowledge, being effective citizens and members of the community, and an excellent ability to communicate are immensely important in finding the dividing lines between your average instructor, and an effective educator.
Works Cited
Ayers, David. "AAUP: About the AAUP." American Association of University Professors. Web. 14
Nov. 2010. <http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/about/>.
Saxon, David. Interview completed on 26 Oct. 2010. Professor of Biology at Morehead State
University.
Ayers, David. "AAUP: Statement on Professional Ethics." American Association of University
Professors. AAUP, Jan.-Feb. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/statementonprofessionalet
hics.htm>.
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