Hello, TIPsters-- I have another query for you. Our provost is trying to come up with a new "model of teaching productivity" for faculty. The current "model" is based on the number of credits taught (here, "productive" = 12 undergrad credits or 9 grad credits). Our dean informs us that the provost wants to move toward a "student credit hours taught" model where you look good if you have a lot of bodies in your classes and bad if you don't. The dean wants each department to develop its own model, based on the nature of courses. This model should be based not on "what we've always done" but on what the research says about optimal productivity. The dean also wants to develop a model for the college (liberal arts and education). We, of course, are outraged at the implication that quality = quantity, and we do not want to sacrifice our smaller class size, which is a real "draw" for us. Our largest sections are the General Psych. classes, which cap at 40. Is anyone aware of research on optimal class sizes in psychology? Does anyone have experience creating a productivity model for an academic department? Pat Bromley University of Wisconsin-Platteville [EMAIL PROTECTED]
