Lyons, Richard E., Meggin McIntosh, and Marcella L. Kysilka. Teaching

College in an Age of Accountability. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003.

This book addresses many aspects of higher educational teaching (professorship) in an age of increased accountability – we are witnessing the growing scrutiny of academic institutions by “external stockholders” (p. 10) including governmental bodies. Moreover, a shift in how higher education is viewed (as almost a business enterprise) has led to a number of new methods in administering such education. This book examines the key parts of university-level teaching (especially course planning, implementation, and assessment) against this backdrop of a changed perception of the role of universities.

Especially useful to interested readers, and certainly to up-and-coming professors, is a section on “today’s college students” which includes brief discussions of demographic information, special-needs students, and a cursory presentation about multiple intelligences theory (following Gardner). Also, this section contains a subsection on “what students want” from a college professor (p. 50).

Equally useful, and of immense importance, is a section on what accountability means for teaching; its impact on professorship seems to compel the professor to step into several simultaneous roles – that of teacher, researcher/scholar, recruiter, collaborator, and more – while maintaining (or adopting, in some cases) an open-minded attitude towards the use of technology in the classroom.

The latter part of the book contains a well-organized “how-to” manual regarding course planning, teaching methods, assessment procedures, and a lengthy section on technology use; all of these are designed to help professors become more proficient at their task in this age of accountability – that is, the task of educating our young adults both thoroughly and effectively.

Regretfully, this “age” of ours necessitates treating schools like businesses. But, even so, we are provided with a later chapter about “maintaining the edge” in academia. So, whatever our misgivings about the age in which we find ourselves, this book aims to help us become more effective educators and wants to help us in that quest.

Added by Ed DuBois - 4/7/2008