Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part series examining the way university faculty view their jobs. Today’s story examines teachers’ concerns.

by Amy Julian

Students, beware. Almost all university professors across the country feel college grading is too easy.

UCLA’s Higher Education Research institute conducted a 1989 survey which polled full-time faculty who taught at least one undergraduate course or spent at least nine hours per week in scheduled teaching.

One issue college teachers are vexed with is grading. About 80 percent said they feel students are sliding by because of a lax grading system.

Some teachers might be making the general judgment that students are getting better grades than they should be, said NIU Provost Kendall Baker.

“I guess they feel a little guilty,” said James Norris, dean of NIU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Since they are doing the grading, they should grade a little harder.”

However, some teachers resort to easy grading when they get upset about students not being as skilled in writing or spelling as they would like, he said.

“Those teachers must be talking about themselves,” said Admasu Zike, assistant professor and Director of the Center of Black Studies.

“I don’t think my grading is to easy,” he said.

Zike said he uses essay tests instead of multiple choice tests. Students sometimes complain about them, but at semester’s end, they say they have learned from them, Zike said.

College teachers also are concerned about how students benefit from the college experience. About 20 percent said they believe a college degree increases earning power.

The faculty knows people who have college degrees earn more money and have more career opportunities, Baker said.

However, “the faculy wants to believe that students are here for the learning experience (and not the money),” he said.

Baker, who serves as vice president to President John La Tourette, is analyzing the study’s results.

Making more money is not what teachers feel is what college is all about, Norris said. Vocational schools can find better jobs for people, he said.

“The purpose of college is to produce an educated citizen,” he said.

Teachers can help students gain insight into the importance of learning and the abilty to continue to learn, Baker said.

Another concern for college teachers is the acedemic ability of their students. Only 23 percent of NIU’s faculty said they believe high school adaquately prepares students for college.

“Society hasn’t done as good of a job in recent years preparing teachers and supporting them in their efforts to provide education,” Baker said.

As a consequence, students are not as well prepared as they should be, he said.

Public schools cannot exist without willing teachers, good leadership, adequate resources and technical capabilities, Baker said.

Some students are not getting the support they need at home, said Francis Miller, chemistry teacher and director of NIU’s University Honors Program.

Also, some people are chased away from teaching by the organizational tasks that are involved but aren’t related to education, Miller said.