Search

This paper honors the memory of Hans Mauksch and his contributions to teaching in sociology. A current trend in higher education is the application of various technologies to the processes of teaching and learning. Related issues include the nature of scholarship, the search for academic community, the nature of student development and persistence, and the relationship of these concepts to paradigms variously stressing teaching and learning. Literature in each of these areas is reviewed and linked to the concepts of virtual education and distance learning in order to address the consequences such applications of technology might have on higher education in the future

While many sociology departments express concern about teaching and a desire to improve services to their undergraduate students, most find that the constraints of traditional reward systems stand in the way of maximizing such efforts. The Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky has committed a fulltime, tenure track position to teaching and related duties. This paper describes this position, its responsibilities, and some of the benefits which have come from creating the position. By creating this position, the likelihood that the teaching program will work with the research program, rather than against it, is enhanced.