An Introduction to the Teaching and Learning Paper Series

 Gary F. Fairchild


 The core business of an academic department in a university is the business of teaching and

learning. In colleges of agricultural and life sciences at Land Grant Universities, federal and state

mandates and attendant funding for agricultural research and cooperative extension programs tend

to capture the majority of time and attention for most faculty. While it is appropriate for a faculty

with a majority appointment in either research or extension to devote a proprotional amount of time

to research or extension activities (research, analysis, written and oral communication, etc.), the

result often is that the minority teaching appointment receives little time or attention beyond

reading to stay abreast of subject-matter developments, lecture preparation and delivery, class

discussions, student advising, and grading.

 The non-classroom output appropriate for a teaching appointment, whether it be 10 percent

or 90 percent, often becomes a victim of the enormous time commitment necessary to generate the

publications and presentations expected of faculty in support of research and extension

responsibilities. Thus, it is the teaching- and learning-related publications which often fall through

the cracks. Examples include publications which address changing teaching philosophies and

techniques, curricular issues, and case studies. Perhaps the generation of such publications is never

considered due to a lack of perceived outlets for such endeavers.


Gary F. Fairchild is a Professor of Food and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural and Life
Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.