One major goal of nursing faculty is to improve the quality of nursing instruction.
It is generally assumed that the quality of the faculty contributes to the enhancement of nursing education.
The purpose of this study was to make suggestions for the development of the quality of the nursing faculty. The study examined nursing education and education literature for the role of the nursing faculty, current issues in faculty development, and approaches to-ward the solutions of these issues and the enhancement of the quality of the faculty.
The role of the nursing faculty includes the roles of instructor, researcher, counselor, social service participant and administator.
Current issues in faculty development are categorized under five themes.
A. Formation of Community between Faculty and Students.
1. Hierarchical separation of teacher and learner.
2. Cramming method of teaching.
3. Inhuman aspects of the situation.
4. Reduction of the uniqueness of individuals.
B. Faculty Research Activity.
1. The primacy of research over teaching.
2. Research for commercial enterprises and government.
3. Lack of research resources.
4. Research not directed toward education.
C. Ingrown Character of Faculty Culture.
1. Closed culture.
2. Individualism.
3. Dependency on Foreign Science.
4. Stagnation.
D. Administrative Restraints.
1. Bureaucratic control.
2. Inflexible administration.
3. Lack of academic standards.
4. Faculty dissatisfaction.
E. Factors Unique to Nursing Education
1. Differences between teaching and practice.
Approaches toward the solution of issues and problems related to development of the quality of the faculty included achievement of a balance between teaching and reseach, formation of a community of teachers and learners, development of an academic cultural environment, administrative support and resources and consistency between teaching and practice.
Requirements for the enhancement of the quality of the faculty include faculty participation in decision-making related to faculty development, administrative support and resources for systematic and continuous research activity, and employment benefit and policies which contribute to scholastic satisfaction such as agreeable standards for promotion and tenure, salary increments, teaching loads, sabaticals and research funding.
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