Reply #30: I am no expert on education at that level, but...

[YvonneCa]

...the whole point of 'publishing' seems to be to validate the worth (through knowledge) of the faculty member who must do so. At my level, the current credential supposedly does the same...it says I have completed work in areas X,Y and Z and therefore am qualified to teach.

In today's environment, where people question what has gone wrong in education and are desperate for answers, both criteria are under scrutiny. At my level, it's not enough to have the credential, you also have to continually update that knowledge (which is good. You must regularly be evaluated by administration...also good. You may have to pass additional tests and certifications to prove your level of knowledge. You now must also prove (through test scores) that your teaching is working for your students...questionable, IMHO.

The effect of 'publish or perish' at the college level? My suspicion would be that maybe it causes the focus of the teacher to move away from teaching/curriculum and toward proving that he/she has the desired result on students. Just a guess. :)