Texas Professors Wary of New Controversial Law

Aug. 14, 2010 — -- A new Texas law going into effect this September will offer students unprecedented amounts of information about college classes, but professors across the state have labeled it an attack on their academic freedom.

Passed unanimously in 2009, Texas Legislative House Bill 2504 is the first of its kind in the nation. Under the new law, all public Texas universities will be required to provide an array of free, detailed and public information on their websites about courses, professors and the cost of attending school. It aims to help students make informed decisions what college to attend, what classes to take and which professors they want to study with which would, in theory, reduce the cost of attending school.

"The cost of higher education is constantly rising for students," said Republican State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, who authored the bill. "If we can provide students and parents with more information before they pick a class, a major or a school, hopefully they will be able to spend their money more efficiently."

Professors say that the new law attempts to turn state universities into businesses and will limit a student's experience to a strict regimen of "perfect courses," cheapening the academic experience.

"Faculty believe that earning a degree at a major research university is not simply an issue of taking courses for which students need consumer information of the sort that this bill attempts to secure," said Janet Staiger, a professor in the Radio-Television-Film department at the University of Texas.

Helping Students Help Themselves

Under the provisions of the new law, universities must post a detailed syllabus of each class by the seventh day of class each semester. The syllabus must provide a detailed description of the course requirements and subject matter of each lecture as well as all the required or recommended readings.

Students will also be able to view the course professor's curriculum vitae as well as previous semesters' student evaluations of the professor, which every student fills out at the end of the term, rating the class and the professor's performance on a scale and providing additional comments. If students are able to see exactly what a course or a professor is expecting of them, they may be less likely to drop the class during the semester, saving them money.

"I took a class when I was a freshman that was not what I really needed," said University of Texas incoming junior Lexy Bennett. "Had I been able to read the syllabus beforehand, I would not have wasted my time with the class."

Students also say that being able to see other students' comments and assessments of professors will help them choose classes that work well for them.

"It will be great to read what other students think of the professor [from previous semester's evaluations]," Bennett said. "That way you can match what type of learner you are to the professor that best suits you."

All of the information must be available without a login or password - making it free to any individual - and no more than three clicks away from the school's home page.

Many schools across the country provide a limited amount of class information to students free of charge, but most major universities do not provide the amount of data required by this law. At the University of Michigan, some departments provide current syllabi, but only for currently-enrolled students. The University of Florida website posts required texts and their prices for courses, but little more than a few sentences describing course topics.

Faculty Backlash

While the new law is popular among state lawmakers and students, professors are wary of the bill's true intent and the consequences it may have on the college education experience.

Viewing the student strictly as a "consumer" is a trend some college educators find alarming. Those opposed to the new law say it undermines their ability to challenge students to think freely on an intellectual level and infers that professors are "inefficient."

"[We] tire of the continued concept that faculty do not work hard enough, are not concerned enough and not efficient enough," said Richard Meek, a music professor and president of the faculty senate at Texas Tech University. "The concept that the student is our consumer and attempting to restructure higher education on some type of business model I find flawed."

The Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors adopted a resolution this summer officially requesting a repeal of the bill. In their 2010 summer news letter, the organization wrote the bill "has a chilling effect on the ability of students and faculty to openly and honestly discuss controversial subjects in the classroom."

The new bill allows individuals who are opposed to open discussions within the classroom to target professors by forcing them to post a detailed syllabus and stick to it, the newsletter said.

The Texas Conference called the bill "a clear assault upon the principles of academic freedom."

Benefit or Burden?

There has also been debate on whether the new law's student benefits outweigh the extra amount of work required from university support staff and professors. Another question: what are the consequences for higher education?

"I don't believe that our new law puts any more 'burden' on professors," Kolkhorst said. "They should have most, if not all, of this information compiled anyway, it is just a matter of sending it over to be posted."

John Curtis, director of research and public policy for the American Association of University Professors, agrees, but says simply providing the extra information isn't the problem.

"Really, this bill is about control," Curtis said. "It is about controlling curriculum. It is a way to target professors who may get 'out of line' or deviate from the rigid syllabus."

A key feature of a college education is developing the mind through free-form discussion, Curtis said. With these new requirements - which Curtis calls "silly" - he says the freedom to move through different topics and discussions is crippled.

"The law is intrusive and constraining," he said.

Debate over the benefits and disadvantages of the law is expected to continue into the fall semester. As newly formatted school websites come online and more students begin to use the extra information, both professors and lawmakers in Texas will be watching closely. Curtis said universities across the nation may be paying attention as well, because if the law succeeds in Texas, it may be only a matter of time before it crops up elsewhere.