An attack on teaching and learning centers

Colleges and universities should close teaching and learning centers because they threaten good teaching, That’s the argument of a recent Chronicle of Higher Education column, and I wanted to address it here. I’ll summarize the substance of “Why Pedagogy ‘Experts’ Are Wrong: In offloading pedagogical expertise to nonscholars, colleges degrade the classroom,” as it’s behind a paywall. Next I’ll share my negative reactions, followed my trying to take a more temperate stance. I’d really like to hear from readers. Before beginning, I should put my cards on the table, as my professional background gives me a perhaps atypical take. On the one hand, I am a university professor and have taught in higher ed for many years: as a grad student; at a liberal arts college, like the author of the column under question; at a nonprofit, leading workshops; now at a research university. Throughout those positions and years I’ve been committed to improving my own teaching by a variety of means, from…