Globalization and Faculty Work in the United States
The academic profession has changed with startling abruptness, even as the transformation has gone quietly unnoticed by the public, elected officials and, surprisingly, many professors themselves.
The impact of globalization on faculty work is uncertain. But adaptations by institutions driven by economic and social competitiveness, workforce mobility, a radically changed classroom paradigm, and waning academic professionalism already parallel unprecedented innovations in information communication technologies. Changing realities of who academic workers are, how they are qualified, where and how they work, who they teach, how learning is certified, and how education’s impact on economies and societies is measured have altered the professoriate in myriad ways. The author of this paper argues that recognizing and understanding how globalization is transforming faculty work provides the only viable means to guide and shape the academic workforce America needs today.
The author based his conclusions on personal observations and a comprehensive review of the literature on how globalization is transforming the academic workforce.
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