ABSTRACT
This chapter lays out a discussion of several themes and issues faced by university teachers throughout the world. Beginning with a narrative description of a typical university teacher, the notion is introduced that university teaching is a truly international activity, and thus a comparative perspective is useful for identifying and addressing shared concerns. Dimensions of university teaching activity chosen for discussion in this chapter include: gender and diversity among faculty and students; communication and language; faculty attitudes and behaviors; instructional methods; the impact of new technology in teaching and learning; and the evaluation of teaching. While these are just a few of the many issues faced by faculty worldwide, the overall intent of this discussion is to illustrate concerns which faculty in one country are likely to share with their colleagues in another part of the world, as well as demonstrate the value of looking at these issues from a comparative perspective.
