Law Professor Dr. Leigh-Davis is Formulating Her Own Teaching Model

New York, NY, June 01, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Recently, Dr. Leigh-Davis became a proponent of online postsecondary education. Now, Dr. Leigh-Davis has started a campaign to raise the standards of all college professors, whether online or in the lecture hall. “I was not only disappointed, but also, I was in shock when I sat in on several classes at a prominent New York City university, because the professors seemed bored and were not good at relaying information,” said Dr. Leigh-Davis at the conclusion of a SkillShare class on writing, which she instructs. “Some people think you can only be a professor if you are boring; speak in a monotone voice; and put students to sleep. Au contraire, one must be a master of the material and an entertainer, to effectively instruct,” Dr. Leigh-Davis continued.

The Sage Journals reported, “Four significant factors (Attitude, Presentation Skills, Reliability, and Learning Skills) were identified that are correlated with overall teaching effectiveness.” ("Professor Attitude: Its Effect on Teaching Evaluations," by Chong Kim, Earl Damewood & Norma Hodge; The Sage Journals: Journal of Management Education, vol. 24 no. 4 458-473, August 2000.) Yet, college professor applicants hardly ever have a teaching audition, before being hired as a lecturer. A commentary in The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy paraphrased, “Most adjunct professors are hired based solely on their resume, with utter disregard for their teaching abilities.” ("How to Create Terrible Professors," by Jenna Ashley Robinson; The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy (online,) November 30, 2008.) Dr. Leigh-Davis explained, “Teaching is an art, and like dancing, some people are just never going to be good at it, while others are gifted.”

“When I was a college dean, my focus was on a professor’s teaching abilities, over their credentials, and over their mastery of the subject. The reason being, all of the applicants have the degrees, and have textbooks to follow. It is much easier to give a note on how a subject’s modules should be explained, than make a good teacher,” Dr. Leigh-Davis elaborated. In a handbook for professors at Columbia University in New York, Steven Mintz the director of the graduate teaching center opined, "Too often, lectures are boring. They seem irrelevant. The objectives aren’t clear. Students want classes to be stimulating, substantive, entertaining, interactive, not boring." ("The Fundamentals of College and University Teaching," by Steven Mintz; Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Teaching Center (handbook,) 2000.) With her campaign for better teaching, Dr. Leigh-Davis hopes to redirect universities’ emphasis, to hiring professors with stronger teaching abilities, and also, requiring auditions. Among other activities, her campaign includes speaking to other college deans about emphasizing the art of teaching, and also, Dr. Leigh-Davis is seeking teaching opportunities in non-traditional outlets, such as Skillshare, and online continuing education classes. “So many law students tell me they have taken the subject of evidence twice, or more, and did not understand hearsay until I explained it to them,” expounded Dr. Leigh-Davis.

In addition to her campaign for better teaching, Dr. Leigh-Davis’ has two (2) new books on Amazon. Currently, Dr. Leigh-Davis is a full-time law professor who specializes in teaching the subjects of business, tort law, contract law, anthropology, writing, and legal ethics. In addition to being a law professor, Dr. Leigh-Davis is a retired attorney, anthropologist, and popular TV & media personality, who regularly appears as a legal analyst and legal correspondent on NBC news, CNN and Fox news. She is also the former host of the Court TV television show, “The Court is in Session.” More information about Dr. Leigh-Davis’ television, writing and radio projects, can be found on Dr. Leigh-Davis’ official website.