Faculty with a concentration in language arts or math, they felt, would certainly be able to keep current in the discipline through professional publications and through professional development activities provided by discipline organizations. Curricular Issue Curriculum is another important concern for faculty. Those opposing a discipline argue that to be able to teach well, one must know the content of and be able to teach the full range of courses within a discipline. Also because faculty are responsible for not only teaching but developing curriculum, it is essential that they understand the whole curriculum to build strong programs. Further concerns were the possible fragmentation of curriculum and the problems of identifying exit levels to transfer programs if faculty taught only the lowest levels.
Some faculty are concerned that students get trapped in basic skills programs.
Basic skills faculty are also concerned about the basic skills curriculum. They feel it receives inadequate attention at some colleges in favor of transfer level courses, and they view themselves as better qualified to develop basic skills programs than faculty with less training and experience in this area. Furthermore, some departments do not require or urge faculty to teach the full range of the curriculum within their discipline and are not concerned about hiring faculty who can do so. Yet, the existing minimum qualifications prevent competent basic skills faculty who lack a basic education credential from teaching basic skills courses. Rather than trying to trap students in remedial programs, proponents of a discipline view basic skills courses as serving the general curriculum by preparing students for higher level courses.