Teachers wear many hats. Lecturer, mentor, evaluator, trainer, coach as both deconstructor/constructor, curriculum creator are among the mini-roles. Each role is frought with a degree of interdisciplinary drama. Everyone thinks their way is best. And, for the most part they are right. The reason is tied to the idea of academic freedom, which in essence is free speech for academics. The method that works best is the one the faculty member is able to use the best. Why? Because an attempt to use someone else's method can feel awkward at best, unauthentic at worst. So, we naturally use what works for us, whether it is 'the' best way or not.
That said, yes, the student populous is not the same as a generation ago, and sometimes not in a good way. This means that mature teachers may not fully appreciate the special challenges of today's younger students. Thus, they need to be given the data on what makes today's learners challenging. An example might be the evolution of the brain to accommodate the television/YouTube mentality of 5 minutes worth of information, whereas in previous generations, a person could handle 30 minutes before tuning out.
One advantage of mature experience is to be able to distinguish between when one is being a rescuer vs a coach. What does that mean? A rescuer is quick to save someone from failing. A coach guides them to passing. The critical difference lies in the way the student emerges from the experience. If they are rescued, they are not empowered and become dependent on being 'passed' by the faculty. If they are coached, it was their own effort that empowered them to succeed. The second method can make a huge difference in a person's life as they learn that what they do makes a difference. Sometimes younger faculty, anxious to be friendly and helpful, don't recognize that being a rescuer robs the learner's empowerment and sense of accomplishment. Naturally, all faculty have a moral obligation to provide an example of what great effort looks like to their students.
BTW: If faculty are being generally blamed for students not passing, that suggests more of a systemic issue than an individual faculty issue. If it is just one faculty member and even good students are not passing, that suggests a need to sit down and show them the data and ask them 'What do you think we need to do to improve this?'. That relays two messages: 1) Improvement is needed 2) If it cannot be improved, we will not give up looking for alternative solutions.
