Issues pertaining to the teaching function of higher education are considered in four papers from the sixth seminar of the Leverhulme Programme of the Study into the Future of Higher Education. In "Teachers and Staffing," Norman Lindop, Neil Merritt, Brian Gowenlock, and David Warren Piper review the varied contexts and conditions of the work of academic staff, and conclude with 55 propositions regarding the individual staff member, the institutional setting, and the national context in the United Kingdom. Donald Bligh considers a traditional approach to decisions in "The Professional Development of Teaching?" Attention is directed to needs of professional development, present approaches and policies, and general proposals in the context of higher education institutions and the system as a whole. In "The Values Presupposed," Mary Warnock considers the structure of higher education, the content and methods of the curriculum, and conflicting demands for the academic freedom and social accountability of teachers. Lastly, in "Freedoms, Rights, and Accountability," Donald Bligh discusses academic freedoms in teaching, a contract between student and institution, and the accountability of teachers. (SW)