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Full-Text Articles in Education
Forty Percent Of 2 Million: Preparing To Serve Our Veterans With Disabilities, Bruce C. Kelley, Emetta L. Fox, Justin M. Smith, Lisa A. Wittenhagen
Forty Percent Of 2 Million: Preparing To Serve Our Veterans With Disabilities, Bruce C. Kelley, Emetta L. Fox, Justin M. Smith, Lisa A. Wittenhagen
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
On August 1, 2009, the Post-9111 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 was passed, and as a result, almost 2 million veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will soon enroll in postsecondary education. Up to 40 percent of these veterans are estimated to have disabilities. This chapter examines some of the characteristics of this group, the challenges that veterans face as they transition into life as college students, and how faculty developers can help faculty better serve these incoming veterans.
The Digital Academy: Preparing Faculty For Digital Course Development, Sunay V. Palsole, Beth L. Brunk-Chavez
The Digital Academy: Preparing Faculty For Digital Course Development, Sunay V. Palsole, Beth L. Brunk-Chavez
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
New generations of learners necessitate new ways of teaching, and hybrid courses can help institutions leverage technologies to improve teaching and learning. The adoption of a new instructional paradigm, however, requires attention to the facuity’s ability to create and deliver effective courses. The University of Texas at El Paso has developed the Digital Academy to help facuity interweave online elements with face-to-face teaching. The model is pliable and portable in its application to other universities.
Faculty Development As A Hazardous Occupation, Linda B. Nilson, Edward B. Nuhfer, Bonnie B. Mullinix
Faculty Development As A Hazardous Occupation, Linda B. Nilson, Edward B. Nuhfer, Bonnie B. Mullinix
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
"Hazardous" describes events and conditions that produce an undesired, involuntary, career-changing disruption of a developer’s professional practice. While faculty development is an immensely valuable asset to an institution that knows how to make use of it, the unique nature off acuity development centers within varied academic institutions brings occupational hazards to those who direct or work in such centers. Our study synthesizes and identifies patterns among over thirty cases furnished by developers, primarily center directors, who experienced career disruptions. We conclude by offering evidence-based counsel on how to recognize the hazards and mitigate damage.
Effecting Change In Limited-Control Classroom Environments: A Case Study, Allison P. Boye
Effecting Change In Limited-Control Classroom Environments: A Case Study, Allison P. Boye
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Many instructors face the dilemma of possessing little control over their own curriculum or even their own pedagogy. This chapter examines three instructors who were teaching the same course over several years, facing the same problematic issues beyond their control, and describes the role of faculty developers in helping effect practical change for those instructors and for the course. The findings of this study, using longitudinal data derived from student evaluations and qualitative responses from instructor interviews, suggest that faculty developers can help instructors realize change on an individual level as well as at the department and big-picture levels.
About The Authors, Volume 29 (2011)
About The Authors, Volume 29 (2011)
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
About the editors and authors of volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.
Support Needs Of University Adjunct Lecturers, Sarah M. Ginsberg
Support Needs Of University Adjunct Lecturers, Sarah M. Ginsberg
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Little is known about the support needs of the part-time instructors on university campuses, despite the fact that they represent more than 50 percent of the instructors teaching in higher education. This study of adjunct lecturers investigated their support needs and their preferences for receiving support. Results indicated that adjuncts wanted information about their students and effective teaching methods beyond lecturing. They expressed frustration over the fact that there was no systematic approach to information sharing, particularly with the tenure-track faculty in their programs. They evenly favored resources provided either electronically or face-to-face.
Adapting A Laboratory Research Group Model To Foster The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Beth A. Fisher, Regina F. Frey
Adapting A Laboratory Research Group Model To Foster The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Beth A. Fisher, Regina F. Frey
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
A multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff formed an education research group modeled on a laboratory research group to focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This group has bridged the communication and knowledge gaps between STEM and social science faculty and science education specialists, fostered the development of collaborative SoTL projects, and laid the groundwork for broader institutional support of SoTL.
Using Students To Support Faculty Development, Teresa M. Redd, Carl E. Brown Jr.
Using Students To Support Faculty Development, Teresa M. Redd, Carl E. Brown Jr.
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Howard University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CETLA) provides faculty development for more than fifteen hundred facuity. Yet it is CETLA’s students who make the difference. They are both the motivation for improving teaching and the means to that end. Students have contributed to everything from the design of CETLA’s infrastructure, to the implementation of instructional technologies, to the assessment of student learning. Meanwhile, supporting faculty development has contributed to the students’ own development. A cost-benefit analysis as well as survey data confirms that working with students at CETLA is a win-win opportunity for the university, faculty, …
Preface, Volume 29 (2011), Judith E. Miller
Preface, Volume 29 (2011), Judith E. Miller
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Preface to volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.
Acknowledgments, Volume 29 (2011)
Acknowledgments, Volume 29 (2011)
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Acknowledgments for volume 29 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.
Graduate Student Internships As A Pathway To The Profession Of Educational Development, Kathryn E. Linder, Stephanie E. Rohdieck, Alan Kalish, Teresa A. Johnson, Kathryn M. Plank
Graduate Student Internships As A Pathway To The Profession Of Educational Development, Kathryn E. Linder, Stephanie E. Rohdieck, Alan Kalish, Teresa A. Johnson, Kathryn M. Plank
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Educational developers can help create a cadre of well-prepared new professionals by mentoring them during graduate study. Through an educational development intern position, we created a mentorship opportunity for graduate students interested in the field of educational development as a career opportunity. Teaching center staff, participating graduate student interns, and the field of educational development benefited from the model.
Writing Groups For Work-Life Balance: Faculty Writing Group Leaders Share Their Stories, Dannielle Joy Davis, Kara Provost, Amanda E. Major
Writing Groups For Work-Life Balance: Faculty Writing Group Leaders Share Their Stories, Dannielle Joy Davis, Kara Provost, Amanda E. Major
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Faculty writing groups can promote both the work-life balance and productivity of members of the professoriate. The benefits of such development initiatives expand beyond productivity to include retention, promotion, and improved teaching. Through the development of writing groups, faculty developers can empower faculty to meet research obligations, establish equilibrium in their work practices, and maintain work-life balance.
Completing The Faculty Development Cycle: Using Data From Syllabi Review To Inform Action, Phyllis Blumberg
Completing The Faculty Development Cycle: Using Data From Syllabi Review To Inform Action, Phyllis Blumberg
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Consistent with the mission of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, the Teaching and Learning Center has emphasized implementation of learner-centered practices for eight years. To assess the impact of these development efforts, I reviewed syllabi and course approval forms of seventy-two recently approved courses. The documents revealed a disappointing lack of evidence of learner-centered course design features. Voluntary faculty development programming cannot force faculty to change their course designs. However, the results prompted discussions with administrators and faculty and yielded calls to action for greater implementation of learner-centered practices.
Curriculum Revision And Cultural Change: A Joint Faculty Development And Faculty Governance Approach, Terre H. Allen, David A. Horne, Ingrid M. Martin, Michael E. Solt
Curriculum Revision And Cultural Change: A Joint Faculty Development And Faculty Governance Approach, Terre H. Allen, David A. Horne, Ingrid M. Martin, Michael E. Solt
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Typically faculty development is not closely aligned with faculty governance. However, faculty development and faculty governance can find opportunities to work together to achieve transparent, rapid, and systematic curriculum revision and cultural change. Specifically, we describe the process of revision of a master’s of business administration (M.B.A.) curriculum in which faculty development and faculty governance worked together to provide continuous assistance, opportunities for frequent discussion, periodic review, and faculty programming to achieve curriculum and course redesign for integrative learning and integrative teaching practice.
Social Capital And The Campus Community, Andrew N. Carpenter, Linda Coughlin, Susanne Morgan, Christopher Price
Social Capital And The Campus Community, Andrew N. Carpenter, Linda Coughlin, Susanne Morgan, Christopher Price
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Investigating colleges’ and universities’ social capital through its five dimensions—civic engagement, norms and trust, collective action, bonding capital, and bridging capital—provides a powerful way of thinking about organizational and faculty development. Four very different institutions of higher learning have promoted their organizational development through efforts that build social capital. We seek to inspire additional application of and research into this topic by demonstrating that confronting the complexities of social capital within diverse campus communities can help faculty developers understand those communities with greater nuance and in ways that improve their ability to design and implement development initiatives.
The Ta Consultant Program: Improving Undergraduate Instruction And Graduate Student Professional Development, Mikaela Huntzinger, Paul Mcpherron, Madhumitha Rajagopal
The Ta Consultant Program: Improving Undergraduate Instruction And Graduate Student Professional Development, Mikaela Huntzinger, Paul Mcpherron, Madhumitha Rajagopal
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Graduate students, particularly at research-oriented universities, are well prepared for future research careers, but they often lack knowledge or training in other aspects of academic life. A teaching assistant consultant program was created to improve the professional development opportunities for campus teaching assistants and provide a community of practice in which graduate students pursue teaching interests, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and service. We offer recommendations for creating similar programs and conclude by recommending the development of communities of practice to create opportunities for graduate students to improve their teaching skills.
Ethical Guidelines For Educational Developers
Ethical Guidelines For Educational Developers
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Ethical guidelines for educational developers.
There Was Something Missing: A Case Study Of A Faculty Member’S Social Intelligence Development, Tamara Rosier
There Was Something Missing: A Case Study Of A Faculty Member’S Social Intelligence Development, Tamara Rosier
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Some faculty members seem to lack the social intelligence or relational skills needed to successfully “read” and respond to their students. This chapter describes the process of developing social intelligence skills in one faculty member. During a series of ten coaching sessions, there was demonstrable change in the faculty member’s behavior and a self-reported increase in his social intelligence skills. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that social intelligence can be developed, and it has the potential to have a positive effect on teaching practices and faculty success.
A Coaching-Based Framework For Individual Consultations, Deandra Little, Michael S. Palmer
A Coaching-Based Framework For Individual Consultations, Deandra Little, Michael S. Palmer
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Educational developers committed to promoting effective teaching and learning practices often make the same mistake we advise instructors to avoid: privileging content over process in individual consultations. We describe a process-oriented consultation model based on effective practices from the literature on individual consultations, coaching, learning, and motivation. Using this three-step model, educational developers can systematically create a collaborative environment that is nonjudgmental and nonprescriptive and draws on the client’s capabilities, experiences, aspirations, and resourcefulness.
About The Authors, Volume 30 (2011)
About The Authors, Volume 30 (2011)
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
About the editors and authors of volume 30 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.
Preface, Volume 30 (2011), Judith E. Miller
Preface, Volume 30 (2011), Judith E. Miller
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Preface to volume 30 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.
Enhancing Out-Of-Class Communication: Students' Perspectives, Bonnie S. Farley-Lucas, Margaret M. Sargent
Enhancing Out-Of-Class Communication: Students' Perspectives, Bonnie S. Farley-Lucas, Margaret M. Sargent
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Out-of-class communication between faculty and students is linked to student learning, engagement, and success. As the source for mentoring, advising, and supplemental instruction, out-of-class communication and its barriers require explicit attention. Using a faculty-student collaborative research approach, we interviewed a diverse group of thirty-three undergraduates regarding behaviors, statements, and practices that contributed to or discouraged out-of-class communication. We found that in-class communication sets the stage for whether students approach faculty outside class and that faculty misbehaviors and disconfirming communication in class almost inevitably lead to out-of-class avoidance.
Academic Dishonesty Among International Students In Higher Education, Krishna K. Bista
Academic Dishonesty Among International Students In Higher Education, Krishna K. Bista
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
University instructors address and want to eschew student academic misconduct. These educators presume that students understand fully what cheating and plagiarism are. However, the issue of academic dis-honesty among international students is complex and difficult. This study investigated the perceptions of international undergraduate and graduate students in a southern U.S. university about possible causes for academic misbehavior. Results reveal several causal variables: previous learning style, English language proficiency, unfamiliarity with American academic cultures, relationship between student and teacher, and availability of technical and educational resources associated with academic dishonesty.
Working Effectively With Psychologically Impaired Faculty, Carolyn B. Oxenford, Sally L. Kublenschmidt
Working Effectively With Psychologically Impaired Faculty, Carolyn B. Oxenford, Sally L. Kublenschmidt
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
More than one-fourth of all residents of the United States experience mental health disorders in any given year. Evidence suggests that faculty are more likely to suffer from psychological impairment than the general population. This chapter reviews evidence on faculty stress and impairment and helps facuity developers recognize signs that mental health issues may be affecting faculty performance. It also will help faculty developers understand legal issues in relation to facuity impairment and help them work effectively with colleagues who are coping with psychological impairments.
Cross-Domain Collaborative Learning And The Transformation Of Faculty Identity, James B. Young
Cross-Domain Collaborative Learning And The Transformation Of Faculty Identity, James B. Young
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
This chapter addresses how faculty from disparate backgrounds collaborate in interdisciplinary learning communities and how this cross-domain collaboration leads to a tangible change in identity. Faculty enter learning communities playing the more common roles of expert and teacher, but they leave taking on the additional roles of novice, learner, and knowledge integrator. The experience of cross-domain interaction is both rewarding and transformative for faculty as they are well equipped to communicate across the disciplinary landscape and gain a rhetorical awareness that is an invaluable ingredient for learning community participation.
Professional Conversations: A Reflective Framework For Collaborative Development, Peter Shaw, Bob Cole
Professional Conversations: A Reflective Framework For Collaborative Development, Peter Shaw, Bob Cole
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
A small team of faculty and faculty developers at the Monterey Institute of International Studies launched a professional development initiative by adapting Edge’s (1992, 2002) framework of cooperative development into a model they labeled the professional conversation. This structured interaction involves a speaker exploring a topic of professional and personal significance through the facilitation of an understander. The details of the model are presented, along with heuristics for practicing the two roles. Assessment data indicate that the struggle to master the model is judged worthwhile for community building, professional development, and, unexpectedly, pedagogical practice.
Intersecting Identities And The Work Of Faculty Development, Cerri A. Banks, Jonathan Luzzini, Susanne M. Pliner
Intersecting Identities And The Work Of Faculty Development, Cerri A. Banks, Jonathan Luzzini, Susanne M. Pliner
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
On increasingly diverse college campuses, faculty members look to faculty developers for support in facilitating difficult classroom dialogues and in handling challenging interactions around their students’ identities and their own. We propose that faculty developers’ work around issues of diversity, social justice, and inclusive excellence can be enhanced by developing a foundation in the theory of intersectionality, which engages the complexity of identity and the resulting power structures that inform institutions. We discuss this theoretical perspective and provide examples of faculty development initiatives that can be strengthened through the use of an intersectional lens.
The First Day Of Class: How Should Instructors Use Class Time?, Sal Meyers, Brian C. Smith
The First Day Of Class: How Should Instructors Use Class Time?, Sal Meyers, Brian C. Smith
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Students and instructors rated first-day class satisfaction and completed scales assessing the time that instructors spent on introductions, course policies, procedures, and course content. For students, interest on or before the first day, and for faculty, excitement and confidence in students’ abilities, strongly predicted satisfaction on the first day. Student and instructor satisfaction also were positively associated with time devoted to hows and whys, content, and introductions. Findings contradict previous empirical studies of student satisfaction but are consistent with faculty development recommendations.
Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Effects Of Midcourse Evaluation, Whitney Ransom Mcgowan, Russell T. Osguthorpe
Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Effects Of Midcourse Evaluation, Whitney Ransom Mcgowan, Russell T. Osguthorpe
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
We report on faculty and student perceptions of the effects of midcourse evaluations on teaching improvement and student learning. We provided faculty with a midcourse evaluation tool, surveyed faculty and students, interviewed faculty, observed debriefing sessions, and compared midcourse with end-of-semester ratings. Of 510 mean ratings on individual learning items, 342 (67 percent) mean scores showed improvement from midcourse to the end of the semester. Faculty who read their midcourse feedback, discussed it with their students, and made pedagogical changes saw the most improvement in their ratings.
Evolution Of A Peer Review And Evaluation Program For Online Course Development, Cynthia L. Adams, Dianna Z. Rust, Thomas M. Brinthaupt
Evolution Of A Peer Review And Evaluation Program For Online Course Development, Cynthia L. Adams, Dianna Z. Rust, Thomas M. Brinthaupt
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
The faculty peer assistants (FPAs) program combines a mentoring and peer review process for initial online faculty course development and subsequent course revision. An FPA mentors colleagues during course design and conducts peer reviews when the courses are complete. The program incorporates a peer review and evaluation form that outlines course standards and guides the faculty course developer, the peer reviewer, and the department chair. Feedback about the program from department chairs, faculty course developers, and FPAs was uniformly positive.