Intersecting Identities And The Work Of Faculty Development,
2011
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
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?,
2011
Simpson College
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,
2011
Brigham Young University
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,
2011
Middle Tennessee State University
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.
Completing The Faculty Development Cycle: Using Data From Syllabi Review To Inform Action,
2011
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
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.
Social Capital And The Campus Community,
2011
Ellis University
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.
Teaching And Learning Together: College Faculty And Undergraduates Cocreate A Professional Development Model,
2011
Bryn Mawr College
Teaching And Learning Together: College Faculty And Undergraduates Cocreate A Professional Development Model, Alison Cook-Sather
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Most models of professional development assume that faculty learning is the purview of faculty colleagues or teaching and learning center staff. A program at Bryn Mawr College challenges that assumption by inviting undergraduate students to serve as pedagogical consultants to faculty members. Feedback from participants suggests that this approach affords faculty and students an unusual opportunity to coconstruct a more informed model of faculty development, deepens the learning experiences of both faculty and students, and recasts the responsibility for those learning experiences as one that faculty and students share.
Using Students To Support Faculty Development,
2011
Howard University
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, …
The Ta Consultant Program: Improving Undergraduate Instruction And Graduate Student Professional Development,
2011
University of California, Davis
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.
Ready Or Not? An International Study Of The Preparation Of Educational Developers,
2011
Indiana University School of Education, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Ready Or Not? An International Study Of The Preparation Of Educational Developers, Nancy Van Note Chism
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
This report of an international survey of educational developers describes their entry-level background knowledge and skills for the work of educational development, how they obtained them, and their recommendations on helping prepare new entrants to the profession. Respondents reported that their experiences rendered them moderately prepared for some tasks and less prepared for others, notably consultation. The results can inform increased professionalization of educational development through more systematic preparation of future educational developers.
Distribution And Penetration Of Teaching-Learning Development Units In Higher Education: Implications For Strategic Planning And Research,
2011
Western Kentucky University
Distribution And Penetration Of Teaching-Learning Development Units In Higher Education: Implications For Strategic Planning And Research, Sally Kuhlenschmidt
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
This chapter presents descriptive information about 1,267 U.S. teachinglearning development units (TLDUs). It provides strategic planning and research tools previously unavailable. Results indicate that TLDUs occur in at least 21.2 percent of U.S. higher education institutions, and their presence is correlated at a higher level with student enrollment than with number of faculty. The study provides normative data on the nature of higher education in the United States and on TLDUs by Carnegie classification, location, and type of institution. Additional information is provided about the presence of centers at special-focus institutions such as Hispanic-serving institutions.
Toward A Scholarship Of Faculty Development,
2011
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Toward A Scholarship Of Faculty Development, Mark Potter
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
This chapter critically examines the scholarship of faculty development. Using a typology adapted from one developed to understand the scholarship of teaching and learning, I reflect on the primary currents identifiable in the literature. Much of what is published in the field of faculty development consists of descriptions of the development and assessment of particular programs. One approach that is largely missing is the metastudy or review of prior studies that can serve to preserve the findings of scholar-practitioners.
Reflections On International Engagement As Educational Developers In The United States,
2011
Virginia Lee and Associates
Reflections On International Engagement As Educational Developers In The United States, Virginia S. Lee
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
An important aspect of the increasing complexity of the higher education landscape is its gradual internationalization. However, neither our colleges and universities nor we as educational developers have unequivocally embraced internationalization. In this chapter, I offer examples of international engagement and a framework for thinking about them. I argue that international engagement in the form of an evolving global scholarship and practice of educational development represents the ultimate extension of our thought and practice as educational developers.
Preface, Volume 30 (2011),
2011
University of North Florida
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.
Introduction, Volume 30 (2011),
2011
University of North Florida
Introduction, Volume 30 (2011), Judith E. Miller
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
Introduction to volume 30 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Judith E. Miller of University of North Florida.
The Digital Academy: Preparing Faculty For Digital Course Development,
2011
University of Texas at El Paso
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.
Writing Groups For Work-Life Balance: Faculty Writing Group Leaders Share Their Stories,
2011
Alabama State University
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.
The Citizenship Imperative And The Role Of Faculty Development,
2011
Eastern Michigan University
The Citizenship Imperative And The Role Of Faculty Development, Jeffrey L. Bernstein, Rebecca S. Nowacek, Michael B. Smith
To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development
By teaching the capacity for citizenship across the curriculum, colleges and universities can better serve their role as socially responsive institutions. We argue that citizenship themes can be more central to a wide variety of classes, including some in disciplines not considered traditional homes for civic education. Faculty development centers can play a critical role in helping facuity integrate citizenship into the curriculum and evaluate the learning that occurs in their citizenship-oriented classes. We offer guidelines for how learning communities can best serve these purposes.
Enhancing Out-Of-Class Communication: Students' Perspectives,
2011
Southern Connecticut State University
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.
Effecting Change In Limited-Control Classroom Environments: A Case Study,
2011
Texas Tech University
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.
