Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

"A Continuing Conversation On Teaching:" An Evaluation Of A Decade-Long Lilly Teaching Fellows Program 1986-1996, Karen List

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This study assesses what difference the Lilly Teaching Fellows Program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has made in its first ten years, both to the fellows who have participated in it and to the University community. Based on a survey of the fellows, the study concludes that the program has had significant positive effects on teaching skills and attitudes, collegiality, research and service. The study also assesses the seven major components of the Lilly Program and suggests ways in which they might be improved The author then recommends increased institutional support for teaching to decrease the tensions between the programs' …

Teaching Improvement Consultation For Teaching On Television, Joyce Povlacs Lunde, Myra S. Wilhite

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Instructional consultants have traditionally offered individual consultation to faculty members on their campuses to improve teaching and learning. This kind of consultation to improve teaching is also valuable for those teaching on television, but consultants may need to prepare themselves in learning technologies and distance education in order to help faculty offering instruction via television. In addition, the phases of initial interview, data-gathering, data feedback, implementation, and evaluation, which constitute a process often used to improve teaching, need to be expanded to address teaching over television.

Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons For Classroom Teaching And Faculty Development, Larry K. Michaelsen, L. Dee Fink, Arletta Knight

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The primary objective of this article is to provide readers with guidance for designing effective group assignments and activities for classes and workshops. In doing so, we examine the forces that foster social loafing (uneven participation) in learning groups and identify four key variables that must be managed in order to create a group environment that is conducive for broad-based member participation and learning. We then discuss the impact of various types of activities and assignments on learning and group cohesiveness. Finally, we present a checklist that has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of group assignments in a wide …

A New Starting Point For Faculty Development In Higher Education: Creating A Collaborative Learning Environment, Katherine Sanders, Christopher Carlson-Dakes, Karen Dettinger, Catherine Hajnal, Mary Laedtke, Lynn Squire

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Traditional faculty development approaches often focus on teaching faculty skills to use in their classrooms. In order to have a deeper cultural impact, we have found it useful to start the conversation at a different point than teaching skills; that is, to have faculty learn how people learn by experiencing a learning environment that is substantively different than their previous classroom experiences. Our program, Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment (CCLE), has been successful in helping faculty from diverse disciplines at a major research institution to work together to learn about learning and redesign teaching.

Incorporating Theories Of Teacher Growth And Adult Education In A Faculty Development Program, Alenoush Saroyan, Cheryl Amundsen, Cao Li

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This paper describes a theory-based faculty development program and provides preliminary evidence as to its effectiveness in promoting change in thinking about teaching. The program design was based on Ramsden's (1992) theory of teacher growth and Mezirow's (1991) transformative theory in adult education. The program was offered as a three-credit course to graduate students and as a week-long (40 hours) workshop to faculty. Assessment included responses to pre- post- questions about participants' views from teaching. Results indicate that both groups changed their focus from viewing teaching as transmitting knowledge to a more integrated and complex conception of teaching.

Section I: Changing Roles For Faculty And Faculty Developers

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Section Ii: Faculty Development Program Models

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Section Iii: Assessing Faculty Development Activities

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Section Iv: Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Section V: Designing Effective Courses, Assignments And Activities

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Using Student Feedback To Improve Teaching, Peter Seldin

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Student feedback has become the most widely used - and, in many cases, the only - source of information to evaluate and improve teaching effectiveness. Some instructional developers use the approach effectively while others do not. This paper discusses important new lessons learned about what works and what doesn't, key strategies, tough decisions, latest research results, and links between evaluation and development.

The Impact Of Comprehensive Institutional Assessment On Faculty, Tracey Sutherland, James Guffey

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In this age of accountability, colleges and universities are being called on to provide evidence of their effectiveness. As a result, comprehensive assessment initiatives are being implemented on most campuses, requiring increasing numbers of faculty to become involved. Beginning with an overview of a faculty-driven assessment model, this article describes specific roles faculty play and the results of a study in which faculty describe how their involvement influences their teaching and professional development. The primary purpose of faculty development is to improve the learning environment. Faculty participation in institutional assessment efforts enhances that environment. The results of the study provide …

Helping Faculty Design Assignment-Centered Courses, Barbara E. Walvoord, John R. Breihan

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty developers must help faculty shift from a teaching paradigm to a learning paradigm. Workshops that help faculty plan the "assignment-centered" course are a productive approach to that challenge. This article shows faculty developers how to plan and lead such a workshop. Research suggests that faculty often focus on content and coverage in their course planning. To combat this tendency, the workshop leads faculty through the course-planning process. In the workshop, faculty first develop learning objectives, then plan the assignments and exams that will both teach and test the essential skills and knowledge of the course. Then faculty choose and …

Implementing Peer Review Programs: A Twelve Step Model, Jamie Webb, Kathleen Mcenerney

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Nationally, universities and colleges are expressing increased interest in peer review of teaching in response to public calls for accountability from academe. Further motivation comes from within campuses themselves as they respond to an increasingly non-traditional student body. Based on our experience with a peer observation program at California State University-Dominguez Hills, we identified twelve steps for planning and implementing a peer review process. In this article we discuss each of the twelve steps, presenting a rationale and sharing our experiences.

Educational Excellence For Administrating Schools : A Reflective Essay, Cynthia J. Lapel

Graduate Research Papers

A visionary leader must look at what the organization should be like to achieve educational excellence, and then be willing to undertake the necessary steps to achieve the vision. Educational excellence will take a strong-hold only when it evolves from a community commitment for excellence. This community consisting of students and teachers, as well as parents and the public, led by a visionary administrator, will develop a commonly held vision to achieve educational excellence for their school district.

A Fairy Tale About Teacher Research In Conservative Times, Collaborative Action Researchers For Democratic Communities, Suzanne Soohoo, Lani Martin, Tom Wilson, Emily Wolk

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Collaborative action research involves creating spaces for thoughtful discussion, not only about classroom practices but about schooling in general. The fairy tale created by the authors of this piece raises questions about autonomy, control, and the need for participation in the context of the current conservative climate.

A National Survey Of Tenure And Promotion Standards In Communication Departments, Philip Emmert, Steven A. Rollman

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents information on a survey on tenure and promotion standards in academic departments in the U.S. Among the most important decisions in the academic world are those of promotion and tenure. The importance of these decisions is underscored by the controversy that accompanies them. The conflict surrounding these, as well as merit decisions, is usually focused on the criteria for making these determinations. In mid 1993 surveys were sent to the chairpersons of every department in the Speech Communication Association Directory that included in its title the words communication, speech or rhetoric. This resulted in 627 mailings to …

Using The Internship As A Tool For Assessment: A Case Study, Beverly Graham, Pamela G. Bourland-Davis, Hal W. Fulmer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a case study involving public relations internship letters that were used to generate a checklist for the assessment process. The case study suggests three key points about the usefulness of internships in assessment. First, the internship can be translated into empirical results, greatly assisting those individuals who directly shape the public relations program. This empiricism should also be advantageous when confronting non-program administrators (deans, vice-presidents) with the need for additional human and physical resources. Second, this case study highlights the significant confluence that occurs between the program administrator (the faculty typically), the students of the program, and …

The Frequency, Form, And Perceived Benefits Of Service Learning In Speech Communication Departments, Timothy L. Sellnow, Laura K. Oster

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article focuses on the frequency, form and perceived benefits of service learning in speech communication departments. The widespread availability of service learning opportunities for students in speech communication departments reflects the national trend, across disciplines, to emphasize service learning on college and university campuses. Service learning provides yet another benefit in that it can substitute for traditional internships when such opportunities are lacking. Phelps and Timmis (1984) explain that the availability of traditional internships with profit-seeking corporations is often limited. Increasing participation by speech communication students in service learning, however, may be restricted by a lack of resources. Most …

A "Glimpse" Of The Status Of The Discipline: Internal Identity Of Speech Communication At A Small College, Barbara J. Adler

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the results of a survey administered to faculty and administration at a small U.S. liberal arts college associated with the Lutheran Church, to assess the attitudes toward the speech communication discipline at the college. Speech communication discipline was assessed according to its level of respect, its overall status and its identity as a reputable academic field. Speech communication received its highest ranking for the descriptor applications based, matching the perception that the field is dominated by utility courses that teach students how to give a speech.

The Historical Account Of Undergraduate Theatre Curricula's Rise In The Academy, Anne Berkeley

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the history of post-secondary theatre education in U.S. colleges and universities. The sheer volume and speed of growth of theatre curricula in undergraduate education contradicts the marginal attention it has received by historians of education and theatre. The first phase of collegiate theatre instruction, between 1900 and 1925, grew out of universities' official sanction of extracurricular clubs and productions after the Civil War. As historians of higher education explain it, higher education in the latter half of the nineteenth century initiated a process of democratization and professionalization that provoked radical change and dislocation in the academy. Theatrical …

In Their Own Words: Using Media Artifacts To Teach Media Literacy, Micheal J. Gotcher, Margaret Duffy

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses methods and associated readings for teaching media literacy. The prescribed methods allow the media and their decision-makers to implicate themselves using examples of their own products and their own words. Media kits, video news releases and advertisements are used to illuminate and criticize media structures, products and economic imperatives. Media literacy may be defined as the learned ability to understand the rules, conventions and persuasive elements of mass mediated products. Media literacy involves inviting individuals to see media products as part of the process of building realities and of constructing cultures.

The Basic Communication Course: Options For Accommodating Non-Native Speakers Of Mainstream North American English, Donald L. Rubin, Donald Turk

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article outlines the various options for basic speech communication classes for non-native speakers of mainstream North American English (NNSMNAE), focusing on the introductory class in public speaking in the U.S. A series of interviews were conducted with twelve NNSMNAE students who had enrolled in mainstream public speaking courses. When NNSMNAE students enter U.S. English as a second language (ESL) programs, their initial oral communication needs are usually associated with everyday world communications tasks like navigating the campus or the supermarket. It appears that the norm for NNSMNAE will be to approach a basic course in speech communication with little …

Technological Approaches For Improving Grading Efficiency And Compatibility In Multi-Section/Multi-Instructor Communication Courses, Chris R. Sawyer, Ralph R. Behnke

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

No abstract provided.

Surviving An Appointment As Department Chair, Paul E. King

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the secret to surviving an appointment as department chairman. Survival as academic department chair involves overcoming obstacles such as role conflict and the difficult task of maintaining healthy relationships with faculty. Both of these, along with several other job related factors, commonly cause significant levels of stress. However, adaptation to and management of the stress are possible. One has survived as department chair when one is able to leave the office and successfully reintegrate into the department without major personal or professional trauma. If one returns to a better department than previously existed, then the ordeal has …

The Effects Of Applied Technology Instruction On Mathematics Achievement And Career Interests Of Urban Seventh-Grade Students, Eric M. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The present study has been implemented to provide insight as to how, given limited resources, Technology Education curricula might be developed to best support the unique goals of an urban middle school aerospace magnet program. It was hypothesized that applied academic strategies, including interdisciplinary hands-on aerospace and computer-assisted instructional activities, would affect larger gains in mathematics achievement and would enhance career-interest development of urban seventh-grade students to a greater degree than would non-participation in such instruction. A randomized subjects, pretest-posttest control group design was used to assess treatment effects upon 71 urban seventh-grade students. Dependent variables were measured using the …

Teacher Interest In Year-Round School In The Southernmost Five Counties Of Illinois And Liaison Satisfaction With Year-Round School In Illinois And Its Bordering States, Charles D. Mccann

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Multi-Track Year Round Education: Its Impact For Solving Overcrowding In School Districts, Debra Owen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Perceptions Of School Administrators Regarding The Current Condition Of Public Schools In Illinois South Of I-80, Myrtle A. Carey

Masters Theses

The intent of the study was to collect data concerning the perceptions of Illinois public school administrators in districts south of Interstate 80 in the following areas:

1. Current condition of educational facilities.

2. Funding sources available for renovation of facilities.

3. Strategies of the district to address deterioration of school buildings.

4. The impact of the current building conditions on the educational process.

Results were obtained through the use of a questionnaire sent to 170 administrators who were responsible for educational structures. One hundred and twenty-one administrators returned the questionnaire for a response rate of 71%. Respondents indicated that …

A Study Of The Potential Need, Location, And Cost Of An Addition To St. Joseph-Ogden High School, James M. Acklin

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to address the problem of the growing student population and potential overcrowding of St. Joseph-Ogden High School. It examined the extent of need, best location, and estimated cost of an addition to the high school. The extent of need was established by determining the assignable space percentage, the functional capacity, and the future enrollment of the high school. The best location was established by determining educational, classroom, and square footage needs and then determining what available property would satisfy those needs. The construction cost was established by multiplying the total square footage of the proposed addition …