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To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

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Evolution Of A Peer Review And Evaluation Program For Online Course Development, Cynthia L. Adams, Dianna Z. Rust, Thomas M. Brinthaupt Jan 2011

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.

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Completing The Faculty Development Cycle: Using Data From Syllabi Review To Inform Action, Phyllis Blumberg Jan 2011

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.

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Social Capital And The Campus Community, Andrew N. Carpenter, Linda Coughlin, Susanne Morgan, Christopher Price Jan 2011

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.

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Teaching And Learning Together: College Faculty And Undergraduates Cocreate A Professional Development Model, Alison Cook-Sather Jan 2011

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.

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Using Students To Support Faculty Development, Teresa M. Redd, Carl E. Brown Jr. Jan 2011

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, …

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The Ta Consultant Program: Improving Undergraduate Instruction And Graduate Student Professional Development, Mikaela Huntzinger, Paul Mcpherron, Madhumitha Rajagopal Jan 2011

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.

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Ready Or Not? An International Study Of The Preparation Of Educational Developers, Nancy Van Note Chism Jan 2011

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.

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Distribution And Penetration Of Teaching-Learning Development Units In Higher Education: Implications For Strategic Planning And Research, Sally Kuhlenschmidt Jan 2011

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.

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Toward A Scholarship Of Faculty Development, Mark Potter Jan 2011

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.

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Reflections On International Engagement As Educational Developers In The United States, Virginia S. Lee Jan 2011

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.

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Preface, Volume 30 (2011), Judith E. Miller Jan 2011

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.

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Introduction, Volume 30 (2011), Judith E. Miller Jan 2011

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.

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The Digital Academy: Preparing Faculty For Digital Course Development, Sunay V. Palsole, Beth L. Brunk-Chavez Jan 2011

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.

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Writing Groups For Work-Life Balance: Faculty Writing Group Leaders Share Their Stories, Dannielle Joy Davis, Kara Provost, Amanda E. Major Jan 2011

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.

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The Citizenship Imperative And The Role Of Faculty Development, Jeffrey L. Bernstein, Rebecca S. Nowacek, Michael B. Smith Jan 2011

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.

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Enhancing Out-Of-Class Communication: Students' Perspectives, Bonnie S. Farley-Lucas, Margaret M. Sargent Jan 2011

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.

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Effecting Change In Limited-Control Classroom Environments: A Case Study, Allison P. Boye Jan 2011

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.

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Institutional Encouragement Of And Faculty Engagement In The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Thomas F. Nelson Laird, Tony Ribera Jan 2011

Institutional Encouragement Of And Faculty Engagement In The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Thomas F. Nelson Laird, Tony Ribera

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Framed by Huber and Hutchings’s defining features of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), the study described in this chapter examines institutional encouragement of and faculty engagement in SoTL. Faculty at forty-nine U.S. colleges and universities participating in the 2009 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement completed items about SoTL. Results suggest that institutional encouragement of and faculty engagement in the public dissemination of teaching investigations lag behind encouragement and engagement in other aspects of SoTL. Some faculty subgroups (among them, women and faculty in education) on average feel more institutional encouragement and engage in SoTL activities more than their …

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Defining Critical Thinking In Higher Education: Determining Assessment Fit, Martha L. A. Stassen, Anne Herrington, Laura Henderson Jan 2011

Defining Critical Thinking In Higher Education: Determining Assessment Fit, Martha L. A. Stassen, Anne Herrington, Laura Henderson

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Critical thinking is an important learning outcome for higher education, yet the definitions used on campuses and national assessment instruments vary. This article describes a mapping technique that faculty and administrators can use to evaluate the similarities and differences across these definitions. Results demonstrate that the definitions reflected by standardized tests are more narrowly construed than those of the campus and leave dimensions of critical thinking unassessed. This mapping process not only helps campuses make better-informed decisions regarding their responses to accountability pressures; it also provides a stimulus for rich, evidence-based discussions about teaching and learning priorities related to critical …

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Academic Dishonesty Among International Students In Higher Education, Krishna K. Bista Jan 2011

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.

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Forty Percent Of 2 Million: Preparing To Serve Our Veterans With Disabilities, Bruce C. Kelley, Emetta L. Fox, Justin M. Smith, Lisa A. Wittenhagen Jan 2011

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.

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Working Effectively With Psychologically Impaired Faculty, Carolyn B. Oxenford, Sally L. Kublenschmidt Jan 2011

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.

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Diffusing The Impact Of Tokenism On Faculty Of Color, Yolanda Flores Niemann Jan 2011

Diffusing The Impact Of Tokenism On Faculty Of Color, Yolanda Flores Niemann

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In addition to the expected challenges related to teaching, research, service, and the tenure and promotion process, faculty of color often experience the impact of token status, or tokenism.. This chapter describes the personal, psychological, and career-damaging impacts of tokenism and provides guidelines for professional development professionals that may diffuse these negative impacts by assisting department heads to mentor faculty of color.

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Difficult Dialogues And Transformational Change Through Cross–Cultural Faculty Development, Elizabeth Roderick Jan 2011

Difficult Dialogues And Transformational Change Through Cross–Cultural Faculty Development, Elizabeth Roderick

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Across the globe, our current way of life is taking us to the edge of the cliff The systems and consciousness that we have used to try to solve problems are not working. Young people need to think and work in new ways.

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Go For The Gold: Fundraising For Teaching Centers, Mark A. Hohnstreiter, Tara Gray Jan 2011

Go For The Gold: Fundraising For Teaching Centers, Mark A. Hohnstreiter, Tara Gray

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

At New Mexico State University Teaching Academy, we have developed a comprehensive model to raise funds from faculty and others for our teaching center, which has resulted in a culture of giving. The payoff from a fundraising effort is huge, not only in terms of money, but in terms of the personal investment of participants, both valuable in difficult economic times. We explain in this chapter how to establish a fundraising program so that your teaching center can go for the gold.

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Faculty Development As A Hazardous Occupation, Linda B. Nilson, Edward B. Nuhfer, Bonnie B. Mullinix Jan 2011

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.

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Emergent Shifts In Faculty Development: A Reflective Review, Shelda Debowski Jan 2011

Emergent Shifts In Faculty Development: A Reflective Review, Shelda Debowski

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty development has largely focused on supporting the development of early-career academic skills in teaching and learning. Even recent discussions of how facuity developers might infl.uence leaders and entire organizations have remained largely focused on teaching and learning issues. This chapter suggests the need to review and reform the role of faculty development to focus more holistically on the full nature of academic work and the evolving developmental needs of academics. It argues that the faculty developer,s portfolio will need to expand to include support for academic research, career management, and leadership roles, as well as organizational development strategies to …

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Adapting A Laboratory Research Group Model To Foster The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Beth A. Fisher, Regina F. Frey Jan 2011

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.

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Using Multimedia Case Stories Of Exemplary Teaching For Faculty Development, Tasha J. Souza, Tom Carey, Flora Mcmartin, Roberta Ambrosino, Joe Grimes Jan 2011

Using Multimedia Case Stories Of Exemplary Teaching For Faculty Development, Tasha J. Souza, Tom Carey, Flora Mcmartin, Roberta Ambrosino, Joe Grimes

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty are more likely to embrace the possibility of change when they see change modeled by their colleagues. Through a multimedia case story, faculty can share in the experience of using an innovative teaching strategy and the process of implementing it. Integrating multimedia case stories into our work with faculty can help us meet diverse faculty needs and encourage more faculty to embrace pedagogical change. Such stories can help faculty to realize that they too can overcome pedagogical challenges and institutional constraints in order to better meet the learning needs of students.

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Reflecting Together About Tenure And Promotion: A Faculty Learning Community Approach, Leslie G. Mcbride, Janelle Decarrico Voegele Jan 2011

Reflecting Together About Tenure And Promotion: A Faculty Learning Community Approach, Leslie G. Mcbride, Janelle Decarrico Voegele

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

What happens when faculty representing various disciplines and career stages reflect together on the tenure and promotion process? How does the learning community they form facilitate development of their academic portfolios, and what insights into various forms of scholarship does it provide? This chapter addresses these questions. It describes the learning community over a five-month period, explains how academic portfolio development was used as a common reference point for addressing tenure and promotion issues, and summarizes insights and perspectives shared among faculty members as they tried to understand the value of diverse forms of scholarship.

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