Rethinking faculty development

Faculty development is designed to forestall facultyobsolescence, but determining how to provide for thedevelopmental needs of a diverse faculty isproblematic. At the University of Cincinnati aFaculty Development Program was organized aroundcompetitive proposals and university institutes. The developmental grant proposals were for individualfaculty, groups of faculty, and departments and alsoprovided funds for institutes for collaborative groupsof faculty who had shared developmental needs andgoals. More than 800 faculty members (42% of thetotal faculty) applied for these funds over athree-year period. Nearly 400 faculty were funded. The question remaining, following this initial cycle,was ``Did this support for faculty development make asignificant difference in the way learning,scholarship, and research was conducted?'' To betterascertain the extent of the project's influence on theinstitution, a survey was distributed to all 1,925faculty at the university -- regardless of whether ornot they received support. The returns of the surveywere sufficient to allow for an analysis. The results held both anticipated results (e.g.,upgraded skills and increased use of technology) andunexpected results (e.g., cooperation among facultyfrom diverse disciplines and multiplier effects onscope and nature of the projects). The results of thesurvey, regarding the Faculty Development Program'simpact, clearly show that it has changed the wayinterdisciplinary faculty collaborate and it hassignificantly facilitated the ability of faculty toaddress specific developmental needs.     

The professor as a person: The role of faculty well-being in faculty development

This article examines the rationale for an expanded definition of faculty development and reviews institutional structures and practices which support the personal and professional development of faculty through faculty and academic development, employee assistance, and health promotion programs.Glenda Hubbard is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, and a practicing therapist in the Employee Assistance Service of the Hubbard Center for Faculty and Staff Support at Appalachian State University. She received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Miami. Her current interests include the faculty development needs of mid-career faculty and women's issues in counseling. Sally Atkins is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, and a faculty/staff psychologist for the Hubbard Center at Appalachian State University. She received her Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her current interests include faculty quality of life, therapy and the arts, and cross-cultural psychology.     

A behavioral change model with implications for faculty development

A model of voluntary behavior change is developed and applied to faculty in higher education and the process of instructional innovation. The model identifies individual and organizational variables that determine whether or not a faculty member will change his instructional practices by adopting methods, techniques, or ideas that are new to him and the likelihood that he will succeed if he decides to try to innovate. Some implications of the model for faculty development programs are discussed.     

Transitions to work: A model for program development

Interventions designed to assist the unemployed make the transition to employment have typically focused on the development of specific skills. In this paper, the author argues that such approaches are insufficient for counselors to assist individuals attempting to make the transition to employment. A brief background to the unemployment problem is presented, followed by a summary of some of the major problems with traditional employment programs. The author then presents a comprehensive model for program development that incorporates seven levels of intervention, and five components of effective transition programs. Implications for counseling are discussed.     

Investing in junior faculty: The teaching improvement program (TIPs)

One way in which institutions can assist junior faculty members is to facilitate appropriate nurturing through senior faculty. The Teaching Improvement Program (TIPs) at The University of Georgia was designed and implemented with this aspect in mind. This paper describes the philosophical base as well as the design, administration, and evaluation of this unique program that matches new junior faculty with senior faculty mentors. Despite some problems in scheduling, participants in the program received valuable suggestions on how to improve their classroom performance.He is a former Lilly Teaching Fellow.His office provides a wide range of instructional and professional services for faculty and academic administrators in the university's thirteen schools and colleges.The authors would like to thank Gina Dress for all her assistance in the TIPs program and three anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions.     

A performance‐based development model for online faculty

Faculty development in distance education does not happen in a vacuum. It is often interwoven with efforts to increase adoption of distance education programs and increase the effectiveness of online teaching. Training might not be the only way to meet these needs. This article presents a new faculty‐development model, based on a systematic performance analysis schema. Several alternatives to traditional training are proposed, including performance support, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and formative evaluation.     

A systematic literature review of faculty development for teacher educators

Although ample literature exists regarding the effectiveness of faculty development (FD) activities, there is a gap in the literature synthesizing its outcomes. This review, using a predetermined review protocol, analyzed 22 publications on FD for teacher educators using Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation taxonomy. We found that North American universities provide the most empirical evidence about FD activities, focusing on technology integration in teaching and pedagogical skill improvement. Formal programs, such as serial workshops and developmental relationship, were reported with high frequency, compared to self-directed learning and organizational development activities. Empirical research was heavily based on self-reported, qualitative data and emphasized individual-level outcomes. There is a lack of information regarding the impact of FD activities for teacher educators on subsequent student learning or the downstream effect on school systems. Similarly, institutional involvement in FD remains largely unexplored. We conclude with robust recommendations for research and practice.     

The evaluation of faculty development programs

This article reviews literature pertinent to the evaluation of faculty development programs and presents data from several studies conducted at two institutions. These data were consistent with those previously reported in that faculty participants consistently expressed satisfaction with development services. In addition, one study found that most faculty members voluntarily took some action to improve their instructional effectiveness, though only a minority pursued these efforts in depth. Volunteers who worked intensively with a faculty development consultant improved more on objective measures of effectiveness than did those who were only superficially involved in improvement efforts; those who received no consultative assistance failed to improve significantly. Evidence from a final study provided a control for faculty motivation and led to the conclusion that improvement was contingent both on faculty desire to improve and on the availability of professional assistance.     

Experiential education at the graduate level: A perspective on faculty role and development

Adult development is an implicit component of graduate education. Yet, this idea is often ignored as traditional programs continue to view graduate education as largely a process of intellectual growth, usually detached from other life experience. Sponsored experiential learning provides one context through which adult developmental and intellectual goals may be simultaneously recognized and pursued. Required are a recognition of new roles for faculty and new efforts to help faculty in implementing these roles. The issues surrounding faculty role and faculty development are addressed in the context of a nontraditional graduate program which maximizes opportunities for the use of experiential learning.Dr. Byxbee is Program Director for the Saint Mary's College Graduate Programs in Human Development, Education, and Educational Leadership. He has consulted widely on the topic of nontraditional program development and has recently been active as a consultant to Latin American Educators on the topic of Nontraditional Education and Public Service Administration.     

The experiences of Vietnamese university faculty in relation to their faculty development

As Vietnam higher education has explored ways to integrate into the international community, professional development of faculty is becoming a key element. However, there is a significant shortage of faculty development (FD) in Vietnam, resulting in a large gap in quality, quantity, and qualifications between Vietnamese faculty and their colleagues in Southeast Asia. We conducted a phenomenological study to gain insights into the experiences of Vietnamese faculty in their FD. Four themes emerged: faculty’s perceptions of faculty roles, FD activity participation, factors affecting their FD, and FD desires. To improve the quality of FD in Vietnam, we offered a number of recommendations for faculty members, policymakers at different levels, and further research.