Abstract
This paper recounts the author’s experience with giving a Needs Assessment for improvement by university teachers. Subjects were from the University of Lethbridge and the 2008 Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) conference session. Teachers at the University (n=77) indicated they could spend 5-15 hours in teaching development per semester and wanted a variety of information access but favoured quick one-hour workshops. STLHE participants (n=34) were willing to attend three-hour workshops and spend more time per semester (over 20 hours) improving their teaching. Topics that both groups wanted to hear about were teaching efficiently, using student feedback, fostering critical thinking, and marking fairly. STLHE participants were more interested in fostering group work, student writing, and dealing with student disabilities and diversity, whereas the University sample cared more about preventing cheating and presenting the results of their teaching for promotion and tenure. All in all, there were many things that teachers wanted to learn.
Highlights
Why would I do a Needs Assessment to evaluate what faculty at the University of Lethbridge wanted to learn to assist them in their teaching? I had joined the newly-minted Center for Advancement of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CAETL) as a part-time Teaching Fellow
Teaching Tips and the STLHE Green Guides have put this kind of instructional assistance at everyone’s fingertips
Teaching efficiently was ranked highly; a survey of University of Lethbridge teachers showed they work over 50 hours a week and this reflects the general overwork of faculty as measured by Jacobs and Winslow (2004)
Summary
Why would I do a Needs Assessment to evaluate what faculty at the University of Lethbridge wanted to learn to assist them in their teaching? I had joined the newly-minted Center for Advancement of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CAETL) as a part-time Teaching Fellow. Why would I do a Needs Assessment to evaluate what faculty at the University of Lethbridge wanted to learn to assist them in their teaching? What do Professors Want to Learn to Improve Their Teaching?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
