Consultation for Individuals and Groups of Faculty

Abstract

Many faculty members recognize the superiority of student-centered approaches over traditional teacher-centered approaches for teaching and learning, but this awareness has not translated into widespread adoption of student-centered teaching approaches (Dancy and Henderson, Barriers and promises in STEM reform. Paper presented at the commissioned paper for National Academies of Science workshop on linking evidence and promising practices in STEM undergraduate education, Washington, DC, 2008; Henderson et~al, Preliminary categorization of literature on promoting change in undergraduate STEM. Paper presented at the facilitating change in undergraduate STEM symposium, Augusta, MI, 2008) (Marbach-Ad et al., 2014). Many factors impede implementation of these approaches, such as expectations of content coverage, departmental norms, and student resistance, as well as instructor time and resource constraints (Dancy and Henderson, Barriers and promises in STEM reform. Paper presented at the commissioned paper for National Academies of Science workshop on linking evidence and promising practices in STEM undergraduate education, Washington, DC, 2008; Henderson and Dancy, Increasing the impact and diffusion of STEM education innovations. Paper presented at the National Academy of engineering forum – the impact and diffusion of transformative engineering education innovations, New Orleans, LA2011). Personalized consultation can help faculty members overcome these barriers to implement changes in their courses (Hativa, Res High Educ 36(4):377–413, 1995). In the previous chapters, we described large-scale professional development activities, such as seminars and workshops, that familiarize faculty members with recommended practices. However, by its nature, such professional development programming is designed to appeal to a broad audience. Consultation complements these more generalized activities by helping faculty members overcome the idiosyncratic challenges inherent to applying recommended practices in the context of their classes. In this chapter, we describe our approach to consulting for individuals and groups of faculty, including Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs).