Faculty Development Activities Research Articles

How Do You Get to the Improvement of Teaching? A Longitudinal Faculty Development Program for Medical

Background: Among nonmedical educators, longitudinal faculty development programs most effectively increase teachers' abilities. Despite most medical settings providing little reinforcement for newinstructional skills, teaching improvement programs infrequently have explicit ongoing activities. We carried out a longitudinal program for medical educators designed to reinforce and firmly establish new teaching skills. Description: We conducted a longitudinal(18 months of biweekly 1-hr meetings) faculty development program. Its activities followed an initial structured seminar series, and the ongoing meetings involved reviewing video tapes of participants' teaching, enacting and debriefing role-plays, and a modified Balint group for medical educators. Evaluation: We assessed the program's process and outcomes using attendance, self-reported teaching behaviors, perceived program usefulness, educational administrative responsibilities, and qualitative analysis of audiotapes and session notes. Conclusions: Participants maintained high attendanceduring18months of meetings. Ratings of usefulness were high, comparable to other faculty development activities with established utility, and qualitative data support unique benefits of the ongoing meetings. The longitudinal component built on the initial seminar series; it seemed to enhance collegial support, to allow observation of instructional outcomes to reinforce newinstructional skills, and to foster greater involvement in the institution's teaching activities. Teaching improvement programs for physician educators have taken several forms, from workshops and expert consultations to month-long minisabbaticals. However, most are single or sequenced interventions, without an explicit long-term component. We present the structure of an 18-month program for clinician teachers and report observations supporting the program's utility. We hope that this descriptive study promotes greater attention to and subsequent prospective research of longitudinal faculty development.

Developing the instructional skills of new faculty members in occupational therapy.

During the past 5 years, the American Occupational Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Foundation, and Medical University of South Carolina worked together to promote the instructional performance of new faculty members within the profession. This article describes the development and progression of initiatives for more than 300 new faculty members in occupational therapy and the characteristics of those who participated. On the basis of experience gained with these new faculty members, we recommend that the profession of occupational therapy adopt a more systematic approach to conceptualizing, planning, and orchestrating the range of faculty development activities needed by academicians; develop strategies to socialize and encourage prospective faculty members to develop the necessary academic qualifications sooner in their careers; and explore ways in which experienced academicians from other fields can be enticed into our own to strengthen existing faculties.

Using Technology in Faculty Development: Practical Examples

AbstractSelected examples of faculty development activities demonstrate technology's potential for inducing change and also illustrate the ideas and themes of this sourcebook.

Northern New Jersey Nursing Education Consortium: a partnership for graduate nursing education.

The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution and implementation of the Northern New Jersey Nursing Education consortium--a consortium of seven member institutions established in 1992. Details regarding the specific functions of the consortium relative to cross-registration of students in graduate courses, financial disbursement of revenue, faculty development activities, student services, library privileges, and institutional research review board mechanisms are described. The authors also review the administrative organizational structure through which the work conducted by the consortium occurs. Both the advantages and disadvantages of such a graduate consortium are explored, and specific examples of recent potential and real conflicts are fully discussed. The authors detail governance and structure of the consortium as a potential model for replication in other environments.

Training for rural family medicine: a cooperative venture of government, university, and community in Alberta.

Training, recruiting, and retaining family physicians in rural areas are issues that have attracted the attention of governments, university training programs, medical governing bodies, and rural communities. In this article, the authors describe a cooperative venture between government, university, and community in the province of Alberta to train medical students and residents in rural areas. The Rural Physician Action Plan (RPAP) was developed in the early 1990s to improve the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural areas. The RPAP is coordinated by a committee composed of representatives of the Alberta government, the Alberta Medical Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, and the faculties of Medicine at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. Residents in the University of Alberta Department of Family Medicine are required to do 20 weeks of blocktime training in a community practice, and under the auspices of the RPAP rural training sites were identified and rural rotations developed. Faculty development activities were developed for the community physicians who would host the residents. The RPAP funds 24 third-year residency positions, equally divided between the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta. Beginning in 1994, undergraduate medical students at the University of Alberta were required to complete a four-week family medicine rotation, with a majority of students being posted to rural training sites. The extent to which the RPAP has helped to recruit and retain physicians in rural areas is not clear. The provincial Ministry of Health evaluated the RPAP in 1995 and concluded that, at a minimum, without the RPAP the province would have suffered a net loss of rural physicians. The communities have been very accepting and supportive of the students and residents.

Teaching, research, and service: striking the balance in doctoral education.

The concept of balance across the multiple role expectations of faculty is a relative term that should be understood in the context of the mission of a particular institution and as it relates to the external environment. Various metaphors or visual images of balance carry symbolic meanings. During this dynamic period in higher education, images of balance that suggest that creativity and the capacity for change are preferable to static forms. Models for defining balance are presented that include two levels of analysis (the individual faculty member and the institutional level) and two temporal variations (continuous balance versus balance over a period of time). Strategies identified by faculty that enhance faculty productivity included both individual and institutional characteristics. Formal faculty development activities are also described. Those aimed at the individual level include orientation, mentoring, peer expertise, and use of sabbaticals or leaves. Institutional approaches to faculty development relate to the reward structure and recognition systems and use workshops and centers for providing faculty development. Based on changes occurring in the health care system and in higher education, implications for changes in faculty roles in the future are discussed.

Internet Listservs: A Follow-Up to Faculty Development at Two-Year Colleges

This field-based research was designed to analyze the usefulness of a listserv after a teleconference as part of a faculty development activity. Subscribers to the listserv participated in teleconference soffered through the State of Texas Academic Resources Link, and the listserv allowed them to communicate with experts who provided instruction during the teleconferences. Forty-eight of the 77 participants in the listserv (62%) actively contributed to discussions whereas 82% reported that combining a teleconference and a listserv satisfied their development needs more than just viewing a teleconference; 44% reported that the listserv facilitated changes in the way they completed their work.

Building Learning Communities for Faculty

As at most colleges and universities, when faculty at Temple University are asked to join with other faculty to teach a “learning communities” course, they are faced with the daunting challenge of changing the way they teach. To help them meet this challenge, Temple University engages in a number of faculty development activities, the goal of which is to have faculty come together in a dynamic learning community—a teaching team—in which they can work out the best approaches for involving students in their own learning.

How Educators Keep Up-to-Date with the Changes in the Field

The field of mass communication is constantly changing. In order to remain on the cutting edge of this changing field, higher education faculty must continue to develop their skills and competencies. A two-pronged research study was conducted to generate data about the professional development interests and activities of mass communication faculty and department chairpersons. The information obtained from this descriptive study will provide framework for understanding the importance of and interest in professional development activities to improve the field of mass communication education. Introduction There are many terms which describe the methods that higher education faculty use to update and improve their professional and academic skills. The terms faculty development, professional development, faculty renewal and staff development have all been used to refer to academic and personal growth. Faculty development is term that denotes self-renewing activities for faculty members (Tucker, 1993). Edwin Simpson (1990) wrote that while development usually involves getting more of what one already has, renewal is broader in scope, often resulting in career transitions. Simpson contended that professional renewal may be equally as important as development in the future. For many academics, faculty development encompasses the areas of teaching, research, service or extension, and expertise in particular content area. Mass communication faculty face an additional challenge. Because of the nature of our industry, it is equally important that mass communication faculty continue to develop their skills as member of the mass media field as well as the academic community. Faculty development. While this study concentrated on the development of mass communication faculty in the area of professional development, it is important to explore the broad range of professional and personal challenges facing higher education faculty. These challenges impact faculty and their roles as teachers, scholars and administrators. Former Director of the Institute for Academic Leadership and Professor of Higher Education Allan Tucker presented simple, clear-cut definition for the term faculty development. According to Tucker, faculty development refers to activities and procedures that assist faculty members in acquiring knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to become more effective in performing all functions related to professional academic life (Tucker, 1943, p. 267-268). Nelson and Siegel wrote that professional development refers to a faculty member's continuing growth as scholar and contributor to the intellectual community both on campus and in his or her profession (Nelson & Siegel, 1980, p. 7). In 1979 Nelson served as director of the Association of American Colleges' Project on Faculty Development. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the project defined faculty development as encompassing four areas--professional development (scholarship, improved research skills, broadening of scholarly areas); instructional development (pedagogy, improved teaching skills, learning of new techniques); curricular change (preparation for new courses, significant changes in current offerings, development of interdisciplinary courses); and, organizational change (enhancing faculty renewal through alterations in committee systems, reward structures, new campus-wide goals) (Nelson, 1981, p. 15-16). The 1979 Project on Faculty Development of the Association of American Colleges sought to assess the impact of faculty development grants to twenty leading liberal arts colleges throughout the country (Nelson & Siegel, 1981). Researchers discovered that professional development included conventional faculty development activities such as individual study and research projects, attendance at professional meetings, consulting with business or government officials, and research and publication in faculty member's discipline. …

An instrument to evaluate clinical instructional skills

A questionnaire, which consisted of 10 statements dealing with the attributes of effective clinical instruction, was designed for use by medical students. Three groups of trainees who followed consecutive clinical rotations in paediatrics assessed the instructional skills of their tutors using the instrument. Summary reports on students' perceptions were made available to the teachers soon after each rotation. The results showed that although individual instructors exhibited varying degrees of the desired skills, they maintained a consistent pattern through the assessments. When considered on an overall basis, teacher behaviours such as allowing the students to ask questions and giving satisfactory answers, and helping in students' learning problems with relevant feedback, received a higher percentage of positive ratings than emphasizing problem-solving, demonstrating and supervising physical examinations and procedures, and stimulating the students' interest in the subject. It appears that the instrument developed is suitable for obtaining feedback from the students to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the instructional skills of their clinical teachers. Such feedback would become useful when modifying programme presentation and in planning and conducting faculty development activities.

Faculty Development Structures and Activities in Ontario's Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology

The paper presents a discussion of faculty development in 22 of Ontario's Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. We report the findings of a survey which collected information on administrative structure, funding, mandate, faculty development activities, publication, incentives for faculty participation, assessment of faculty needs and evaluation. We conclude by raising a number of questions which faculty developers might address as changes in the social, political and economic environment present new challenges to colleges and universities.

The Stanford faculty development program: A dissemination approach to faculty development for medical teachers

The Stanford Faculty Development Program, designed to improve the instructional skills of clinical teachers, uses a dissemination model to provide faculty development activities for medical schools across the country. Selected clinical faculty attend a month‐long training program at Stanford University Medical Center and then return to their home institutions to conduct seminars for their fellow faculty and for residents in one of three content areas: (a) principles and skills of clinical teaching, (b) the teaching of medical decision making, or (c) the teaching of clinical preventive medicine. Faculty from institutions affiliated with over one quarter of U.S. medical schools have participated in the program. From 1986 through 1991, the program has trained 67 seminar facilitators from 47 institutions who have then conducted training for over 500 faculty and 200 residents. The extent of dissemination indicates that this approach provides a feasible mechanism for delivering faculty development in a wide var...

Improving instruction of veteran physics professors

In spite of the abundance of publications describing university faculty development programs and activities, little is known about the effectiveness of such programs on specific disciplines or subject areas. The fact that differences have been identified in the dimensions on which students of different university departments rate their teachers suggests that instructors of different departments need different types of programs for teaching improvement. This article describes a study that has looked into methods for improving instruction of university physics full professors with many years of teaching experience. Two methods for this aim were examined for effectiveness: a workshop and individualized consultation, both augmenting students' midterm ratings of their instructors. Analysis of pre- and postworkshop questionnaires reveals impressive improvement on the majority of items, particularly those of specific teaching techniques discussed in the workshop, but not on the global ratings of the teacher. The special consultation procedure has been shown to bring about substantial increase on overall teaching performance. We conclude that veteran teachers are often unable to improve significantly their overall teaching performance when provided with midterm feedback from students' questionnaires or when participating in a workshop for teaching improvement. Improving their instruction requires substantial and continuous expert consultation as well as investing substantial time and efforts of their own.

Faculty development for family medicine educators: An agenda for future activities

The literature on faculty development activities for family medicine educators is reviewed and presented in three sections: (a) overview of faculty development in family medicine, (b) fellowships, and (c) workshops and other short‐term programs. Although a wide variety of formats have been utilized for faculty development purposes in family medicine, most faculty development programs have been evaluated primarily on participant satisfaction rather than on observed changes in participant behavior when in the faculty role. As funds for family medicine faculty development programs disappear or decline, new strategies for maintaining the quantity and quality of family medicine educators must be developed. We suggestan agenda for future faculty development activities in family medicine. These activities include (a) initiation of faculty development training, including teaching and research skills, during residency training programs, (b) development of fourth‐year clinical fellow positions supported by clinical...

Faculty Development in General Internal Medicine

To understand the educational needs of faculty general internists in academic hospital environments, surveys of general internal medicine division chiefs, department of medicine chairmen, and members of the Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine were undertaken. Results indicated considerable interest in faculty development activities among all physicians sampled. Division chiefs and department chairmen viewed such activities as feasible, potentially effective, and were willing to assume considerable responsibility in providing educational opportunities to their faculty. Although some physicians viewed self-learning as a potentially effective educational method, the vast majority preferred learning in a small group taught by an expert. Specific content areas for faculty development were assessed, as were the skills thought to be essential for personal job satisfaction, academic promotion, and organizational effectiveness.

ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES OF IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY

Professional development of community college faculty has been regarded as important, especially during periods of low staff turnover and limited financial resources. While most studies of faculty development have examined the perceptions of administrators or faculty toward effectiveness of college sponsored programs, this investigation analyzed the self‐reported behavior of faculty with regard to their participation in faculty development activities. The influence of selected variables on the hours of faculty participation in development activities was assessed using a stratified random sample of 187 full‐time Arts and Sciences and Vocational‐Technical faculty in 15 Iowa community colleges. Faculty with doctoral degrees reported the greatest number of hours of participation in professional development; those with high school diplomas had the least. The teaching field of the faculty member, the individual's total years of teaching experience, and whether the chosen faculty development activities were financed by personal or other sources, were variables found not to be associated with the level of participation in faculty development. On average, individual faculty members spent 161 hours in development activities over a year's period. Faculty tended not to choose activities which lead to salary increases or advancement. With the exception of enrollment in coursework and special projects, faculty participation in single development activities average less than 7 hours. Thus, much of the faculty development activities were of insufficient duration to constitute an adult learning project. The design of the study proved to be a valid and reliable means to examine faculty participation behavior in professional development activities.

Evaluating short-term training programs:

Short-term training programs are frequently used to implement faculty development activities in post-secondary education. However, rarely are these programs systematically evaluated to assess their impact on program participants. This article describes an evaluation framework that was designed, developed, and implemented as an evaluation study of an existing faculty development program for family physicians. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the faculty development program and a metaevaluation of the evaluation study identified the strength and weaknesses of the evaluation framework. The original framework was modified according to the metaevaluation results and presented for possible adoption by other instructional developers and evaluation.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE ILLINOIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM

In a time of declining resources and restricted faculty mobility, faculty mobility, faculty development has become increasingly important. This study addressed faculty development activities, their evaluation, and their perceived impact on the improvement of instruction in the community colleges of Illinois. Data gathered through the use of a questionnaire mailed to the chief academic officer of each of the state's community colleges were analyzed and interpreted. It was found that a wide variety of activities — orientation, inservice, professional, individual, and group — are available to faculty members. Orientation activities were viewed as being moderately useful for the improvement of instruction. Respondents saw professional activities as somewhat more useful than inservice activities. With some qualifications, group activities were perceived as being more useful than individual activities. Evaluation efforts, for the most part, are as yet sporadic and unsophisticated. The results of this study sugg...

A national survey of undergraduate teaching in obstetrics and gynecology

Representatives of 114 academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology in North America completed a written questionnaire in 1977 designed to assess undergraduate educational programs. Respondents reported increases in numbers of departments and faculty per department and decreases in the length and number of students per clerkship in comparison with a 1968 survey. Small-group discussion, lecture, and professional patients were preferred instructional modalities of faculty and students. Evaluation procedures and faculty development activities are reported and discussed in relation to prior surveys of departments of obstetrics and gynecology.

The instructor self-evaluation form: Development and validation of an ipsative forced-choice measure of self-perceived faculty performance

An ipsative forced-choice college faculty self-evaluation questionnaire was developed. The instrument was validated by comparing self-evaluation scores to student rating scores and by comparing “superior” and “nonsuperior” instructors on the basis of student ratings. Both analyses yielded positive, but modest, indications of validity. Implications are discussed relative to the questionnaire's utility in faculty development activities.