Faculty Engagement Research Articles

Exploring the Impact of Mentoring on Faculty Engagement and Retention Among Behavioral Health Faculty in Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology

Exploring the Impact of Mentoring on Faculty Engagement and Retention Among Behavioral Health Faculty in Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology

Impact of a New Departmental Awards Program on Faculty Engagement and Promotion

Abstract Background Many academic institutions recognize contributions to individual departments by awarding faculty departmental awards for their achievement in service, teaching and scholarship. Before 2019, our department had teaching awards chosen by residents, but there were no awards given to the faculty by peers for academic accomplishments. The objective of this abstract is to present the impact of the newly implemented departmental awards on the promotion and academic advancement of our faculty. Design Based on the already established awards in other departments within the School of Medicine a committee of six faculty members proposed six annual awards: Educator Impact, Outstanding Service, Outstanding Citizenship, Mentoring, and Basic and Clinical Science Publications. The committee defined activities and eligibility for each award category (for example, faculty could not receive the same award within 3 years). The categories and eligibility criteria are distributed to all faculty (around 120) each year. The first call for nominations occurred in 2019. Assessment of the awards program included the number of nominators and nominees each year and the impact on recipients’ academic advancement and recognition. Results In 2019, 17 faculty nominated 16 other faculty for the six awards. These numbers grew steadily, and by 2023, 42 faculty nominated 28 other faculty for the awards. The awards have been included in the curriculum vitae of five faculty who have been promoted to either the Associate Professor or Professor level and six faculty inducted into our institution’s Clinical Distinctions program. During the five years this awards program has existed, two faculty received two awards in different categories, whereas the remaining 26 awardees each received one award. Anecdotes from faculty during this time have been overwhelmingly positive. Conclusion Based on the increased engagement of faculty nominating their peers and the overall impact of the awards on faculty promotion and clinical distinction recognition, the new departmental awards program has been very successful.

An Innovative, Collaborative, and Transformative Program to Enhance Off-Campus Clinical Faculty Engagement.

Off-campus (volunteer, community-based) clinical faculty, upon whom medical schools heavily depend, are an integral component of medical education. However, challenges hinder their involvement in medical school governance and other activities, including inadequate communication, lack of recognition, high clinical demands that may preclude teaching, and time-consuming non-clinical tasks. While faculty appointments offer benefits like free CME, access to library resources, and email communications, faculty often prioritize potential contributions to their teaching roles over these benefits. Our medical school launched a new initiative to tackle these issues head-on. We established an Office of Faculty Engagement (OFE) that leverages engagement strategies to enhance communication, broaden access to campus resources, and provide tailored rewards for clinicians. We rebranded volunteer clinical faculty as Off-Campus Faculty (OCF) to foster a more interactive relationship and innovative measures, including personalized welcome emails, a dedicated point of contact for OCF, a user-friendly website, regular orientations, faculty development programs, recognition and appreciation events, and exclusive awards. From August 2021 to December 2023, we contacted 587 OCF members; 85 faculty members experienced improved communication. This innovative approach streamlines and personalizes interactions with OCF, enhances their satisfaction, and represents a transformative opportunity to engage and involve OCF in medical education.

Management Framework for Quality Assurance to Strengthen Technology and TVET Pre-service Teacher Education

This study developed a management framework for quality assurance to enhance Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and technology pre-service teacher education programs in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon). Using the three-round Delphi consensus-building technique, the research assessed quality assurance practices and challenges in managing Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLEd) and Bachelor of Technical Vocational Teacher Education (BTVTEd) programs. The study also examined key factors affecting student performance in licensure examinations, career decision influences, and strategies to improve program appeal. Thirteen Delphi experts, including College Deans and program chairs, and 117 BTLEd and BTVTEd graduates participated. Thematic and statistical analyses, including the Mann-Whitney U test, compared assessment differences between graduates concerning licensure exam performance, career decisions, and program appeal strategies. The findings highlight that Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the region prioritize quality assurance through curriculum reviews, faculty engagement, accreditation, facility maintenance, and continuous improvement. However, they face challenges such as resource limitations, curriculum misalignment, faculty development issues, and lack of specific quality assurance standards for TVET programs. Graduates noted factors influencing their licensure exam performance and career decisions, emphasizing the importance of review preparation, teaching strategies, and professional development. To enhance program appeal, there is a need for sustained career guidance, institutional initiatives, and program awareness efforts. The study recommends strengthening collaboration with stakeholders and implementing the proposed management framework to align with national and international standards.

Medical ethics education and awareness: Insights from a study among pakistani medical students and faculty members

This study investigated the knowledge and attitudes towards medical ethics among medical and dental students and faculty members at five medical universities in Karachi, Pakistan. Utilizing a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based design, the research included 438 participants. The study found that while a majority of participants were aware of the four basic principles of medical ethics, only 15.3% could correctly identify all of them. The primary mode of ethics education was through lectures and seminars, with less emphasis on interactive learning methods. The study also revealed a significant gap in faculty engagement and understanding of medical ethics. Although the majority of participants were aware of their institution's ethics committee, a significant proportion were unaware of its existence. The study highlights the need to enhance faculty engagement, address gaps in comprehensive understanding, adopt more interactive teaching methods, and increase the curricular emphasis on medical ethics in Pakistan.

Using Teacher Performance Assessment to Dismantle Injustice and Construct Possibilities in Teacher Education

Educators at a public institution embraced the opportunity to collaborate with faculty, school partners, and community members to develop a portfolio-based teacher performance assessment (TPA) that centers program values and goals along with state and professional standards when their state removed the edTPA as a certification requirement in 2022. This study describes the process of development, the product generated with faculty and community engagement, as well as the results of a content analysis of data collected during the first round of full implementation. Findings support use of a portfolio-based TPA as a promising component of teacher certification with the potential to advance inclusive, culturally-sustaining, evidence-based practices that create pathways to equitable, just futures through a critical approach to collaboration, persistence, care, and joy, and prioritized authentic relationships with students, families, teachers, schools, and communities.

Ready or not…here we grow! Evaluating the competency of nursing faculty in supporting nursing student mental health: A quantitative investigation

BackgroundCollege students are amid a mental health crisis with campuses seeing the highest rates of mental health disorders in over a decade. College nursing students stand out as particularly affected, experiencing elevated levels of anxiety, stress, and depression compared to the general student population. At the forefront of addressing this issue are college faculty, especially nursing faculty, who play a unique role in identifying and referring students with mental health needs due to their close interactions in smaller teaching-learning settings such as clinicals, simulations, and one-on-one validations. AimThis study evaluated the perceived competency, knowledge, engagement, and fear levels of nursing faculty in supporting the mental health of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. Additionally, the study explored whether faculty members with prior MH training differed in these levels. MethodsSurvey data from 63 faculty members employed across six prominent nursing schools in the southeast region of the United States, all offering Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, were analyzed. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study utilized the “College Mental Health Perceived Competency Scale” (CMHPCS) to assess faculty's competence, knowledge, engagement and fear in supporting student mental health. ResultsAmong the 63 participants, significant differences were observed in engagement levels between nursing faculty with and without prior mental health training (p < .012). Overall, the surveyed nursing faculty demonstrated high levels of competence, engagement and knowledge and low levels of fear in supporting the nursing student's mental health. ConclusionThe results prompt recommendations for future research aimed at developing a comprehensive approach to equip nursing faculty with effective mental health training and interventions. Such efforts seek to empower student nurses with the tools necessary to support their own mental health, enabling them to competently care for patients and communities.

Creating Optimal Clinical Learning Environments Through Interprofessional Bedside Rounding Models: Lessons From the iPACE Story.

The Interprofessional Partnership to Advance Care and Education (iPACE) model was developed and implemented at Maine Medical Center in 2016 as part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Pursuing Excellence in Clinical Learning Environments (CLE) demonstration project. The model is based on the belief that, in optimal CLEs, residents are trained in team-based, interprofessional collaborative care and use clinical care experiences to innovate in the areas of patient safety and quality of care. The model's inclusion of systems engineering principles, such as design thinking, allows teams to design, customize, and iteratively improve their own iPACE model.The iPACE model was further developed and disseminated with support from an American Medical Association Reimagining Residency grant and from the MaineHealth health system's medical education and clinical leadership. iPACE started as a small pilot project on a single inpatient unit and has evolved to become the standard for inpatient team rounds at the bedside. iPACE has received positive feedback from patients, demonstrated benefits to care team members and resident education, and proven its value to the health system through sustained reductions in length of stay and cost of care metrics. The iPACE project has fulfilled MMC's original goal of intentionally redesigning its CLEs to expose residents to high-functioning interprofessional teams with the goal of improving patient care and safety. The model has shown direct learner benefits through increased faculty observation and improved quality of feedback. Interprofessional bedside rounding models like iPACE have the potential to imprint learners with the skills and behaviors essential to provide collaborative patient-centered care. Strategies exist that improve resident and faculty engagement in bedside rounding models like iPACE and should be employed to encourage teaching and learning at the bedside.

Identifying factors influencing faculty attitude towards digital technology in higher education and its impact on faculty engagement and work performance: a mediating analysis

Background This study investigated the influence of various factors on Faculty Attitude, Faculty Engagement, and Work Performance in higher education. The study specifically examined the impact of faculty attitudes towards digital technology on their level of involvement and effectiveness in the classroom. Furthermore, it investigated how the utilization of digital technology by faculty members influences the connection between their attitudes and job performance. Methods The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies to collect thorough data to explore the factors influencing faculty attitude. A survey was performed among 438 faculty members from higher educational institutions in the Delhi and NCR region. Results The results indicated a strong positive relationship of perceived usefulness, mutual learning, institutional support, collaborativeness, creativity, critical thinking, and faculty attitude towards digital technology adoption in academic setting. Nevertheless, External Pressure did not exhibit a significant relationship. The study revealed that the attitude of faculty members has a significant impact on both their work performance and engagement. Additionally, faculty engagement was found to have a positive impact on work performance. The mediation Analysis revealed that Faculty Engagement served as a partial mediator in the association between Faculty Attitude and Work Performance. Conclusions The study’s implications underscore the urgent need of fostering positive attitudes and engagement among faculty members for enhancing their performance in academic settings. Some of the limitations and implication of the study and future direction of the research directions are suggested.

Leaders' Perspectives on Approaches and Challenges in Enacting Faculty Vitality in the Contemporary Landscape of Academic Medicine: A Deductive Thematic Analysis.

Continual changes in organizational structures within medical schools have contributed to the expanded scope and the centralization of faculty affairs offices, which support faculty administration and supportive functions. Using qualitative interviews, we investigated the perspectives of academic medicine faculty affairs leaders regarding their offices' priorities in sustaining faculty vitality in the face of current and anticipated challenges. A semi-structured interview protocol based on the researchers' practical knowledge, informed by the study's research inquiries, and pertinent academic literature guided the interviews. Deductive thematic analysis approach was used to identify the patterns and themes across the interviews. Our analysis revealed a central theme: the pivotal nature of the leader's role in strengthening faculty identity. Additionally, three sub-themes emerged concerning the leader's role in nurturing faculty well-being within today's academic medicine context: redefining faculty role, acknowledging and appreciating faculty contributions, and maintaining faculty engagement through a whole-person approach. Faculty affairs leaders describe widening roles with an emerging focus on a whole-person approach valuing the diverse contributions of faculty across the academic mission, supporting professional development, reflecting the individual motivations of faculty, and championing institutional processes that holistically evaluate and recognize faculty contributions.

The development and current directions of a diversity specialty clinic: Implications for multicultural training in psychology.

Addressing systemic injustices and racism in training and clinical service provision are key next steps in clinical science. While the APA Multicultural Guidelines and accreditation standards have long emphasized this need, most graduate programs offer a single course on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics, which is inadequate to train and sustain culturally humble providers and redress systemic injustices and racism within psychology. Few "real-world" examples exist to guide the development of training models. We provide background on the development and components of a specialty clinic, the University of New Mexico's Cultural Counseling Center, whose mission is providing culturally informed clinical services to diverse clientele, and to infuse multicultural training throughout the graduate program. Informed by the racial-spatial framework for psychology and critical race theory, we describe our approach intended to: 1) offer applications for the operationalization and delivery of multicultural and antiracist training; 2) enhance supervisory models; and 3) increase awareness of structural competence. Our clinic, developed collaboratively among students and faculty, serves as a safe forum for dialogue around structural injustices and seeks to improve treatment for diverse clients and those underserved in mental health care. We discuss issues of student and faculty engagement and offer the perspectives of faculty and students of color, case examples illustrating our services, and current efforts to expand and formalize community collaborations. We offer a model that integrates coursework, informal activities, and multicultural supervision for comprehensive student training and that promotes a departmental culture of dialogue and support around equity, diversity, and justice.

Embracing the Promise of Open Educational Resources: Faculty Insights and Implications in Higher Education

This study examines faculty perceptions, awareness, and utilization of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education and identifies barriers hindering their adoption. The research encompasses multiple perspectives, including demographic information, teaching practices involving technology, familiarity and opinions regarding OER, types of OER utilized by faculty, ease of searching for OER, a comparison between open and traditional resources, intentions to use OER in the future, and factors deterring the adoption of OER. The study employed a quantitative approach using an online survey questionnaire to gather data. A random sample of faculty members from the University of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia was recruited (n = 139). Using descriptive and MANOVA tests, the findings highlight a preference for blended teaching styles, significant awareness of OER, ease in searching for OER, and a strong intention to use OER in the future. The results emphasize the importance of addressing concerns related to institutional support, intellectual property policies, recognition of contributions, and creating a supportive environment to enhance faculty engagement with OER. The study implications suggest comprehensive and targeted approaches to support faculty members in adopting and utilizing OER effectively, including promoting gender equity, enhancing ease of adoption, considering workload impact, recognizing differences based on teaching experience, tailoring support based on teaching style, and actively promoting the benefits and opportunities of OER.

Extending Professional Identity Formation to develop academic faculty for a new medical school.

Academic health centers have a responsibility to foster professional development approaches and engagement environments for faculty to elevate both knowledge and sense of belonging as medical educators. This new educational methods submission depicts faculty development and engagement initiatives implemented at a single institution that were created and influenced by the psychological framework of Professional Identity Formation. The authors suggest ways that academic medical centers can draw upon the formation of these programs to best serve their faculty for cultivating development and engagement for professional growth.

What are the perceptions of faculty and academic leaders regarding the impact of accreditation on the continuous quality improvement process of undergraduate medical education programs at Caribbean medical schools?

BackgroundAccreditation and regulation are meant for quality assurance in higher education. However, there is no guarantee that accreditation ensures quality improvement. The accreditation for Caribbean medical schools varies from island to island, and it could be mandatory or voluntary, depending on local government requirements. Caribbean medical schools recently attained accreditation status to meet the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) requirements by 2024. Literature suggests that accreditation impacts ECFMG certification rates and medical schools’ educational processes. However, no such study has examined accreditation’s impact on continuous quality improvement (CQI) in medical schools. This study aims to gather the perceptions and experiences of faculty members and academic leaders regarding the impact of accreditation on CQI across Caribbean medical schools.MethodsThis qualitative phenomenological study inquiries about the perceptions and experiences of faculty and academic leaders regarding accreditation’s impact on CQI. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview method. Fifteen participants were interviewed across ten Caribbean medical schools representing accredited medical schools, accreditation denied medical schools, and schools that never applied for accreditation. Interviews were audio recorded, and thematic data analysis was conducted.ResultsThematic analysis yielded six themes, including accreditation and CQI, CQI irrespective of accreditation, faculty engagement and faculty empowerment in the CQI process, collecting and sharing data, ECFMG 2024 requirements, and organizational structure of CQI.ConclusionsThere is ongoing quality improvement at Caribbean medical schools, as perceived by faculty members and academic leaders. However, most of the change process is happening because of accreditation, and the quality improvement is due to external push such as accreditation rather than internal motivation. It is recommended that Caribbean medical schools promote internal quality improvement irrespective of accreditation and embrace the culture of CQI.

Autonomy Versus Independence: Implications for Resident and Faculty Engagement, Performance, and Well-Being.

Description Research shows that when educational leaders support their learners' autonomy, it positively impacts both parties. This is particularly important in graduate medical education (GME), given that there is a strong emphasis on resident performance, evaluation, and development. Unfortunately, GME faculty often misunderstand autonomy as the resident's desire for independence or "freedom," when in fact it refers to the core psychological need to feel volitional and agentic. The distinction is important because volition is not synonymous with independence, and providing freedom can be at odds with strategies that provide true autonomy support. This, in turn, can contribute to the stress, maladjustment, and resident burnout that are already prevalent in medicine. To help remedy this issue, this paper provides an evidence-based guide for medical educators to distinguish autonomy from independence, with specific examples to help translate theory into practice to better support the well-being of the medical community.

Faculty Engagement In Professional Development

Responses to the transition to online learning during the pandemic underscores the importance of faculty engagement in professional development (PD) to enhance their teaching practices. However, the creation and offering of PD opportunities does not always lead to faculty engagement. Using a change management perspective (the ADKAR framework), this paper examines the facilitators and barriers to instructor engagement in a self-paced, online PD program addressing instructional skills for managing students’ experiences of test anxiety in the classroom. Seven university faculty members participated in focus groups to share their experiences of a pilot PD program in the program. The focus group data were deductively analyzed using the ADKAR framework. Key themes were identified, corresponding to the outcomes of ADKAR: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcements. Findings emphasized the value of considering PD as a change project, while also recognizing staff well-being as a significant factor that impacts engagement with the change process.

Diversity and Inclusion of Human Resources: A Path to University Reputation through Faculty Engagement

The article intends to examine how diversity and inclusion affect the reputation of Jordanian universities and to explore if employee engagement acts as a mediator variable. Data was gathered from a sample of 509 faculty members in managerial academic roles (i.e deans, vice/assistant deans, department heads, and HRM unit administrative staff) in public and private universities in northern and central regions of Jordan using a questionnaire. This study is based on the premise that diversity and inclusion practices enhance universities' reputation. This study examines how employee engagement may act as a mediator variable. The study hypotheses were subsequently examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM). The results indicated that diversity and inclusivity had a beneficial and noteworthy effect on universities' reputation. Diversity and inclusion were discovered to have a beneficial effect on employee engagement. Furthermore, the findings showed that employee engagement plays a partially mediating role in the connection between diversity, inclusion, and universities' reputation. This study's results expand existing research by presenting evidence from a non-western country like Jordan. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, along with limitations and recommendations for future research.

Ten tips to effectively engage community-based preceptors in distributed medical education settings

The effective engagement of community-based preceptors in distributed medical education (DME) settings is an active challenge in medical education. DME is a model of medical education that involves training medical students in multiple, geographically dispersed locations. DME environments include regional medical campuses (RMCs) and rural areas. Preceptors at regional medical campuses (RMCs) and in rural settings have diverse needs that may differ substantially from faculty at central medical campuses. Well-intentioned engagement efforts that fail to understand the unique needs and motivations of community-based faculty can fall short. We present 10 tips for effective engagement of community-based DME faculty. These tips are rooted in the literature and can provide important context for productive faculty engagement in the DME setting.

Administrators’ Place in Leading Deep Cultural Change that Results in Improved Faculty Engagement and Student Learning

This article looks at how important it is for administrators to spearhead fundamental cultural shifts in higher education to raise student learning and faculty engagement. The analysis, which is based on Mezirow's transformative learning theory, demonstrates how administrators can successfully manage and promote change. Constructivism, Social critical theory, and Humanism are all integrated into the conversation to offer a thorough strategy for educational leadership. Constructivism prioritizes co-constructing knowledge and engaging in active, experiential learning, whereas Social Critical Theory pushes for challenging and changing current power structures to promote fairness and inclusivity. Humanism promotes a culture of empathy and personal development by emphasizing the inherent worth and potential of every person. The paper offers important tactics for administrators through a thorough study of the literature. These tactics include supporting professional growth, encouraging reflective practice, encouraging open communication, and creating a shared vision for continuous improvement. Administrators may establish a climate that fosters sustained educational excellence by putting these techniques into practice. This will not only improve student learning experiences but also engage faculty members.

Impact of Ambulatory Blocks on Pulmonary Critical Care Fellow Outpatient Training Experience.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) fellows spend a minimum of 7% of their time in the outpatient setting over 3 years of training. In a multi-institutional survey, only 47% of PCCM fellows rated their ambulatory training as adequate. Internal medicine residencies previously adopted the "x + y" scheduling model, which separates inpatient ("x") and outpatient ("y") rotations to provide focused ambulatory experiences, to address similar concerns. To observe the effects of dedicated ambulatory blocks at a single academic PCCM fellowship on fellow exposure to outpatient pulmonary medicine, and on fellow and faculty perceptions of education. In the 2021-2022 academic year, PCCM fellows of all class years in a single academic fellowship program in the northeast United States rotated through four 2-week ambulatory blocks that included longitudinal clinics, themed subspecialty clinics, and a dedicated educational half-day for small group learning. Before the intervention, fellow ambulatory clinics were scheduled longitudinally one-half day per week during inpatient and research blocks. Both fellows and faculty were surveyed before and after the intervention; fellows were also interviewed via focus groups at the conclusion of the intervention. The degree of subspecialty clinic exposure was compared before and after intervention. There was an increase in the quantity and variety of pulmonary subspecialty clinics per fellow when compared with preintervention years (P < 0.01). After intervention, we observed increased fellow satisfaction with ambulatory education, perceived preparedness for independent practice, and satisfaction with subspecialty clinic exposure (P < 0.05). Faculty satisfaction with fellow ambulatory pulmonary education also increased (P < 0.05). Thematic analysis from focus groups highlighted focused topical learning, exposure to the breadth of pulmonary medicine, career development, interaction with engaged faculty experts, and enhanced interprofessional competence. The ambulatory block structure provides a potential model to expand PCCM fellow outpatient pulmonary training through increased exposure to ambulatory pulmonology and dedicated ambulatory teaching. Important features of the ambulatory block structure include separation of outpatient clinics from competing responsibilities, expansion of fellow pulmonary exposure, opportunities for deliberate practice, and faculty engagement in fellow education.