ERIC Identifier: ED371807
Publication Date: 1994-03-00
Author: Alfano, Kathleen
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for
Community Colleges Los Angeles CA.
Recent Strategies for Faculty Development. ERIC Digest.
Formal or informal faculty development efforts have taken place in many
community colleges since their inception. Early efforts focused less on
development and more on periodic inservice training similar to those used in the
K-12 systems. In the 1970's and 80's, faculty and staff development programs
came to be viewed as an economically viable option to improve student outcomes
and maintain institutional integrity. The 1990's require channeling the
pressures of budget constraints, mission confusion, student diversity, and
changing faculty needs into growth opportunities in four areas: leadership,
database management, diversified instruction and student services, and
formalized faculty development (Coll, 1991). As the following examples show,
faculty development today can encompass strategies ranging from simple
one-purpose publications to multi-year consortia projects.
FOCUSING ON STUDENT NEEDS
Changing needs of student
populations often drive community college faculty development programs. A
freshman retention project at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)
combined faculty development training with curricular reform and counseling
changes to reduce high attrition rates in a predominantly minority student
population. The BMCC plan included more bilingual hiring, increased community
outreach, special programs and workshops on cross-cultural understanding and
intergroup dynamics for faculty and staff, a mentoring program for black
students, and a special seminar to assist women and minority faculty to complete
their doctoral dissertations. Outcomes included increases in student retention,
multi-cultural awareness, minority hires, and faculty completion of doctoral
degrees (Kappner, 1991).
LINKAGES WITH UNIVERSITIES
Some community colleges have
improved linkages with nearby universities for both the benefit of student
transfer and faculty and staff development. A long-term professional development
collaboration between Cuyahoga Community College and Kent State University has
resulted in 70 staff members taking KSU courses, with 25 admitted to doctoral
programs (Anglin, 1992).
SPECIFIC FACULTY NEEDS
Most development programs reach
full-time faculty, but they can overlook the special needs of part-time and
evening faculty. At the College of the Canyons (CA), the majority of faculty are
part-time or adjunct instructors with little or no training in teaching. The
college has instituted an Associate Program for Adjunct Instructors consisting
of four steps: (1) obtaining a department chair's recommendation after
completing a minimum of one semester of college service, (2) completing the
Instructional Skills Workshop training series, (3) completing an 8- to 10-hour
Advanced Teaching Workshop which examines questioning techniques, writing across
the curriculum, and critical thinking, and (4) undergoing a classroom evaluation
by colleagues and/or students. Completers are advanced in rank to Adjunct
Associate Instructor, with a 10% salary increase and a program stipend (Gerda,
1991).
In Fall 1991, thirteen Fullerton College faculty began a program to enhance
teaching excellence in evening classes. These faculty attended workshops on
adult learners, learning styles, classroom assessment techniques, and
interactive teaching techniques. The following Spring, they applied these
techniques to their evening classes. Students were surveyed at the beginning,
middle, and end of the semester to assess program effectiveness while the
faculty continued crucial monthly meetings to share ideas (Kelly, 1992).
FOCUSING ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHING
Development
programs for the improvement of teaching range from year-long focused programs
of skill training, classroom observation, and assessment to one-day workshops
profiling student learning and model teaching strategies. American River
College's Human Resource Development Plan for 1991-92 (McCuen, 1991) is a mix of
programs including workshops on classroom research, working with small groups,
student involvement, and computer uses; a 3-day Great Teacher's retreat; and
mini-grants to visit other institutions.
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR FACULTY
DEVELOPMENT
Cross and Angelo (1988) have generated a great deal of national
interest in the subject of "teaching to improve learning" through classroom
research. Their main premise is that teaching will be improved if teachers
design "feedback measures" to assess what students are learning and then change
their delivery and material in order to maximize its impact on student learning.
This approach has been utilized and adapted by 2- and 4-year colleges
internationally.
The Activating Learning in the Classroom Project at Middlesex Community
College is a year-long instructional and professional development program. Eight
professors representing each college division volunteer to reconfigure one of
their courses to promote active learning. The program begins at the end of the
spring semester with five full days of seminars during which the professors
assess their own teaching style, their students' thinking, and the materials
used in their class. Weekly seminars are continued in the fall and each
professor produces a course guide containing a course description, goals and
objectives, a detailed syllabus and a large section of reading and focus
questions (Jones and Duffy, 1991).
Some community colleges tie faculty development to the evaluation process.
Oklahoma Junior College has developed a novel approach as part of a peer
evaluation process. Peer coaching, which guarantees a non-threatening
environment, is linked to a complementary staff development program. The
hallmark of this Minor-Preston peer coaching model is to allow instructors to
receive direct instruction from their expert colleagues and to keep important
long-term faculty experience from being lost to the college (Minor and Preston,
1991).
FACULTY RESOURCE GUIDES THAT PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT
The
Community College of Vermont has produced a resource handbook for instructors
which includes successful approaches to teaching adults; an overview of adult
learning theory; an outline of the Kolb approach to understanding student
learning styles; guidance on course planning, developing learning objectives,
selecting textbooks, planning teaching and learning methods, and appropriate
classroom assessment; strategies for enlivening classroom presentations and
discussions; methods for dealing with special student problems; and campus
resources (Community College of Vermont, 1992). Massachusetts Bay Community
College has produced an ongoing publication called Educational Forum, designed
to promote discussion of teaching, learning, and professional development.
(Fideler, 1992).
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC CURRICULA
Some
faculty development programs focus on curriculum development. Project
International Emphasis has involved all 24 colleges of the Virginia Community
College System to infuse "globally-oriented components" across the academic and
career counseling curricula. During the project's first year over 200 courses
were revised and 21 course modules were developed with titles such as African
Literature, Cross Cultural Communication, and International Marketing (Blois and
Williams, 1991). Another example is The American Association of Community
Colleges' national faculty development Project to Advance the Humanities, which
has included a national humanities conference, college-based curriculum, faculty
development, and funding for humanities action plans and regional college
networks (Shapiro, 1991).
SCHOLARSHIP AND PROFESSIONALISM AS AIDS TO
DEVELOPMENT
Encouraging community college faculty to go beyond rudimentary
teaching skills and to develop further as professionals and scholars in their
fields also aids in faculty development. Major issues include increasing faculty
ties to their disciplines, professionalizing the college culture, and changing
attitudes and reward systems (Vaughan, 1991). Brevard Community College has
promoted a particular program of faculty professional development for the past
nine years with its Return to Industry (RTI) program. Faculty from any
discipline who are interested in updating their skills and knowledge of new
technology can propose 4- to 6- week summer projects at industry sites of their
choosing. Participating faculty receive a modest stipend and can receive credit
towards the graduate coursework hours required in the union contract (Layne,
1991).
SUMMARY
Today, faculty development projects are sometimes
the only avenue to relieve pressures caused by increases in student enrollment,
diversity concerns, student underpreparedness, and the combination of decreasing
budgets and heavier workloads. Development programs allow the community college
faculty to establish links with professional colleagues, to modify and improve
instructional material and delivery, and to keep the spark of creativity and
enthusiasm alive for themselves and their students.
REFERENCES
Anglin, L. W. , et al. (1992). Institutional
Renewal through Professional Development Partnerships. Community College Review,
19 (4), 52-56.
Blois, B., Ed., & Williams, B. (1991). Project International Emphasis
Interim Report. Sterling: Northern Virginia Community College. (ED 336 143)
Coll, K. M. (1991). Enhancing Community Colleges in the 90s: Turning
Pressures into Opportunities for Action. Journal of Adult Education, 20 (1),
3-10.
Community College of Vermont. (1992). Teaching for Development: A Handbook
for Instructors. (ED 341 446)
Cross, K. P., & Angelo, T. A. (1992). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A
Handbook for Faculty. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research on the
Improvement of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.
Fideler, E. F. (Ed.), (1992). Educational Forum: A Journal of Teaching,
Learning & Professional Development, 2 (2). Wellesley Hills, MA:
Massachusetts Bay Community College Press. (ED 345 801)
Gerda, J. , and others, (1991). The Associate Program for Adjunct
Instructors. Valencia, CA: College of the Canyons. (ED 326 275)
Jones, J. W., & Duffy, D. K. (1991). Activating Learning in the
Classroom: Challenge, Collaborate, Celebrate. Bedford, Mass.: Middlesex
Community College. (ED 336 141)
Kappner, A. (1991). The Role of Leadership in Planning, Implementing
Diversity. Paper presented at the 71st annual national convention of AACJC
(Kansas City, MO, April 13-16, 1991) (ED 333 910)
Kelly, D. K. (1992). Part-Time and Evening Faculty: Promoting Teaching
Excellence for Adult Evening College Students. (ED 348 088)
Layne, R. G., & Forester, G. (1991). The Cutting Edge: Sharpening Faculty
Skills in a Changing World. Presented at the 13th National Annual Conference on
Teaching Excellence (Austin, TX, May 19-22, 1991) (ED 336 130)
Minor, J. F., & Preston, K. M. (1991). Peer Coaching at the Junior
College Level: Developing a Non-Threatening Environment. Presented at the
National Conference on the Adult Learner (Columbia, SC, May 26-29, 1991). (ED
339 410)
McCuen, S. (1991). American River College Staff Development Report: Human
Resources Development Plan 1991-92 and Report and Evaluation 1990-91.
Sacramento, CA: American River College. (ED 337 222)
Shapiro, B. C. (1991). Advancing the Humanities: The Commitment Continues.
Community, Technical, and Junior College Journal, 62 (3), 38-42.
Vaughan, G. B. (1991) Scholarship and the Community College Professional:
Focusing the Debate. New Directions for Community Colleges, 19 (4), 3-15.
