Abstract:

Faculty members are generally hired for their subject matter expertise. While such a background usually provides a pathway to scholarly productivity, it does not automatically translate into effectiveness in the instructional sphere. This is particularly true in today’s higher education environment, which is rapidly changing. A higher proportion of mature students, greater diversity among students and faculty, and the use of instructional technologies, just to name a few trends, have transformed teaching and learning into a complex process that is much more than the transmission of information.

In recent years, higher education institutions have recognized the growing complexity of the teaching enterprise and also the fact that many faculty members could benefit from professional development focused on building and supporting their teaching skills. This realization, along with a mounting demand from students for higher quality instruction, have motivated institutions to pay more attention to ensuring the quality of the teaching and learning process. One approach has been to create programs that build and support the teaching skills of faculty members. These can range from the establishment of teaching development centres that serve as a resource that faculty members can access at their option to creating organized teaching development schemes where faculty members complete a program leading to a certificate or equivalent.

Faculty members are learners who are similar in some ways to other learners but are also different in many ways. Thus if a professional development program for faculty members is to be successful, it must take into consideration their unique characteristics and needs. This paper will describe the nature and needs of faculty members as learners and highlight issues and challenges in teaching instructors. Using lessons learned in providing professional development to instructors at a Canadian higher education institution, the paper will also identify strategies for developing and delivering effective teaching development to higher education faculty.

Keywords:

Professional development, developing teaching skills of faculty members, faculty as learners, lifelong learning, best practices.