Abstract:

Implementing quality faculty development is crucial for enhancing educational practices across university campuses. Many university educators receive little training in effective teaching methodologies, and success in research does not necessarily translate into effective teaching. As a result, many new instructors enter their teaching roles ill-prepared to support student learning, often navigating a challenging journey marked by difficult experiences that can leave them feeling disheartened, frustrated, or resentful. Furthermore, the growing population of non-tenure track faculty—including graduate students, adjuncts, and clinical instructors—are tasked with teaching university courses and are expected to deliver instruction that aligns with institutional objectives related to student retention and graduation rates.

While research shows that systemic, ongoing faculty development directly related to course content positively impacts student achievement, higher education often relies on one-time training events. This prompts the question: how can we implement systemic and ongoing faculty development that directly targets instructors’ content areas, while also reflecting the principles of transformative practice?

The authors—teaching support specialists at a four-year land grant university in the Midwestern United States—share research regarding their differentiated faculty development coaching model that is designed to meet the needs of instructors with a wide range of experiences. Each year, newly-hired instructors are introduced to the university’s growing institutional culture that values teaching by attending three half-day sessions on topics related to brain research in teaching, student motivation and engagement, and designing effective assessments. After these sessions, instructors are introduced to an instructional coaching model—a voluntary process that involves goal setting, course consultations and observations, and the collection of student feedback. Instructors who participate receive a qualitative analysis with actionable feedback, as well as continued support. Instructors may use these materials as part of their promotion and tenure portfolios.

Reflecting on teaching and learning should be a continual process, and instructors with all levels of experience should have opportunities to engage in critical thinking regarding their teaching practices. The authors will share their model for instructional coaching as well as the most common resources they use to support faculty.

Keywords:

Professional Development, Higher Education, New Faculty.