Synopses & Reviews
An annual publication of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education, volume 22 of
To Improve the Academy is a collection of articles that focus on the role of faculty, instructional, and organizational development in ensuring excellence in education. Recognizing the urgency caused by a recent rash of budget and staff cuts and falling course enrollment, the authors provide new perspectives on how to address the growing need for providing quality, effective higher education.
The book is divided into six sections:
- Section I, Past, Present, and Future of SoTL: provides an overview of the scholarship of teaching and learning
- Section II, Assessment and Faculty Development: presents tested methods for assessing both student learning and the impact of faculty development
- Section III, Curriculum Design and Evaluation: describes different tools for redesigning curriculum and improving student learning
- Section IV, Faculty Development Tools: presents models for enhancing current methods of faculty development
- Section V, Student Learning and Faculty Development: focuses on helping faculty work with students to enhance and improve their learning
- Section VI, Faculty Development with Part-Time Instructors: includes ideas for integrating adjunct faculty and graduate students into the life of an institution
This book makes sense of how the changing climate in higher education is affecting how, when, and in what circumstances American students are learning. It offers an essential resource for improvement in higher education to faculty and instructional development staff, department chairs, deans, student services staff, chief academic officers, and educational consultants.
About the Author
CATHERINE M. WEHLBURG is Director, Center for teaching Excellence, Texas Christian University.
SANDRA CHADWICK-BLOSSEY is Director, Christian A. Johnson Institute for Effective Teaching, Rollins College.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Section I: Past, Present, and Future of SoTL.
1. The scholarship of teaching and learning: Past, present, and future
Section II: Assessment and Faculty Development.
2. Triangulating faculty needs for the assessment of student learning.
3. Documenting the educational innovations of faculty.
4. Evaluating the return on investment of faculty development.
5. Making faculty development needs assessment more meaningful.
Section III: Curriculum Design and Evaluation.
6. Educating and engaging faculty to educate and engage students.
7. Streamlining midterm student evaluations.
8. An interactive focus group protocol for qualitative assessments.
Section IV: Faculty Development Tools.
9. A transformative model for professional development activities.
10. A SHORE approach to faculty development.
11. Foucault and the practice of educational development.
12. Establishing an innovative, formal, untenured faculty organization.
13. Fostering diversity in a faculty development organization.
14. Academic development as a team sport.
Section V: Student Learning and Faculty Development.
15. Student learning and faculty development.
16. Problem-based service learning.
17. Effective peer evaluation in learning teams.
18. An international perspective on assessing group projects.
19. Portland State's faculty development program for service learning.
Section VI. Faculty Development With Part-Time Instructors.
20. Making adjunct faculty part of the academic community.
21.The ongoing development of graduate student instructors.
Bibliography.