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Author: Mary Helen Pavia Martinez Publisher: ISBN: Category : College teachers Languages : en Pages : 280
Book Description
Faculty professional development is an essential component in the fabric of community colleges. Nationwide research studies indicate that students who begin their post-secondary studies underprepared and enrolled in developmental education are less likely to complete a college degree. Developmental education has been under reform for the past few years with the goal of accelerating students' success and transitioning them into college-level courses. Given the present state of reform, more research is needed on faculty preparation in teaching developmental education, specifically on the role of professional development in preparing faculty in developmental education. Faculty in developmental education are central to the success of students completing a degree or certificate. During this current state of reform in developmental education, professional development represents a probable solution to preparing faculty to provide condensed versions of developmental education course models. This research study examined perceptions of community college faculty in developmental education on professional development. This study utilized a qualitative case study design with the use of focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and surveys. The findings were (a) the majority of participants reported that sharing with other faculty members was beneficial and perceived the sharing of practice with like-minded individuals as a professional development activity, (b) participants' primary challenges to participating in professional development were limited funding and time away from classroom, and (c) participants expressed apprehension regarding the state of reform in developmental education. Insights from faculty on needs, challenges, and perceptions may enhance the effectiveness, timeliness, and quality of faculty development programs.
Author: Mary Helen Pavia Martinez Publisher: ISBN: Category : College teachers Languages : en Pages : 280
Book Description
Faculty professional development is an essential component in the fabric of community colleges. Nationwide research studies indicate that students who begin their post-secondary studies underprepared and enrolled in developmental education are less likely to complete a college degree. Developmental education has been under reform for the past few years with the goal of accelerating students' success and transitioning them into college-level courses. Given the present state of reform, more research is needed on faculty preparation in teaching developmental education, specifically on the role of professional development in preparing faculty in developmental education. Faculty in developmental education are central to the success of students completing a degree or certificate. During this current state of reform in developmental education, professional development represents a probable solution to preparing faculty to provide condensed versions of developmental education course models. This research study examined perceptions of community college faculty in developmental education on professional development. This study utilized a qualitative case study design with the use of focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and surveys. The findings were (a) the majority of participants reported that sharing with other faculty members was beneficial and perceived the sharing of practice with like-minded individuals as a professional development activity, (b) participants' primary challenges to participating in professional development were limited funding and time away from classroom, and (c) participants expressed apprehension regarding the state of reform in developmental education. Insights from faculty on needs, challenges, and perceptions may enhance the effectiveness, timeliness, and quality of faculty development programs.
Author: Sharon Kay Geistman Hyak Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
As community colleges focus on increasing accountability, a growing number of community colleges have implemented professional development programs. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of faculty professional development, yet faculty participation and attitude toward training may impede improvement efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to increase understanding of Texas community college faculty attitudes and perceptions about faculty (teacher training) professional development. This quantitative study identified faculty characteristics, such as teaching experience, level of teacher training received, and academic degree earned; as well as environmental factors including college culture, administrative support, colleague influence, funding, time availability, self-efficacy and faculty perceptions toward development activities. A Likert-style online survey was developed and administered at 14 Texas community campuses, where 997 faculty members participated. The faculty list included campus members that taught at least one course in a typical semester, including teaching administrators, deans, part-time faculty, and full-time faculty. The Likert items mostly consisted of five points based on the scales from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree," or from "Never" to "Very Frequently." Other questions established participation in faculty development activities and demographic information such as teaching load, prior teacher training, academic degree earned, teaching discipline, teaching experience, and position at the college. Survey data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS statistical software. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple regressions was performed to determine the relationship among survey variables. A priori level of significance for all statistical analyses was set at an alpha level of 0.05. Participants included 997 Texas community college faculty members at 14 campuses. Results indicated that (a) differences exist in the ways these various faculty groups experience and value training opportunities; (b) campus culture, administrative support, and funding, are statistically significant predictors of faculty member participation, attitudes, and perceptions; (c) faculty members' self-efficacy is significant in predicting attitudes about professional development; and (d) faculty beliefs in their teaching capacity influence their motivation and behavior in the classroom. The researcher recommends that leadership (a) legitimize professional development by promoting, supporting, and participating in strategically aligned programs; (b) evolve training strategies to incorporate diverse objectives, learning strategies, and shared culture for all generations and experience levels; (c) present training using best practices, reflection, and a comprehensive approach; and (d) model high-achieving systems of education. Several recommendations for future research include (a) continually and consistently collect and analyze data regarding faculty attitudes and faculty experiences; (b) evaluate how faculty development training affects student learning; (c) expand research to systems of education that reflect high-achieving models and alignment with the desired culture and strategic directions.
Author: Ajai Cribbs Simmons Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 1475866291 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 105
Book Description
Developmental Education Preparation suggests faculty development that can be used for teaching developmental education and corequisites courses, specifically in mathematics. Providing a look into the needs of students that may not be prepared for college level courses, the premise of the book is to prepare the faculty as much as possible to handle a developmental course. Complete with techniques, pedagogy, instructional skills, when combined all together, this book can help with developing meaningful professional development on any campus across the nation. The interviews presented in this book provide the reality of some faculty of developmental mathematics education and revealed common trends in the needs and characteristics of corequisite courses. Based on the themes found, professional development is suggested to aid in helping shift any negative components of those themes. The themes help better understand the needs of teaching these challenging courses. Student success should start with faculty making sure they are equipped with the tools and understanding of the students. Student’s readiness starts with the faculty’s readiness. Having the combined understanding of faculty and student needs can help to create a professional development plan that will enhance the developmental level mathematics courses in higher education.
Author: Leo Dean Stetson Publisher: ISBN: Category : Community colleges Languages : en Pages : 344
Book Description
The purpose of the study, which was conducted at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, was threefold: 1. to assess the attitudes and opinions of administrators, content faculty, developmental faculty, and students concerning developmental education needs of community college students. 2. to develop a questionnaire which could serve as a model to be utilized by other community colleges to assess attitudes and opinions concerning developmental education needs of students. 3. to determine if differences existed between administrators, content faculty, developmental faculty, and students relative to their understandings of developmental education needs of community college students. The major hypothesis was that there would be differences between the attitudes and opinions of administrators, content faculty, developmental faculty, and students concerning the developmental education needs of community college students. The sample consisted of six hundred and seventy-seven respondents. Three hundred and ninety-eight (64%) of the questionnaires were returned for utilization in the study. The groups selected, and the percentages of questionnaires returned were as follows: administrators (75%); content faculty (47%); developmental faculty (81%); and students (70%). The instrument used in the study was a thirty-two item questionnaire which was developed by the investigator. This instrument used a five point Likert format where "one" was the highest rating and "five" was the lowest rating. The analysis of the data collected was done by utilizing a fixed model analysis of variance with unequal cell sizes. This statistical analysis which involved four levels of one factor was computed for each of the thirty-two items on the questionnaire. The Least Significant Difference Test was then done as a post hoc procedure on each item that had an F ratio which indicated a difference significant at the .05 level. Within the limitations of the study, the following major conclusions were drawn. 1. Sixty-nine percent of the thirty-two stated null hypotheses were rejected which indicates considerable difference between the attitudes and opinions of administrators, content faculty, developmental faculty, and students concerning the developmental education needs of community college students. 2. Administrators, content faculty, and developmental faculty differed significantly on only one item that dealt with developmental education skills. 3. Student responses differed significantly from those of administrators, content faculty, and developmental faculty on nineteen of the thirty-two items. 4. Administrators and content faculty agreed upon what skills should be taught but were not in agreement relative to faculty tutors, summer hours, student tutors, college credit for developmental courses, and developmental materials relevant to individual programs of study. 5. Administrators and developmental faculty did not differ significantly on any of the items on the questionnaire. 6. Significant differences were found between the attitudes and opinions of content faculty and developmental faculty on five items. The four items concerned with drop-in tutoring, summer hours, student tutors, and college credit for developmental classes suggested that content faculty had more conservative attitudes toward the operation of the developmental program than did the developmental faculty. 7. Administrators reported a significantly greater need for improvement in the skills of reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, basic arithmetic, and use of study time than did students. Administrators also gave significantly higher ratings than students to being open during the summer months, student tutors, and diagnostic testing. 8. Content faculty gave significantly higher ratings than students to sixteen of the thirty-two items on the questionnaire. Eleven of these items dealt with developmental skills and the remaining five were concerned with the operation of the developmental program. 9. Developmental faculty assigned higher ratings than students to the eight items concerned with the developmental skills of reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, basic arithmetic, the use of study time, note-taking, and listening. Drop-in tutoring, being open during the summer months, and student tutors were also rated significantly higher by developmental faculty than by students.
Author: Allison Venuto Publisher: ISBN: Category : College teachers, Part-time Languages : en Pages : 102
Book Description
This study determined the professional development needs of dual credit adjunct faculty at a large community college in the United States. As institutions of higher education increase their reliance on adjunct faculty due to budget constraints, adjunct faculty members instruct a growing number of students. In tandem with this, more community colleges partner with local school districts to offer dual credit classes so that students can earn high school and college credit at the same time. Previous research denotes that adjunct faculty desire greater connection to and support from their institutions of higher education; however, these institutions do not consistently offer adjunct faculty these opportunities. Leadership at institutions of higher education must solicit the types of professional development desired by dual credit adjunct faculty because of the unique needs of this population of instructors. This qualitative action research case study combined data from a questionnaire, interviews, and document review from dual credit adjunct faculty members. Key findings from the study included needs for professional development related to connecting with colleagues and students as well as technology. Dual credit adjunct faculty express a desire for professional development related to their disciplines, technology, and institutional support. Professors with different years of experience need different types of professional development. Specifically, new instructors need orientation information, professors with some experience need information about student engagement, and experienced instructors want information related to building their careers.
Author: Eric C. Leshinskie Publisher: ISBN: Category : Community college teachers Languages : en Pages : 91
Book Description
To improve course success rates and the overall success of students in developmental level courses, I designed a professional development experience to strengthen developmental education faculty members' social capital, connecting faculty with peers who also teach developmental level courses. Twelve full-time faculty members participated in an interdisciplinary professional learning network (PLN), where they engaged in shared critical dialogue and conducted and received a peer observation. I designed a mixed methods action research study where participants completed a pre- and post-survey measuring the influence of this professional development experience on their social capital and their use of effective teaching practices. Additionally, participants completed reflective journal responses, and I interviewed six participants to determine if participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving an interdisciplinary peer observation would transform their teaching practice. Quantitative results indicated that participation in the PLN had little influence on developing participants' social capital and little influence on transforming teaching practice. The qualitative data indicated that participants' confidence in their teaching practice increased. Participants' social capital was strengthened as they developed an informal support network that grew from a sense of trust and common purpose. Furthermore, interacting with instructors from a different discipline expanded their ideas about effective teaching practices. Ultimately, participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving a peer observation led some participants to consider a transformation of individual practices and in a few instances, modifications to teaching philosophy.
Author: Carol A. Kozeracki Publisher: Jossey-Bass ISBN: Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 124
Book Description
Developmental education is a core mission of the community college, and approximately 40 percent of entering community college students enroll in one ore more developmental math, English, or reading courses. The existing literature recommends several instructional and organization practices for developmental educators to follow in addressing the needs of those students. Despite the availability of these models, however, community colleges--each facing its own unique combination of students needs and available resources--continue to struggle in their efforts to effectively educate underprepared students and help them move onto and succeed in college-level courses. This volume of New Directions for Community Colleges offers a realistic assessment of the difficulties community colleges face in attempting to assist students who share the common characteristic of being underprepared for college-level work, but whose backgrounds, academic preparation, motivational levels, and goals are extraordinarily varied. The authors discuss the dangers of isolating developmental students, faculty, and curriculum from the broader academic structure of the college. They provide examples of successful programs, and offer a range of recommendations that college administrators can adapt to their campuses and student populations. They also call for additional research on developmental education, especially systematic assessments of existing programs and qualitative research that captures the perceptions of the students for whom these programs are designed.
Author: Mary Helen Pavia Martinez
Author: Mary Helen Pavia Martinez
Author: Sharon Kay Geistman Hyak
Author: Willie Edward James Pollard
Author: Ajai Cribbs Simmons
Author: Leo Dean Stetson
Author: Allison Venuto
Author: Phyllis Metcalf Turner
Author: Eric C. Leshinskie
Author: Carol A. Kozeracki
Author: Cynthia A. Shuman