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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: 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: R. Mark Miles Publisher: ISBN: Category : Electronic dissertations Languages : en Pages : 128
Book Description
Universities and colleges have developed an over-reliance on adjunct faculty, and as a result, researchers have begun to study adjunct faculty satisfaction as it relates to their working conditions. Current research indicates that professional development is a source that can contribute to satisfaction at work (Hoyt, 2012). However, the research does not give us a sense of the adjunct experience with and perceptions of professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of adjuncts with professional development at a single Texas community college. I conducted a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. I interviewed sixteen participants. Of this 16, twelve were adjunct faculty, and four were administrators at a Texas community college in the Houston area. Interviews proceeded in 2 rounds and were guided by the major research question: what are adjunct faculty experiences with faculty development at a single institution. During data collection and analysis, adjunct faculty stated they do not frequently participate in professional development; however, when they do participate, it lessens their feelings of being invisible on-campus and connects them to their colleagues. In addition, participants described meaningful professional development. I identified six key themes: scheduling, communication, level/target, content, focus, and participation.
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: Wajma Nasher Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 188
Book Description
With the growing number of courses and degrees being awarded online, there was considerable interest in online education among institutions of higher education. Due to the paucity of research on the needs of online community college faculty, this dissertation provided an introduction to the issues community colleges faced in providing professional development training to faculty who taught online. The following three research questions were used to examine community college faculty’s perceptions about the professional development training they received to teach online courses: What are the pedagogical and technical challenges faculty members experience in developing online courses? What are the elements of support faculty perceive they need to teach online courses? What are community college faculty members’ expectations for being ready to teach online classes? It also includes a literature review on online education in U.S. post-secondary institutions, the role community colleges have played in online education, the attitudes that faculty have had towards online education, the changing roles online faculty would have to adapt to in order to navigate from the traditional classroom to online, and institutional support. This study took place at an urban community college located in Texas. A qualitative research method was used to interview eight full-time faculty with at least three years online teaching experience from the Government Department only. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The data collected reflected the voices of online faculty and their professional development needs to effectively develop their courses. It also explored the challenges of faculty who teach online courses with an emphasis on the quality of training and support provided by colleges for faculty to develop and maintain their online courses. With the increased demand for online courses professional development need is urgent in order for colleges to meet the growing demand
Author: Gregory F. Peterson Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 570
Book Description
In order to meet the educational and economic demands of the United States in the future, institutions of higher education must increase the number of students who persist to the completion of a certificate or degree program, especially low-income students and students of color (Carnivale and Desrochers, 2004). To increase the persistence and completion rates of these students at community colleges, national initiatives, such as the Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count initiative, have emphasized the importance of creating institutional environments in which planning and improvement efforts are data-driven (Achieving the Dream, 2005). This study explored the perceptions of faculty members, administrators, and staff directly involved in establishing this data-driven environment, also known as a "culture of evidence," and the extent to which those perceptions had disseminated through the larger college community. Through the use of a case study and focus groups using Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) methods, the development of a "culture of evidence" at two Texas community colleges was examined as perceived by college constituents involved in its creation and by a group of college constituents indirectly influenced by their efforts. The emerging themes are discussed in their relation to promoting and maintaining a data-driven culture in the future.
Author: Sharon Kay Geistman Hyak
Author: Sharon Kay Geistman Hyak
Author: R. Mark Miles
Author: Mary Helen Pavia Martinez
Author: Wajma Nasher
Author: Gregory F. Peterson
Author: 
Author: Patricia T. LaFlamme
Author: Sharon Hansen Clark
Author: Jillian Ruth Williamson
Author: David Luther Caffey