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DEVELOPMENT OFTEACHING BY FACULTY AT MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND
by
Jo~M.Joyal.BA
Athesis submittedtothe SchoolofGraduate Studiesinpartialfulfilment of therequirements for thedegreeofMasterofEdueation
(Post-Secondary Studies(Lee dera hipl)
Facultyof Education MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland
October.1998
St.John 's Newfoundlan d
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ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS UST OF TABLES
INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem Background tothe Study Purpose of the Study Significance oftbe Study Limitations of the Study
U SELECTED REVIEWOF THE UTERATURE Academic Culture andEncouragement of Faculty DevelopmentinTeaching Faculty Professional DevelopmentinTeaching UniversityAdministrativeSu pport for FacultyDevelopmentinTeaching
ill DES IG N OF THE STUDY Methodology
Rationalefor CaseStudyApproach
iv vi
13 21
26 26 27
Interview s Docum en ts
OtherSource Data Analysis
IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA L Documents
2.Interviews
V DISCUSSIONAND CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCE S
APPENDI CE S Appendi%A Appendi% B
28 29 29 29
31 31 43
83
91
95 95 100
~ SummaryTable 1:FacultyProfessional Development 66 inTeac:hing
Summary Table 2:Academic Culture and Encouragem ent 81 of FacultyDevelopmentinTeachinglUniversityAdministra- tiv eSupport for FacultyDevelopmentinTeaching
Professional developmen t of em ployees has become a com mon expectati on and fea t urewithinmost workforces today.Withthisinmind.this stu dy examineshow a selectnum berof faculty membe rsandadministrato rs at MemorialUnivers ityof Newfoundland(h ereafte rreferred to as MUN) perceive theplaceandroleof professional devel opmentinthe teachingcarried outbyfaculty members at MUN. A numberof factors ha vecontributedto the growingtrendof professionaldevelopme nt forfacultyinthe areaofteaching at universities. The com bination of ever-growing budgetary problem s at universities(theresultofadeclineinthe level of public financialsupport); an increaseinthe num berofolder students;anemerging aware nessofnewskills andunderstandingsthatwillberequired for effectivefunctioningina c::h.anging society; abuyer' smarketforstude ntswithregardtoeducationaloppo rtUnities;
and an increased demand for accountabili ty by parents, mem bers of governme ntand the general public aDform part of the reaso ns why profess ionaldevel opm e ntinteaching forfaculty membersisimportanttoday
(Tucker,1992, p.264;O'Keefe.1985,p.2;Gaff,1985,p.138).
Increas in gly,then .man y faculty members at universities are looking to find ways todevelop theirprofess ional skillsinteaching.Many are realizing that theymus t accept responsi bility formanagingtheir ownchange and renewal proce s ses;witho uttheseproc es ses,stagnationand irrelevancein teachingmay increase (Tu cker.1992,p,267).For instance,many wanttobe
experie nce more interesting, relev ant, and effective for students and themselves,tofind waysofdealingwithissuesortryingto solve probl em s that are commo ninthe university clas sroom , ortobe able simplytobe com e more efficientintheir day-t;o..day work.Inadditi on,thereisanincreasingdemandon thepartof university administration(andthe public ingeneral)for greater accountability of faculty members.There are reas ons why pro fessional developmentmight be desirableinuniversity teaching.A variety of activities can be em p loyedand incen ti v es canbe putin.placeto encourage faculty atall levelsandstages oftheir careers tothink.about profession aldevelopm en tin teaching.
Toprom ote better learning on the university campus,faculty members who are responsible for instruction should be given thesupportneed ed. to develop theirpro fessi onalskillsinteachingandthere should be a continuing commitmentto the developmentofactivities forfaculty(L un de& Healy, 1991 ,p.1;Eble&McKea chi e , 1985, p.15 ).Facultyneedtohave opportunities consistently for their developmentso that they can monitorand analyzetheir ownteachingmeth odsandeffective ness,and adaptand upgrade when itis required of them.Communication between faculty membersisimportantin ordertofoster a commo n purposeinteaching, a commitment to andsu p port of the teachingand learningproc ess,and a collegiality so that a sense of comm unitycanbecultivated(Gaff,1983,p.154) .Su pport can be given to faculty in the form.of professional developm ent seminars. workshops, discussiongroupsandotheractivities.
Manypeopledo. Students benefitbecause betterteaching resultsinbetter learning; facultymemben benefit fromthe pleasure ofa jobwelldcoe,andthe personal satisfactiontheygainfrom teaching;universitiesbenefit byreceiving recognition for instructionalaswellas research excellen ce.Andwhenallof these groups benefit. ultimately,the communityandsocie ty as a whole benefit
(Q1{eefe.1985,p.2),
Backgroun dtothe Study
Faeu.ltyteachingisa comp lica tedenterprise.Techniquesforteaching developmentwillap plydifferentl ytodifferentsu bj ectsanddisciplines and.will vary, dependingon the course and the instructor (Weim er, 1990). The developmentof teachingrequires a com binatio noffa cto rs.Flexibility is required and.fa euJtymem be rs must be able tofind.whatwor ks forthemand what suits the cultureof the university.Inaddition.itisimpo rtantto keepin mind that teachingdevelopmentshouldbeconce ived and should occurina positive atmosphere.Facultyteachingshould notbe see nassomething which maybe deficientorseriouslylaclring. or which needs to be"'fixed.-Thereis room forallfacultymem bersto develop theirteaching,nomatter howeffective theyareasteachers.All fa cul tywillgainsomethingintheireffortstowards developing theirteaching,andfaculty membersanduniversity administrators alike canandshouldpraiseeffortsinthis area.Both teachingandits developm entarecom plex endeavors.Thereare noquickandeasyway s to dev elopteaching;ittakes time.
There areanumberof differentsourcesfor thepro moti on ofprofessional development in universi ty teaching.First.univers ity adnrinistration has a role toplayinteaching development;faculty alone cannot initiateandcontin ue effortstowards the developmentof university teaching.In their roles as institutionallea d ers, administr a torsmus t createa climatewhichisconduciv e and receptivetotheprocess andgoal of teachingdevelopment.Thisclim a t e canbecreated bythe universityadministration 's ackno wledgem en tof the
fa cul tyto continue theirgrowthand deve lopm en tas teache rs,andbythe provisionofresourcestosuppo rtfa cultyintheirimprovem en t as tea ch ers.
And althoughgoodteachingisexpected,itisoften notrewarded;facultywho show anongoingcommitmen tandsueeessfully reachlevelsofinstructi onal effectiv enessshould berewarded Ifuniversity administrators areconcerned abou t instructional qualityandsolidly su ppo rteffortstowardsachievingit.
facul ty memberswillpursuethis as agoalin their teaching.
So, su p portfOTprofessionaldevelopmentfOTfa cul ty teachingis.,ideally, derivedfrom the institutionin different way s.Universi tyadministrati on play a rolein sharing, alongwithfa cul ty members, a commitm en ttothe teaching en deavors of theuniversity.Thissu ppo rtisalsoderivedfrom theacademic culturewithinthe institutionitself.Itisimportant thatbot hof theseelements ofsup po rte:ristand.most importantly, are perceived by faculty mem bers to be presentwithinthe institution. Howmuchandhowwellth ese two eleme n ts ofsupport arepresent and visiblynoti cedwithinthe institution.isimportant fOTtheprofessional developmentof facultytoexistand thrivein the areaof teaching.
But the key tothe develop m en tof univers ity teaching andto thegains which canbemadethroughteaching developm ent.lies withthe fa culty membersthemselves.Thereis no doubt that facultymembersplaythecentral role in the developmentof teaching.Fa cul ty makechoices on how to devel op their teaching.Theycan engagethemselvesinactivitiesrelatedtotea ching and learning and cancond uct theirownresearchinto teaching,obs erve their
the teaching and learning process.
Threekeyfea tures work together.then. forprofessional developmentin teachingtothrivefor facultyof theuniversity.Universityadministrative su ppo rt.acade mi c culture, and theavailabilityandpursuit of professional developm ent acti vi ti es the ms elvesinfaculty teaching provid e info rma ti on on the existenceand effectiveness of faculty professional developme n t in teaching.This studyexaminedhawtheseele m en tsexistandare perceivedby select membersof the universityacademic and administrative community.
Purposeof the Study
The purpose ofthisstudywastogain insight into the perceptionsofa selectnumberoffacultymembersandaministratorsat MUNonthe pla ce and natureof facul tydev e lopm entinteachingat MUN.Inparticular.the aims wereto:
1. examine the perceptionsandattitudesthataselect number of faculty and administratorsat MUN have about the roleof facultydevelopment inteaching at the university.
2. examine the perceptions andattitudes that the selectedindivid uals have about how the universityadministrationworkswithfacultyto pro moteandsuppo rt:faculty devel opm en t activitiesinthe area of teaching.
academic:culture atMUNin its encouragementof faculty development in teaching.
4. highlighttheprofess ional developmentactivities devotedto teaching enrichmentthat are currently carried out, as wellasthose which might be putinpla ceatMUN.
5. recommendpossible faculty professionaldevel opm entactiviti es devoted toteaching enrichmen t.
Significanceof the Study
The resultsof the studyprovided information on the natureofthe activiti es currentfybeingcarried out at the univenrity,insightinto the current topics and. levelaofinte res ttofacultyinthe professi onal developm ent of teaching,andinformation about the currentgeneral level ofsu pport atthe University for profes sion al developmentinfacultyteaching.Finally,thest ud y maybehelp fulinplanning forthedevelopmental needsoffa cul ty teachingat MUN.
LimitationsoftheStudy
The studyisintended to be an examinationof the topic as it relatesto MUN only,and representsthe views ofselected. indivi dualsonly.
In this ethnographic study, the res e arche r was relying on the participationof faculty and their openness.Here the researchertriedto make the participants feel as comfortable as possible, assured them thattheir
convenience.
Researcherbiaswasminimized.som ewha t by theresearcher- always beingawareof bias through out the datacoUecti onand da ta analysis stages.
The researcher triedtocompensateforbiasby making a conscious effort to listencarefully to the responses that were givenby the participants. to understand the exactmeaningstha t the participantswere conveying,and to
inte rp retthose responses asaccuratelyaspossible.
n
SELECTEDREVIEW OF THE UTERATURE
Thefollowingtopicsandissues have beenselectedforinclusion in theliterature review:
1. Academic Cul ture and Encouragemen tofFacuJ tyDevelopm ent in Teaching.
2. Faculty Professi onalDevelopmentinTeaching.
3. University Administrative SupportforFaculty Development in Tea ching.
AcademicCultureandEncouragemen t of Faculty Deve lopmentin Te a ching
Seldin n990lsa ys thaton e way of developing facul ty teaching at universi ti esis toestablis han effectiv efa cul tydevelopmen t program.Most of theeffortsinfacul ty professi onal development aredirectedtowardresearch andfurtherstudyinthe facultymembe r'sdiscipline.Forins tance,leavesof abse n ceand trips toconferences are usually for research and scho larly acti vi ti es.Teaehi.ng,therefore.isoften considered asecon d ary activityinthe duties of faculty memb e rs (Tu cker,199 2, p.285;O'Kee fe.198 5 . p.15l.This can also be seeninthe recruitment andselecti on of new faculty members.
Hiringdecisions of new faculty are usually based. ontheir abilities or potential abili ti esinresearch,sinceitisoften easier to identify and measuregood research than goodteaching.Therefore.inordertoenhancethe prestigeof the
universityand secureou tsid efunding,institutionswillmore oftentrytoattract thosecandida tes whoexcelinresearch<Seldin,1990.p.5;Tucker,1992.p.
283-4).Whileteachingisconsi dered a private affairthat goes on between profess orsand studentsbehind dosed classroomdoors,theresultsofresearch becom e public intheaca de mi c communityand therefore receive more attention(Se ldin, 1990).So. therewardsyste mat universitie sissuch that researchisseen as the maincriterion for promoti on andtenure,while relati vely little attentionispaid toafaculty mem ber' sabilitiesinteachiog
(Tucker, 1992;Gaff.1985).But thereshouldbearealizati on that faculty
mem bersrequire professi onal develo pme ntinthetheoretic.a.l and practical trainingofteaching.Inordertopromotebetterlearningoncampus es,facul ty shouldbe given the resourcesand support neededtodeveloptheir teachingand to growprofessionally (Lunde&Healy,1991).
Sincethere seemstobe few incentivestochan ge, facultywho attempt todev eloptheir teachingarerelativelyfew <Bonwe ll&Eison,1991,p.71).
Somedo notparticipatebecause ofinertia..,others becausethey are fearfulof displayingtheirteachingtechniques.and many because they knowth at promotion and tenure decisions dependlargely on research andscholarly perform ance (Sel din. 1990,p.7;Lacey,1983,p.99;Weim er,1990,p.16;
Bonwell&Eison,1991 ,p.55;Tucker,199 2,p.28B).As a result,ma n y professo rsmayspen d littletime trying to developtheir teachingbecausethey believethat teachingwill not beseriously consi dered when it comes to promotio nandtenure decisions. Evenifsome maywishtodeveloptheir teaching,theywillonly attempt to do so whentheycanfind thetimebetw een
theirresearchand other activities,whichthey may well consider more important.Sothe ethos of universities themselves can create roadblocks to teachingdevelopm en t.
Poor methods of teaching assessment can also hinder teaching improvement.Manybeliev etha t goodteachingishardtomeasureandcannot be evaluated. prope rly(Aleamorri,1987,p.26).Inthisconnection,Hutchings (1994 ) refersto a report submittedto the Commissio n on Professi on al Recognition andRewardswhichstates:
"Every institution should work to develop efficient, robust.
reliable,andtrustedmeasuresofteaching effectiveness.These could includepeerevaluation. surveyingofstu den ts from previous semesters,studyingstudentachievementinsubsequent courses.
reviewingsyllabiandexaminations.andother techniques.The perceived inability toevaluate teachingisone of the major stumblingblocks to making teaching an integral part of the rewards system.It is critical that this perceptionbe changed."(p.
7)
The developmen tofteaching and theevaluationof teac hing go handinhand.
sincegoodteachingcan onlyberewardedproper lyifitisassessed properly
(Tu cker,1992,p.289).Ifevaluations are carried out properly,the faculty
members themselves canbeagents of changeindevelopingtheir teaching;
theywilldevelop their teaching byobservingtheirownevaluations andworking towards better evaluation results(Boice.1992.p.249).Sogoodassessment techniqueisvery important.
The literaturesuggeststhat oneof the ways to promote teaching developm entistouseareward system. ABwas mention ed earlier . for the most part.researchisusually heldinhigher esteemwhenassessing facultyfor hiring,pro m oti onandtenure.Goodteaching--especially excellentteaehing-
should beacknowledgedand rewarded;ifteachingisto be more higblyregan::l.ed intheinstitution.thatregardshouldbe visible.Outstandingteaching,then.
shoul d be givenmeaningfulrewards(Tu ck er, 1992.p.289;Boyer.1990,p.731. Aswas mentioned earlier,a problem which.exis ts formanyfa cul ty membersisthat the demands madeontheir time can often keep themfrom effectivelycarryingoutallof thedu tieswhich areexpectedof them (Tuck er, 1992,p.277&284).Facultymembersmusttrytojuggle duties efficie ntly suchas preparing lesso ns for classes, servingon committees, advising studentsandcon d uctingresearch(Weiler.1990,p.292).Afacultymem ber ma ywishtoexcel atboth teachingandreeeeeeb,whichconstitutethemain activitiesof facul ty mem be rs.However ,ifh/sh eis toexcelinthese activities.
h1sh e must dev otea greatdealof timetothem.Theresultisoften that the facultymemberdevoteshislhertime mainly toone activity.tothe cos tof the other(La cey , 1983,p.99).Therefore,itmustbe keptin mindtheamount of timewhichafaculty memberislikelyto be abletodevotetoprofessional developm ent activitiesinteaching.So.althoughfacul tyareencouraged(an d oftenexpected)to engageinprofessional development, theyofte n lind.it difficulttofindor make thetime totake partinprofessional development activities.Inaddition.they oftendonot receiverecognitionfortheamountof timeand energytheyma ydev ote toprofess ionaldev elopment activities.Itis important, therefore, to recogniz e that fa culty will seek profess ion al developmentas it suitstheirneeds andschedules.
Thosewho promote new ideas and innovationsinteaching often confront mythsabou t academic life-forexample, thatgoodteachers arebornandthat
the"'pop~teacherisacad emically suspectCLunde&Healy,199 1,p.14'. Thecomplaintisalsoofte n heardfrom thosewhotryto promoteteaching developm en tthatthefaculty memberswhoreally "need it"donot tryto improve upon theirteachingand that itisthe good instructorswhowillengage inactivitiesdesigned todevelopteaching(Lun de&Healy,1991.p.14).Butall Instructors,though their needs ma y be different,can benefit from teaching developmentactivities(Tu cker, 1992,p.283).Graf. Albright.and Weiler (1992)claimthata faculty deve lopm en tprograminteaching can enhancethe talents,upandthe interests,improve the com pe te nce,andfacilitatethe professi onaland personal growth of facuIty mem be rs in their role as instructors.
Faculty Professio nalDevelo p mentinTe aching
Gaff(198 5) says thatfaculty can find it refreshing and use fultobring to theirteachingwhat theyha velearnedinprofessi onaldeve lopm e ntactivi ties.
Ingeneral. seminarandworksho pactivi tiesforfa cul ty aresu ccess fulifthey are planned thoroughlyand well andare neithe r toowide-ranging nortoo focused.The seminarsand workshops thatwl1J.be successfulare those which areaimeddirectlyat faculty'sneedsandconcernsandaregenuinelydesigned toassistfacultyina positiveatm osphereofsupporttEb le&MeKea chi e.1985.
p.203 ).Follow-upactivitie sto seminarsandworks hops , suchas discussi on sessions.are also good for increasing successof activities asawhole.
Further.faculty deve lopment activities aresuccess fuliftheyare not too time-consuming.so thatfacul ty can easilytake partinthe m withou ttoomuch
intefTUptionintheir schedules.Activiti esfor faculty aresu cces sfulalsoifthey resultintangible informa ti onthatfaculty cantake backwiththemtotheir work.iftheyincreaseinte raction andcomm unication among facultymem bers.
and he lptobuild asens eofcomm uni ty(Lunde&Healy,1991,p.12;Gree n&
Levine,1985. p.xiv).Finally,the activi ties must challenge fa culty and encouragethemto makethe efforttoincorporatenewstrategiesinto their teaching<Eble&McKeachi e.1985. p.217).Conversely,activitiesforfaculty devel opm ent arenotsuccessfulifthey eatertoroutineinterestsof facul ty, lacka senseofpurpose,failtogenerateenth us iasmordonotoffereffective strategies(Eble&McKea chi e.1985 ,p.218).
Tueker (1992)claimsthatIttakestimetobuilda successful faculty develo pmen t program.Growthwillusuall y occurslowlyand atten danceby faculty memberswillbe inconsistent-this sho uld beexpected.Itisofte n be s t tothink big,but startsmallinplanningactivi ties;awell-plannedacti vi ty fora smallgrou pofinterested faculty membersismorelikelytobesucces sfulthan a l.arge-sca.le gen eraleffortwhi ch maysuitno one(Tu cker,1992.p.2741.In this way,a foundationcan thenbe built oninthe planningofotheracti vi ti es.It is alsoofte n the case that facultydevelopm en t activitiesare attended disproportionately by thesewh oarealreadygood teachers(Boye r.1990.p.81. Howev er.thesepeoplewillalwaysbe ab letogainnew insightsfromactiviti es.
Overtime ,the faculty memberswho truly"n eed"the assis tanceinteaching willattend these activities as wellespeci all y ifa syst e m of teaching assessme n t15inplace.ITteachingiseval ua ted.faculty whorequireass is tance willfeel the needtoattendtheseactivities.
Itisimportant.then. thatcarefu.Iconsi de ra tionisgiven to the most pressing needs in fa cul ty development activities. Fresh insights and approaches, as well as special expertise should be broughtto faculty development activities(Lun de&Healy,199 1.p.12 ).Lund e andHeal y (1991>
emphasize tha t topics should ideall y have a demonstrated impact on cla s sroo m teachin g,relateto athem e,and builda sense ofcommunityamon g participants.Tucker (1992)says thatit isimportant. also. in planning activities,to provide a num ber ofdifferentap p roac h es inillustratingnew techniquesin teaching; noon e techniquewillbesuita bleforeveryo n e.and presenting a vari etyofpossib le approacheswouldenab le facultymembersto choosethe onesthatsui t theirown stylesandneeds.
Theextentto whicha faculty membermaywishto develop his/her teachingwill ofte nvary dependingonthecareer stage. Man y graduate progr amstend to focus on thestu d ents 'scholarly developmentrat he rthan on teachingskills.There fore.new facultymemberswilllikelybe drawntow ards faculty develop men tactivitieswhichdealwithlecturing,leading discussions, cons tructingtests,andcoordinating laboratories(E ble&McKeachie .1985,p.
17).Once they becomeestab lis h edintheirpositio ns,facul tyat mid-careeror nearretirementmay discover arenewed. interestinteaching,andmaywishto leam new teachingskills.Facultyatthislevel cangain fresh insightin teachi ngfrom beingincontactwithyounger faculty. Recip roc all y,younger faculty canlearn from thetea chin gexpe ri ences ofmore senior faculty.Sothe inv olvementinfacultydevelopm e ntactiviti esof faculty members from awide variety of disciplines,ranks,andagescan benefitallfacultyalike (E b le&
McKeachie,1985,p.19).EbleandMcKeach.ie (985)say that theacti vities offeredby a fa cul ty developmentcentre can,therefore, help to improve communication between faculty members and bringa renewed senseof commitmentto the teaching process aswellasenhancecreat ivi t y and build enthusiasminteaching.Theycan also help to make faculty members think beyond theirown concernswithintheir disciplines towards largerissuesin highereducation generally(Eble&McKeachie,1985. p,176).
Lacey(1983)claimsthata faculty devel opmentprogramintea ching caneffectivelybeputinpla cethroughtheimplementati on of a fac ul ty developmentcentre.Hesays:
Anofficethatcoordinatesse rvi cesand draws people togethe r to explorecommonin te rests isasmall costwithina university budgetbut canprovi dea ve ry greatse rvi cet p.105>'
Lacey(1983) thinks,then.thatteaching developmentacti vit ies need to becoordinatedina coherent way-and a facultydevelopmentcen t re can be the wa ytodo this.He says that acti vi ties are more useful andsucc es s fulif they are notofferedinanisola ted. piecemealfashion butas partof a unit which has an ongoing and sustained commitmen t to instructional impro veme nt. Further.Lacey (1983)thinksthatofferingactivitiesthrougha facultydevelop men tcen tregives the activiti esthe importance theyrequirefor faculty andadministrative recognition and participation.Acen trecanalso gain knowledge over timeabout thevarietyof faculty needsininstructional development.andhow thoseneeds should bead dressed. Weimer (1990) says that these are importantfa cto rs inopt:imizing the potentialof the overall instructionalquality at aninstitu ti on.
Seldin(1990, p.17) and Tucker(1992. p.287)claimthatthere are four keyinitiatives onwhich faculty development centres can concentrate.They canprovide:1)ia-eerviceworkshops that developspeci fic skills;2)feedback that gives professors information on students'andcolleagues'perceptionsof their teaching effectiveness;3) lectures and discussion groups devotedtobroad issues of higher education; and 4)financialincentivesorawards that encourage innovativeinstructional practices.There are several areas where focus is usually pla cedwithin fa cuI ty development.In general, focus will be on instructional developm ent,new skillsandknowled ge aboutthe teaching and learningprocess es, curriculum developm ent,and evaluationoffac ultyteaching by stude nts(Tucker ,199 2.p.269;Gaff.198 5,p.140).
Some activities are inten ded to assis t faculty in bringing new instructionalconcepts into their courses<E ble&McKeachie,1985. p.80;Gaff.
1985,p.140).Assistance canalsobeprovided to facultyinthede velopm ent of skillsthat willinvolvethem inactivities that su ppo rt other univ ersity functions euch as student advising, student admissions, or oth er administrativework(E ble&McKeachie,1985,p.80).Other activitiesmigh t focus on supporting faculty'sinterestinunderstanding pedagogicalissues and learning theoriesinareas such as adul teducation ordistance education(E ble
&McKeachie, 198 5,p.80,Gaff, 198 5,p.140>.Activities can also focus on planningandorganizing courses, on implementation ofdifferent teachi ng methods,onthe use oftechnologi calaids,on evaluatio nof students ,onthe differentlearning stylesofstuden ts,andonenhancingpro blem -sol ving(E ble&
McKeachie, 1985, p.14;Gaff,1985.p.140).Fa cul ty membe rs maywish to
gaina better understandingof stude nts,whodifferintheir experiences.waysof thinkingandmotivationforlearning<Eble&McKeachie.1985,p.14).This knowledge of stu de n ts is importantfor adaptingteaching methods and providin g a varietyoflearningoppo rtunitiestostudents.
Activiti es can also involve"retraining" faculty to incorp ora te new technologyinto theirteachingwork. For ins tance,theintrod ucti on of new com pute r multi -media pro grams can changetheway a certain disciplineis studiedandtaught(Eble&McKeachie.1985,p.80;Gaff.1985,p.140).If and when faculty membe rstake an interestinthe newanddifferent technologies which can beusedto enhance teaching, workshopscan be developedand.
offeredtothem onthe incorporation anduse of mul ti-medi aintheircourses.
The literatureshowsthatmoreandmoreinstructors are interestedin incorporating different educati onal technologiesinto their teaching.As time goeson,edu cationaltechnologiesare becomingmoreattract iv eto facul tyand usedby them.Thisispartlybecause these technologiesare becomingeasierto use,andace there forebecomingeasierand more user-friendlyforfacultyto learnso as to irieorpceate them more easilyinto their teaching. And increasingly,facultyarebeingencouragedtobecome more knowledgeable about these new technologies.inorder to make their teachingmoredynamic andinteresting forthemselves(Doy le .1996,p.11).These technologies not only provid e new and interestingteaching techniq ues for facultybut they also provide stu den tswithnewwa ysoflearning the ircourse subjects.Forinstance, most stude ntsalrea dyworkwithcom putersintheirday-to-day life,so they likely feelquitecomfortable when technology is incorporated intotheir
counework. Studentswill alsotake to learninginthisway since many of them willsee the relationship of the different technologiestotheir futureworldof work(Birenba um.1991.p,5).
Educational technologiescanalsoprovide many learning opportunities of a kindwhich cannot be providedthrough a conve ntional tea chin g and learning format.Theintera cti venature of many of the s e technologiescan greatlyenh an ce students'understanding of materialandcan introducenew ways ofexaminingcourse subject matter.Birenbaum (1991)statestha t educationaltechnologyisa veryimportantareawhichfacultymembers are increasi.nglyturningtoin ordertoenhanceandimprovetheir teachingaswell asthestu de nts'learning.
EbleandMcKeachie(1985)andGaffU985}sa y thatfa cult ywillalso likelyberequired to becomemore knowledgeablein areas suchasdistance education. Distanceeducation technology,which ties in with new and developin g educational technologies generally, is becoming incre as ing ly importantinthe deliveryof courses.The distanceeducationenviro nm en tis quitedifferentinimportantrespec ts fromtha tof astandardclassroom.Graf etat(1992)saythatseminarand workshop activi ti esin thisareawilllikely be requiredtohelp inexperiencedfa cul tyopera te effectively inthe distance educati onenvironment.
Another aspect of teaching concerns interpersonal relationsbetween facultyandstu den ts. Teachingandlearning can beenhan ced whenst udents are awarethat the instructorcares abouthow well theyare learning material andthat theinstructorisaccessible to themwhen they arehavingproblems
withaspectsofthecourse.Fa cul ty membersmayalso wanttoexaminehaw weDthe informationandmaterialintheirdiscipline canbe communicated to studentsandma ywant tolookat ways to improv e this.Tea ching canbe improved when faculty memberstake oppo rtunitiestoimpleme nt whatthey havelearned from theirownexpe rie ncesand are givenopportunitiesto learn from eachother.Bothofthes e elementscanleadtocontinueddevel opmentin facultyteachingandtoincreased collegialitybetweenfa cul ty members.The literaturesugg es ts that these elements can come aboutin the faculty members'departments andinplannedacti vi ti es offered.forexam ple.by a faculty development eentre.
Eble and McKeachie(198 5)think thatfuture trendswillalsolik ely focus on attemptsto foster cooperationamong facultyme m bers as well asto increase communication between fa culty members about teaching and learning.Inaddition,facul tywillbe increas ingl yinv olved inteaching nun- traditionalstudents. As thedemographicsof the univers itystudentpopulation change,feweryoung er(tradi ti onal) studentswillbe enrolledat universitiesand moreolderst udentswillbe continuingtheireducation. Older. non-traditional students bring different learningstyles, goals,and expectati ons to the classroom.GafF(985)thinksthat faculty shouldbeawareof thes eandothe r sub tledifferences between younger and olderst uden ts .and try to adjustand modify their teaching stylestosuit thes e differenttypesof learners.
Tofini sh .Gaff(1985)says that ther eis anever-increasingem phasison makingand strengthening the connections and rel evan ce between the classroomand the workplace.He saysthatthis connection has a continuing
importanceinthe professio nalschools at univers ities. butit isalsobecoming increasinglyimportantinthe generalstream,non-pro fess ional programs,such asartsandscience.Hethinks,then, that faculty developm entactivitiesinthis areawill,there fore,likelygrowinfuture.
University Administrative SupPOrt fo r Faculty Development in Teaching
Thelite rature suggests thatiftheacademiccultureof aunive rs ityisto helpinencouraging facuIty developmentin teachin g, andifa success fulfacu lty developmentprogram.isto be putinplace and maintained.itisimportan t tha t the universityadministratio noffer realandvisiblesuppo rtintheseareas.
Seldin(1990) saya thatto help create an acade mic culture which supports faculty development in the area of teaching, the academic department itself can often be the firstand.bestplacetostart.Hesa ys that.
forexample.departmenthea ds can encourage those faculty members who show an interestin teaching developmentbyseeking advice ortakingtheirown initiative in some aspect of teaching development. In this situation., department headscan suggest further resourcesand services which the facultymem bersmightseekoutinordertofacilitate their effortsto develop their teaching.Encoura gem en t of facul ty developme ntinteac hing at the departmentallevelcanbe veryimportantbecause itisher e where departme nt headsand their fa cultymembersmustreactandadj us ttothe changes which are increasinglybeingbrou ghttotheir every-daylife andworkinthe area of teaching.Tucker (1992) suggests thata departmenthead'sability to lead
hislhercolleaguesthrough both the anticipationof change as wellas the processes of change can helpfosterprofessi onalgrowthin the area of teaching forthe wholedepartment.
The liter-ature suggests that univers ity administration can further influence academicculturebyhelpingto recognizegoodteaching as wellas goodresearch,
nus
can be done.for example , by offering awards for outstandingteaching.Seldin(1990 )addsthatgoodteaching can also be recognizedinthe pro moti on and tenure pre ces s.He says that university administration can also enco urage faculty membersto broadentheirconcept ofscho larshipand think. about how research canbe conside rednot asa separate entity from teaching,butbow the resul ts of research can enhance and enrichteaching.In these ways,then. Seldin (1990) suggests that university administrationcanhelp to establishabalanceinthe importance of teachingandresearch at the university.Theliteraturealsoemphasizesthat university administratio ncanand should encourage properdocumentationandevidenceofgoodtea ching by encouragingfacultymem be rs to keep teaching portfolios or dossiers.'The portfoliocan document facultymembers'stre ngths and.accomplishm e ntsin teaching.andprovide spe cific data about teachingeffectiveness.A reward.
systemcan more effectivelybeputinplacefor teaching when doss iers are used,Seldin(1990) saysthatthisinform atio ncan helpprom otio nandtenure commi tt e esinassessing facultymem bers'teaching.The currentCollective Agreement betweenMemorialUniversityof NewfoundlandandMem orial Unive rs ity of Newfoundland Fa cul ty Association includes the Canadian
Associati onofUnive rsity Tea chersGuidetotheTea ching Dossier.
nus
Guide explainshowtocreate a dossier,howthedossi erisusefulandhowa dceaier shouldbeusedaspartof thepromoti on andtenureprocess.Seldin (1990) suggests,also,that it isimportant that university administrati onsupport facultywiththe appropriatetools and facilitiesfor teaching.Headdsthat classrooms and equipmentusedinteaching mustbe maintainedandimprov edwhen necessary.Further.iffacultymembersare to tryand incorporate newtechnologiesintotheirteaching,proper and up-to-dat e facilitiesintheway ofaudio-visual, multi-media and othe r technicalequipment mustbe made availa bletofa cul tyforuseintheir teaching.
The literatureindicates,also,that afa cul ty development programca n bemoresuccessfulifthe faculty mem bers of the universityare awarethat the activities are fully endorsedandsupportedby the universityadministration.
Gaff (1985)thinks that faculty developmentshouldbesupported both by facultyandadministration,and faculty membersshould be involvedinthe planning ofteaching developmentactivities.Tuckert1992)thinks thatfaculty initiativeandinvolvementisessential- facultymembersshouldbethe ones tosetthe goalsinfacultydevelopm en t activitiesandassume theultimate authority forde termining the directionandnature of the activities,notthe university administration.Hethinksthat the offeringof teachingdeve lopme nt activiti es shouldhelpto makefaculty aware thattheir wor kisvalued.and that theyhave supportamongsttheir colleaguesand the univers ity administration.
Theliteratureindicatesthat itisimportantthat faculty seetha t the universi tyadministrationsupportsa facul ty developmen tprogram,but they
alsorequire the assurance thatitisa program which functions for their involvem en tandneedsinteaching.Tucker (l992)thinksthat university administrationcan help to institutionalize long-tenn faculty development efforts,but the actualch oicesanddecision-makinginfaculty dev elopment activitiesshould be made by the faculty members themselves.Eble and McKe a chi e (1985) suggest that faculty developmentactivities should leave facultywiththe perception that they are consideredone of the top prioritiesin the resources of the university.They say thatitisimportant,then,tha t administrativesu p po rtbepositi v e for thes e activities as well Lundeand.
Healy (199 1)andGaff(198 5) indicatethat thissu pportshouldnot givethe impressionthat the activi ti es arebeingthrust upon the farolty by the administrati on;activitieswhich are perceivedtohav ebeendictated from the top downwillnot work..If,then.a faculty developmentprogramisto be successful,itisimportant thatit have both administrativesupport and facultyownership(L unde&Healy,1991, p.11;Rice&Austin.1990,p. 32;
Eble&McKea cru e .1985,p.208;Tucker,199 2.p.287-8).Tucke r (199 2)goes further insayingthat,infa ct.coope rationatalllevels of the universityis iInportant for ongo ingfaculty developmentintheareaofteaching.
Gaff(198 5)thinks thatinorder forfacultyto pursueprofessional developmentInthe area oftea ching. itisimportant, firstofailfor themto perceivetheneed topursu e professional development.Tucker(199 2)and Gaff (1985)think that iffaculty and university administrationcan work togetherin determining and understanding the university's overallgoals and what needs to bedoneinthe area of professional developmentfor faculty,only then can
faculty interestinprofessional development inthe area of teaching be generated.Gaff(19 85)suggests, therefore, thattheuniversity administrative SU P JX)rtof faculty devel opmentinthe areaofteaching canbe mutually beneficial to both the work of faculty andthelong-range plans of the university.
ill DESIGNOF THE STUDY Methodology
Thisstudywas aqualitative one.Qualitative researchisameth odof examiningand describing issuesorproblems by listeningto,observingand becoming acquainted.withthepeopleoneis studying(LeC om pte &Preisele.
1993; Glesn e&Peshkin,1992).The stu dyexamined themultipl e realities that exist amongst selected individualsinthe univers ity enviro nm en ton the topicof thedevelopmen toffacultyteaching at MUN.
Thereisandbasbeenafacultydevelopmentprograminplac e at MUN foranumber ofyears.Thisstudy.through docum ent analysis and inte rvi ews.
lookedat the attitudesof a select num ber offa cul ty andtheir participationin the se activities aswellas the attitu desof the academicadministrators who promoteandencouragethiskindof professionaldev elopm en t-Thestu dy was evolutionary,inthat the informationgained from the participantsinthe stu dy led andaddedto subsequentinterviews.
The studytook an ethnographiccase study approach.Inparticular,the study examined.what itisthatselectnumbers of the university academicand administrativecommunity believe.sayanddoastheyrelateto professional developm entinthe area ofteaching.It looked atthe currentpra cti ces at MUN,and where the direction may gointhefuture.Bylookingatthe diffe re nt perspectivesofthe participants , a"larger picture"developedof the current natureandpla ce offacultyprofes sionaldeve lopm entinteaching atMUN.
Rationale tor CaseStudy Ap proach
The case study approach was appro priatetothisstudy.The research wascarried outinonelocation and the phenomenonwasexaminedat onepoint intime. Curre nt fa culty developm ent issues were examined within the university enviro nmen t. Relationshi ps betw ee nthe issues wereexamined.
withinandas they rela tedtotheunive rs ity environmentina varietyof ways, i.e.,through interviewsanddocument analysis.Inkeepingwiththe case study approach,noclaimwillbemade aMut the universal views of the institution as a whole.
Fiv e compone ntsof a case studyresearch designwhi ch are particularly importantare:1)a study's ques ti ons ; 2)itspro positi ons ,ifany;3)itsunitrst of analysis ;4)thelogiclinkingthedatatothe propos itio ns;and5) the crite ria for interpre tin g thefindings(Y'm,1989,p.29).
Inthis study.the questions dealtwiththe role offa cul ty developmentin the area of teaching atMUN. and the views that a select numberof faculty and administration have on this topic.The propositions are that.perhaps.
thereisorisnot sufficient promotion and support(a dministrati v e asweI.I as cultural)inthe universityenvironmentinthisarea;that,perhaps the current fa cul ty developm en tactivitiesmayormay not be sufficien tlyaddressing faculty' sdevel opmentalneeds,andifnot, thereneedsto beanexamina ti onof wha t thos e needs might be.The primaryunit of anal ysi s was fa culty developm en t and Iwantedtoknowhowitisperceived.andcouldbecarried.out,
and howitissupportedat different levelsinthe university.These issues were examinedwithinthe institutionofMUNonly,and by aselect numberof indivi duals only.These issues werealso examinedatoneplaceintimeonl y.
The datawas linked tothe propositionsbyexamining,matching and grouping, by com paringandcontrasting,and by looking forsimilarities and differencesinthe res po ns es as theyrela ted tothe researchquestions.The criteriaforinterpretingthe findings deve lopedfromthe data; patterns emerged from the similariti es and differences which presented themselvesin the data.
nataCollectio n
The data wasobtained by cond ucting fa ce-to-fa ce inte rvie ws with.
faculty membersandaca demi c administrators of the university,using a focus edsamplingmethodlHakim.198 7,p.141):theindivi duals wereselected bas ed onreferralsby collea gueswhoidentifiedthese individualsasthose who mightsim ply bewillingtotake partinthe project.Da t a wasalsoobtained through the a:amination of avarietyof docum entationproduced. byuniversi ty administrati on.
Interviews
Twelveparticipants were interviewed.Sixpartici pants were MUN faculty members andthe othersixwereaca demic administrators of the university.Thes einterview swere approximate ly forty-five minutes each.and wereaudiota ped andtranscribed.Alistof interview questions for each groupis containedinAppendixA. The participants'conse nt to takepartinthes e
interviews was obtainedand a consent fonn was issuedto them forthis purpose(Appe ndix B).
~
Documentsobtained and revie wedforanalysisincluded:
theCollective Agreement between MUNIMUNFA(1996-99) Memorial University's Mission Statement: Launch Forth: A Strategic Plan for Memorial University ofNewfoundland(199 4) report:AcademicDevelopment(by Dr.G.R.Skanes.1992) report: Information TechnologyPlanPhase I(199 2)
report: Task Group on University Priorities and Resources:
Discussion Paper on Unive rsity Transformation Principles Strategiesand Priorities(1997)
Other Source
Data were alsoobtained byexaminingthe formalince ntiv es that have been putinplace by universityadministrationat MUN for the development andenh ancem en t of facultytea ching.
Data Analysis
Data acquired throughinterviews and through an examination of variousMUNdocuments was summarizedand interpreted.then analyzedto see1)whatkindofacademi c cultureexists and how encouragement is provided
atMUNtowardsthe professionaldevel opm ent of teaching by fae:ulty; 21the extent and nature of incentives and suppo rtthat are putinplace at MUN by university administrationinthe professionaldevelopmentof teachingby faculty; and 3}whatkindsof professional development activitiesinthe areaof teachingare C'UJTeDtlybeingmade available to faculty at MON,andwhere furtherprofessi onal developmentopportunities might exist.It was anticipated.
that the study mightreveal areas of interest to faculty which are currently not accessibleorwhich perhapsarenotcurrentlybeing made availab letothemin the way ofprofessionaldevelopm en t activi ties.
IV
PRESENTATIONAND ANALYSISOF DATA 1.Documents
Anumberofdocuments were anal yzed to investigate their purposeto thepeoplewhoprod ucedthem as wellas tothepeopleforwhomthedocuments were produced.The docum e nts analyzedincluded:
Launch forth:Astrate gic plan for Memorial Univ ersi tyofNewfoundl an d (19 9 4)
thecollective agreement betweenMemorial UniversityofNewfoundland andtheMem orial Universityof Newfoundland Faculty Associa tion(F eb.
26,1996·August 31,19 99)
a repo rt pre paredfor V.P.(Academi c) entitl ed Acad e mi cDevelopmen t producedbyDr.G.R.Skanes(1992)
a reportentitled Inform a ti onTechnology PlanPhase Isponsored by senior administrato rs ofMUN and carried out by an Executive Steering Commi ttee and aproj ectteam(199 2)
finalreportentitledTaskGroupon University Priorities and Resources:
DiscussionPa peron UniversityTransformationPrinciples Strate gi es and Priorities.
Launch Forth: A Strategic Plan for Memorial Uni versity of Newfoundland(1994)
"I'b.isdocument was the resultoCthework ofthe UniversityPresident at that time,Dr.Arthur May,whofeltthat the University neededtodevelopan institutionalsenseofpurpose thatclearlydefined the universityanditsgoals (p. U.He feltthatplanning needed.tobeintegratedtoensure that acad emic andadministrativegoalswere setinconsid era ti on of the ove rallinstitu tio nal object ive s<1994,p.1).The Presid en tviewed this str ate gic plan asathematic perspe cti vethatshould pervadeallofthe activities ofthe universityIp,11.
Thisdocum en t. therefore,outlinesthe envisioned.paththatMUN should take inits endeavors.includingits pathinuniversityteaching.
Within thisdocume n t, under the heading "Our Mission..· is the statement,"Memorial Universityis comm ittedto excellenceinteaching, rese arc hand scholarshi p....•(p. 7). Itgoes onfurther to saythat "the universityisacitizen ofthe world, recognizingitsobligationsto advance lmowledgeandutilizeitsresources...;" "theuniversityisdedicatedto providing a superiorlearning environmentthrou gh responsive and innovativeteaching..."
"the universityiscommi tted to respons ible andinnovative leadershipin developing, transmitting,transferringandapplying knowledge...•tp.71.
Thedocument laterstates that"a comprehensivethemeisqualityin everythingwedo"{p.17}.Undertheheadingof "Quality"it reads"the universitywillsystematicallyactto enhancequalityinallof itsse rvi ces:to students, to the rest of the univers ity comm unity and to external stakeh olders"(p.17).Ina secti onwiththeheading"Quality; thedocumen t describeshow"inoureffortsto educa te.to searchfor knowl edge andto share what wedowemust dedicate ourselvestoimproveuponwhatwe achieve tp.
18).Itgoesonto say that"Inreeognitionof the importanceofteaching, particularatten ti on wiD be paid to initiatives that promote andreward excellenceinteaching."
-our
goalmustbetopromotewithintheuniversity a cult ureinwhichallare putting forward their best effortsandcons tantl y seeking toimprove.The universitywillactto maximize the potential ofall em ployees by investinginprofessional developme nt. providing the tools necess aryfortheir workandprovidingfeedbackonthe qualityof their work"(p.18)
Finally.the document statesODitslast pagethat"The challe ngenow before individuals andeach academicandadministrative unit withinthe u.n.iversityisto evaluateactivitieswithinthe con textof the missionstate m e n t and val ues and to use the strategic them es.as appropriate, to guide development oftheirinitiativesinteaching,researchandcommunity service"
(p.23).
These state m e n tswithinthe missionstat eme nt areaimed.directly or indirectly,at faculty memberswithintheuniversityand thetea chingaspectof theirwor k..Thedocument,ingeneral,outlinesthe universityadministrative prom oti onofandsupportforteaching improvement anddevelopmentefforts forMUNfacultyinthearea of te aching.
CollectiveAgreementbetween MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland and MemorialUniversityof NewfoundlandFacultyAssociation
Thisdocumentisthe agreement betweenMemorial Universityand the faculty members of theUciversity.It outlines the terms ,requirements,and
conditio nsofthe work:of faculty me mbe rs ofthe University.Inthe Preamble section ofthis documentit isstatedthat ...the mainpurposes of the Universityare:_.the developm entandmaintenance of the highest standards of academic excellenceinteaching...•(p.1).Itla terstates,undertheheading of"DutiesandResponsibilitiesof Fa cul ty Members"that "Facultymembers have aprofess ionaldutytodevelopand maintain theirscholarlycompetence andeffectivenessas teachers"[p.15)
Undertheheading of "Appointm en tCrite ria"thedocum ent states that
"Ass essmentofcan didatesshall be basedprimaril y on theirability toperform theacademicduties of the adve rtised position as evide nced byth ecandidates' degreesand theirrecords of,andpotentialfor.teaching... (p.33).Underthe heading "Crite riaforTen ure"the agreeme ntstatestha t"Thecriteriaforthe grantingof tenureshall be satisfactoryacademicperformance...•demonstrated professionalgrowthsince the dateofappointm en t,and the promise of future development...theareas of assessme ntfor tenureshall be the following.with the greatest weight placed on a)effectiven essandscho larlycompetence as a teach erand...hiademonstratedrecord...of research..."Ip. 44).
Under theheading "Criteria forPromotion"the agreem entstate stha t
"To meet the criteriaforpro mo tion,the candidateshall provide eviden ceofa cumulativerecordofsa ti s fa ctory academic perfo rmance...anddemonstrated professionalgrowth...theareasof assessm ent for prom otionshallbe the following,withgreatest weight pla ced ona)effec tivenes s and scholarly com petenceasateacher•...and b)a demonstratedrecord ofres earch...Ip.
47). Under bothof the headings"Criteria for Te nure"and"Criteria for
Promoti on" the agreement statesthat for evidence of effectivenessand scholarlycom petenceas a teache r,"Recomme ndationsanddecisions shallbe basedon theeval ua tio n of documentati on compiledbythe facultymember following suggestionsinthe CAUT Teaching Dossier.The facul ty me mbe r shall selecttheparticularcom ponents of theCAUT TeachingDossierforinclusion inthefile:(p p.44,47).The agree me nt includes ,as"Ap pe n dix B." a copyof
"TheCAUT GuidetotheTe a chingDossier.Its Preparation andUse."
nusdocument,then . containssectionswhi ch dealwiththe teaching dutiesoffacultyandoutlin es the obligationthatfa cul ty members at MUN havetodevelopandenhance their skills and abilities in university teaching.
RePOrt:Academic Devel opment
Thisreport was pre paredbyDr.G.R.Skanes for theUniversity'sV.P.
(Academic )in199 2.Dr.Skanes was theDeanof the SchoolofContin uing Edu cati on.Hisofficewas respo ns iblefor the coordinatedofferingoffaculty developm ent activitiesinteaching.The reportisthe resul tof visits and a follow-upquestionnairetotwenty-two faeultiesfschoolslcollegesldepartmentsof MUN.Informatio n was gathered from theseunitsinorderto answer:'"What can we dotoimp rov e theund e rgraduate academic experienceat Memorial?"Ip.
31.Some oftherecommendationawithinthis reportwillbe described. There portstated that one of the mostfrequen tl y men ti on edDeedsof the universitywas that of improving the general acad emicculture of the univers ityby boldingteaching colloq ui a andinvitingvisitingspeakersIp. 5).In addition,itindicatedthatteaching suppo rtand innovatio nwererequired;that
there shouldbea facilityto which faculty can go forassistance inthe pre parati onofmaterialsfer- teachingIp.9>.The facultywhoparticipated thoughtthat innovationsininstruction alreadyinpla ce shouldbeadvertised morebroadl y(p.9).Thefindingsalsoindicated thatfacultywere supportiveof wor ks hops andotherlearning expe ri encesandthatsucheventsshould be tailoredtothe needs of individualunitsIpp.9-10.17,211.Fa cul tywerealso interestedinacquiringcomputerskiIlsandthought thatthe university should enhance its supportfor ccm puee e-assistedlearning Ip.10).
Thereport indicated that many faculty thoughtthat the universitydid not valuegood teaching andthat there should be an effective reward system for goodteaching aswellteaching innovation(p.121.It stated that the evaluation of instructionshouldbea unitrequirement.,thatfaculty shouldbe helped to becom e comfortable with peer review, and that the la ck of accountab ilit yinteaching sent amessagetha titwas conside redunimportant (p.12 ).The documentalsostatesthat the most effective activitytomaintain or improvethe quality of teachingis to recognize and evaluate teaching effectiveness(p .17).Infact,it was found that faculty performance evaluation andpro m oti on shouldbetied to both research andteaching(p p. 12.22).
The documen t outlined four main approaches to instructional development(p.23):
1)in-service wor ks ho ps tha tdevelop specificskills:specificnee ds aswellas broader ones areimportant.One of the benefi ts of broader activitiesisthat theydrawpeople togetherfromdisparate unitsandencourageaniden tifi cation with the universityas an institution(p.23).
2)feedback thatprovid es professon with information on students' and coUeagues'perceptionsof their teaching effectiveness:student eval ua tion for feedback.to faculty shoul dbe expanded.Peer review shouldalsobeencouraged (p.23).
3)lect ur es and discussiongrou psdevotedtobroadissuesof higher educa t ion:
there was an exp ressed needfor academic for atodis cuss issuesof importance to the academiclife of the institutionIp, 24).
4)financial incentives thaten courage innova ti v einstructional practices:there should be a source of funds for this purpose(p.24).
The report also listed the key characteristics of instructional developmentprograms(p.24).These programssho uldbe:
1)tailoredtothe institu tion'sculture;2)structured alongmultiple-a p proa ch lines to meetindivi dualpr eferen ces. sched ulesandstyles;3)supportedclearly and visibly by top-level administr a tors; 4) aided in their design and managementby a facultyadviso rygroup;5)started small.targeting specific needs and groups;6) funded byaspecificpercentageofan institution'sgeneral operating fund; 7)publicized.throughout theyear;8)kept apartfrom the institution 'spromotionandtenuredecisionmaking;9)acentralsourc efor gathering, selecting, and disseminating information about teachin g and learningtothefaculty;10)builtona climateof trust,openness, mutual res pect, andinterdependence;11)ledby directors who offerstro ng leadership oncampus andwor keffecti velywithinstitutionalgoverninggroups;12)locat ed on campuseswhereoutstandingteachingisrecognized.and rewarded.; 13)held on thebedrockbelief that faculty members merit,rather than need.help.
Finally,ina sectionentitled"Recommendations,"thereport suggested that travelfundsbe made availableto faculty forthe purposeof instructional improvement,that members of the administration consider a policyofcourse reduction for the purposeof coursedev elopment,andthattheyinstitu te a system ofteachingeval ua ti on priorto hiring new facu ltyrp. 30).Italso sugges ted that academic fora beheld. atleas t annually.to bring together stu dents,staffandfaculty,that a centrebeestablishedtowhichfaculty can go forhelpwiththe preparationof educa ti onal materials.andthata fund be set uptosu p portinnovationininstructio n(pp. 32· 33).It also su gges tedinthis section that theChair ofthe Acade mic Developme ntCommi tteeshould continue to plan and provide wor ks hops,other learning experiences and su pport services forthepurpose of academic:development(p. 3St
Thisdocument.then,ou tlined the incentivesand supportactivitiesthat sho ul dbe putinplace at MUNtodevelopandimprove fac ulty teachingatthe university sothatinturn,the university's potentialinteachingand learning generallycan be maximized.
RePOrt: Information TechnologyPlan:Phase I Reoort
Thisreport was compiledin199 2ina jointeffort.between the V·P (Aca de mic)andanExecutiveSteeringCommittee wbichbadrepresentativ es from the acad emi c sector, the administrati on, the library and from Newfoundland andLabradorCom putingServices (NLCS).A projectteam.also assistedin theprod u ction of this report whichbadrepresentatives from thes e areas ofthe university: Com.puting and Communications,Library,Academi c.
Comptro ller's Office. Budgets & Instituti onal Analysis. Registrar's Office.
EducationalTechnology , Stude n tAffairs,andHuman Resources.Therepo rt was su bmittedtotheVP(Acade mic).Thepurposeof this document was to assess where theuniv ersi ty stoodwithreg ardtoitsachievementsand. goalsin informati ontechnology planning.
Thedocument statesthatoneofthegoalsof MUN isto "cr ea te, disseminate,andpres erv e knowledgethroughexcelle nceinteaching,learning, andresearch.Indoing so,Memo rial must strreetoberecognized forthe quality of our undergraduate and graduateteaching...•{p,3).The documentalsostates that-IfMemorialistobe rerognizedas atop-rankedteaching institution,it mustpla ce strongemphasis onthe use of information technologythroughout the curriculum..Associatedwiththe s e improvementsininfrastructurewiD be the environment andsu ppo rt arrangemen tstonurturetheincre aseduse of inform ati on techn ology throughout the curriculum. Fa culty must be encouraged to adoptthe use of infonnationtechnologyintheir courseswhere appro p riateand must be professio nallysupported.inthat use.More equitable access toinformationtechnology resources throughout Memorial must be provi d ed"Ip. 5l-
Inthe AppendiI ofthisdocumentisa sectionentitled "I.T.Assessment Issues,"and under the subheading:"use of informationtechnologyinteaching and learning"itisstated that"MemorialIislbehindteachingtrendsinleading univers iti es," and recomme n ds to "incr ease [the! use of multimedia, visualization aids,""incre as e sup po rtfor courseware development and/or
acquisition,""change faculty rewardsystems for teaching innovation: and
"prcmcteinformationtechnologyenhanced teachinglleaming."
Thisdocum ent,the n,outlinesthe infrastructure,incentivesandsupport which sh ouldbeputinpla ce at MUNfor the increased andenhanceduse of informationtechnology in university teachingby faculty members.
Final RePOrt of the Taak Group on University Priorities and Resources: Discussion Paper on University Transformation Principles.
Strategies and Priorities
Thisdocument was producedinearly1998 bythe vice-presidentsof the university(a ca demi c.research.and administration and finance) andisa result ofthe effortsof this groupindealingwithchallengesfacedbyMUNsin ce 1995, andinpositioning the universitytodeal effectivelywithemergingissuestp.
n.
Under the heading"MemorialUnive rsity's transform a ti on principle : Adopting a learning focus"the document asks:"Axe the curriculum and instructi on almethodsusedinourcourses bes t structured to fostera teaching andlearning environmentforour students?'"(p.ii],Inthissectionitalso sa ys ...the administrativeculturemus t supportactivi tiesthatleadtothe creation ofalearning focus."(p.vil.
Under thebeading"Proposed transformationstrategies,"andwithinone of the strategieslisted."4.Partnership"thedocumentstres ses that ...
internal partnershipsbetween disciplines and facultie s provideopportuni ti esto developnew approachestoknowledge, teachingandlearning." (p.ill).Another strategylistedis"6.Valuing scholarship."Under thissecti on itisstated"...in
recentyears a morecom prehensi v e perspective has evolved to includethe concep ts of integration. ap plica tion. and teac:hing... in the realm of scholanhi p.'"(p.iii).
One ofthe prioritieslisted inthereportisentitled:"Priority #4:Ensuring programs meet high quality standardsof curriculumandinstruction" Ip.vi).
Withinthissection.thedocument says"The univenitywillmake use of people with criticalexperience and.successful meth ods inteaching to pro m ot e teachingexcellence througho ut the organization,"'"Memorial will visibly sup port excellentteaching, and will en cour age those who win tea chi ng excellence awardstopromoteimprov edteaching campuswide.The university willinvestigatefundingforthe sup po rtofdevelopmentsinteaching , andwill investiga te meth ods...ofsu p portingthe treatmentof teaching as a component ofprom otio n.""Acade mic departmen ts andfacultieswilltake responsibilityfor encouraging faculty to participate on a regular basis in profess ional developmentandinstructi c nal -methoda activi ties intheir teachingarea.
Initiatives may include:su bstanti al initialtraining and su p po rt for new lecturers;biennialappraisalof teaching,includingclassroomobse rv a tio n...Ip.
vi),
Thisdocum en t, then,outlines the universityadministration's envisioned path forMUNto enhancethepro file andrewardsystemofteaching atthe univers ityaswellastopromotethedevelopm ent andenrichmen tof teachi ng at MUN.
Other: FormalIncentives
There areoth er wa ysinwhichfa cul ty teachingissu pportedatMUN.
OneisthePresident'sAward for Distinguished Teaching,anawardgiventotwo faculty membersannually.Intendedto recognize excellenceinteachi ng ove ran extended period of years.thisawardisgivenbasedona fa culty member's imaginativeapproachesandsus tained commitmentto teaching.Theaward recognizes successingenerating an intellectual excitementandinfosteringthe developm e nt ofstude nts'skillsandinterestintheirdisciplines (McM anus, 1997,p.1)
Facultyteachingisalso su pported through the activitiesofferedby the lnstructi onalDevelopmen tCentreof theSchool ofContin uingEducatio n. The managerof the Centreacts as a facilitator and participantinuniversity committe eworkandina variety ofuniv ers ityactivi ti esgene rall y,which deal withissuesof universityteachingand learning.ThisCen trealso develops.
plans,organizesandadministers facul ty developm en t seminars for the enhance ment offaeulty tea ching.Subjectareas ofthese acti vi ti es covera wide range,induding sessionswhich deal withdifferentaspects of pedagogical practi ce as
wen
as sessions which deal with the implementati on and enhancement of technologicalaidsinteaching,among othersu bject areas.Thereisalso a facultynewsletterinplacewhichisissuedmotrthly/bi- monthlythroughthe Instructional Dev elopmen t Centreinthe School of Continuing Education.TIu!NewsAbout Teachingand Learningat Memorial features articles whichfocus on currentissues in university teachingand
learning generally,as well as articles whichare informational or which focus on currenttopicsof interest to facultyinthe area of teachingandlearning specifically atMUN.
These incentivesand services. then.formsome ofthe waysinwhich the univers ity administrationsuppo rtsMUNfaculty memb ers inthearea of teaching developm en t andenh ancem en t.
Interviews were conductedwithtwelve individuals at MUN.Sixof these were academic administrators of the universityand six were faculty members.
The interviewsrangedfrom a durationofone-half hourtoforty-five minutes each.Withthe exceptionoffivequ es ti ons,allof the interviewqu es ti ons were iden tical for eachgroup.Wherewording was changedor where questions were added for eitherof thegroups hasbeen indicated. Thequesti ons have been grouped accordingtothe informationthey provide for the three topic areas unde rexamination.Withinthesethreetopicareas,one of the topicareas forms Group One.The other twotopic areas arecombin edtoform Group Two.Thus, the topicareas are groupedinthe following way:
Group One:
Grou pTwo:
Faculty ProfessionalDevelopmentinTe a chin g University Administrative Suppo rtforFa cul ty Devel opmentinTeaching
Acad emic Cul tureand Encouragem e nt of Faculty Devel opmentinTeaching
• Faculty Professional Develop mentinTeaching
What,inyour opinioo.arethe characteristics ofgood teaching at univ e rsiti es?
Whenasked.thisquestion. administrato rs provideda rangeof qualities theythou gh t chara cte rize d good teaching.They thought that goodinstructors sho uld ha ve enth us iasmandbeabletostimulate stud ents'interes tintheir subject,andhavegoodcomm unicationskills.Theyshouldtake a personal interestin.bepassionate aboutandhavecommi tm enttotheirsu bject. Asone administratorsays:
You havetobesomeone who has arealpassionforthesubject andif youhavethis passion it'shardforyou not to conveythat;and. that passioncan overco mealot of shortcomings.
Ingene ral.theadmini.strato rs said thatinstructorsshouldalsobeable to provid e challengin gcoursema te rial thatwill addval u etoothe rcomponen tsof the course.Theyshouldbringtheir experie nces.research, and perspectivesto their teaching.They should have aknowledg eof themechanicsof teachingand classroomdynamics.Theyshould be sensitivetostu dents'needtobeengaged inactivelearning intheclass.and haveagoodgrasp of their materialandbe abletoconveyitwell.Theyshould besensitivetolearnersandintuitivewhen stude ntsare able or unabletounderstandthe coursema te ri alandbeable to make adjustm en ts in. their tea chin g when nec es sary. They sho uld be con versant with the literature oCth esu bje ctand.staycurre ntintheirsubject.
They shouldhave a greatattitudetowardsteachingandrespectfor st ud ents;
another thoughtthat it was alsoimportant tokeep thingsinperspectiveand have agocxIsens eof humour.Oneof theadministratorsthoughtthat the charact eristics of good teachingvaried depe n ding on these tting of thelearning en vironme n t.He bro kethe settin gs downinto three: alecturesetting, seminar setting,and graduatesu pe rvision.Ina lecturesetting he thoughtitwa s importantforinstructorstobeabletocarefullyprepareandorganizemateri al foran au dien ceof diverse abilitiesandbackgro un d.Ina seminarsetting th e
instructor shouldbe abletodraw ideas from the participantsand makethem feelcomfortableindoing this.aswellas beableto setstude n ts'expectations.
goal s and deadlines.Ingrad uatesupervisionhe thoug ht project management was important;stu d en ts need helpin planningandrelating togeth er the differentcomponentsofathes isandkeep itonsched ule. Anotherofthe administrators expressedhisideasongoodteachinginthisway:
Ithink peoplehave forgottenwhatthis universityisallabo u t,it's not aboutfacultymembers;whatwe'reforgettingisthatwhatthisreallyis isa transferordiffusion of knowledgeto thenext generati onwhich really isgoing to be thesociety ofthefuture.That has been forgotten; my biggest disappointmentisthatIcan't believe somany peopleforgetthis basicthing;it'slikeparents notworryingabouttheirchildrenand just worryingaboutthemselv es.
Faculty mem be rs also had a wide range of thoughts on the charact e risticsofgoodteaching.Theythought that inst ructo rsshouldbring current researchandcurrentideas.andreflectionandanalysistothecontent and curriculumofteaching.It also involved.excellent organization,makingth e learning content and experience relevant and meaningful for stu dents collectivelyand as muchaspossible individually.Theyshould alsobring creativ eapproachesand innovative strategiestotheirteachinginorder to
bring the contenttolife.There shouldalsobesoun d methodsof evaluation,and connectionsshould be made between the content.teaching style and approach, and.the students involved. Students shouldbe engagedwiththe materialand withthe conce ptsbeing taught.Instruct ors shouldgain an understanding of the stu dents'interests so as to tune the materialto the mindividuallyinways that spark theirinte res t; connectionsshouldbe made betw ee n the theo ryand whatthe studentsarereadingandexperiencingintheir everydaylives.One faculty member thought that good teaching can onlybe determinedby the studentsafhr theyhave graduated.He says:
The studentscurrentlyinthe program dumbitdowntogetthroughas easily as possible; the quality aspects of their leaming become important to students once they graduate;while they're a student that's not necessarily the case.
Anothe rmember tho ughtgood instructors should getstudentsto learn how to thinkand reasonthings out thems el ves ; topresen ttheir opinions bot hwritten andorally.They shoul dalsobe as clearas possibleand be available to answer questions.There shouldalsobe clear organization.,careful preparationandan interestinthe feedback from students.
Doyouthink that there are aspectsofyourown teachingwhich you would Uketo changeorimprove? (facultyonly)
Two of the members thoughtthat they wouldliketo make their course s more current.Two wouldliketodevelop theiron-campuscourses fortheWorld Wide Web.Twothought tha tthey wouldliketobemore organized.Theot her things mentionedranged from wanting to improveevaluationskills to being better ableto orchestrate the resourcesof teaching,devise different ways to
