Within community colleges, Faculty Development is essentially a two-part challenge: first, to foster instructional excellence and, concurrently, to nurture collegial connections that foster instructional excellence. The good news is Maricopa's faculty developers have long addressed the former and in recent years have paid more attention to the latter.
Some of Your College Faculty/Staff
Development Coordinators
From L-R Michaelle Shadburne (PVCC), David
Gerkin (PVCC), and Margaret Hogan (MCLI)
From L-R Roger Yohe (EMCC), Holly McKinzie
Beene (MCLI), Lara Collins (SMCC), and Ned Miner (PVCC)
From L-R Laura Helminski (RSC), Jennifer Kester (EMCC),
Debbie Krumtinger (GCC), Joe Ortiz (SCC),
and Judy Boschult (PC)
From L-R Jonelle Moore (MCC), Sharon Fagan
(CGCC), Paula Garner (PVCC), and Peter Zawicki (GWCC)
|
Instructional Excellence
Let's face it, the overwhelming majority of us learned to teach on the job, which translated to past lives as students or graduate teaching assistants, or from breathtaking first-year experiences.
We know that Maricopa's hiring committees regularly assess applicants in microteach sessions, just as they evaluate disciplinary expertise. We also know that all our faculty increasingly express interest in learning theory and teaching methologies. what is maricopa doing? College faculty development strategies focus on developing instructional expertise toward advancing student learning. For many of us, this translates to concerns for active learning methodologies, new technologies, and adult learning theory--along with equally pressing concern for the rudiments of course and classroom. Nowhere are these needs more punctuated than in the ranks of new faculty and adjunct faculty, which is why you're seeing increased efforts in this direction.
Collegial Networks
Along with methodological issues are exigencies of teaching itself, brought to light by a growing national awareness of teacher shortages and a mounting body of literature that characterizes teaching as one of the most isolated professions (Hutchings & Shullman, 1999; Kraft, 2000). Even among those of us who delight in strong departmental networks, the dynamics of our actual day-to-day work essentially occur in isolation. Participation in programs and events that bring faculty together in MCCD to share their teaching experiences seem to promote important colleague affiliations.
What is Maricopa Doing?
Most Maricopa colleges support new faculty with extended programming usually designed as collaborations of college administration, faculty governance, and individual departments. These efforts take various forms, including Rio's Faculty Support Team (FAST) and PVCC's Collegial Support Partnership Program, which provide mentoring to faculty.
In addition to individual college programs, mcli supports collaborative efforts such as Dialogue Days, Learning Grants initiatives, and summer opportunities, including Maricopa's upcoming participation in ASU's Summer Teaching Institute.
On the horizon is interest in piloting a collaborative online college teaching environment designed to build networks of colleagues through discussion of incidents and concerns common to new faculty. If implemented in the Maricopa District, it would give faculty the opportunity to participate with colleagues at a time and place convenient for them.
Where Do You Fit?
Your college Faculty Developers invite not only your participation, but also suggestions. If you'd like to know more or be more involved in professional development, just pick up the phone and call your college faculty/staff develoment coordinator(s).
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/fsd/
References
Hutchings, Pat & Shulman, Lee S. (1999).
The scholarship of teaching. Change, 31(5), 11-15.
Kraft, Robert G. (2000). Teaching excellence
and the inner life of faculty. Change, 33(3), 48-52.
Murry, John P. (1999). Faculty
development in a national sample of community
colleges. Community College Review, 27(3), 47-64.
|
