The environment in which faculty development centers operate has changed significantly. As a result, centers are asked to play a more important role in contributing to institutional strategic initiatives, assess outcomes of programs, and enhance faculty scholarship success. In the past, assessments have focused on attendance and satisfaction…

Faculty in their early careers discover unique and unanticipated concerns in navigating academia and attempting to create life balance. These needs must be addressed to ensure retention and success in the tenure process. This exploratory study found the creation of first-year faculty learning communities (FLCs) provides needed, integral, and…

In this paper, the authors describe the faculty development initiatives and the role of faculty learning communities (FLCs) in supporting Team-Based Learning (TBL) at a large, research-intensive university. A systematic review of the initiatives found FLCs provided crucial support for both new and seasoned TBL practitioners and fostered…

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a study that examined the influence of a multi-stage, equity-focused professional development program on the beliefs and understandings about issues of equity and classroom practices among 28 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community college faculty members. The…

This article shares the curriculum and evaluation findings over four years for a faculty development program aimed at increasing skills in designing and teaching online courses. The University of Louisville's "Delphi U" is a four-day retreat style program covering 17 modules, each of which includes an exercise or activity. Over the four…

In light of recent interest in the limitations of early and mid-career mentoring (Driscoll et al 2009; Trowers 2011), this case study of a women's scholarly activity and goal setting Community of Practice (CoP) indicates that such groups can offer extensive peer mentoring at one teaching-oriented state university in the United States. Using a…

The University of Missouri (MU) participated in the Ford Foundation's Difficult Dialogues Initiative (DDI) supporting faculty development projects at over 40 institutions of higher education from 2006-2010. This paper reports findings from an evaluation conducted with instructors who not only engaged in faculty development workshops but also…

Faculty development programs are often at risk during difficult economic times. In order to answer the question about the value that faculty development adds to the institution, programs must measure important outcomes, not simply report the number of faculty served and how well they liked their experience. The authors describe the assessment…

Demonstrating the impact of faculty development activities is difficult and infrequently attempted beyond assessing participant satisfaction. This study examines how faculty development activities affect instructional practices and the impact on student learning and motivation in accordance with Kirkpatrick's levels of evaluation. Ten instructors…

Faculty development research historically reported details on the types of programming available and the format of delivery. This research instead sought to uncover the underpinnings of the goals behind development efforts at community colleges. Findings indicate that teaching and learning issues remain central, with faculty interests serving as…