Developing a Systematic Approach for Faculty Enrichment Using Detailed Assessments as a BasisPresented for Global Learn 2015 byLinda Merillat, PhDMonica Scheibmeir, PhD, APRN, FAANP

Introduction• Many institutions have experienced a drop in enrollment.

• Move toward more hybrid and online delivery models.

• Older faculty who use many aspects of technology sporadically.

• Professional development focuses on ‘how-to’ not ‘how-to-integrate.’

• Repeated use of tool does not guarantee effective use of that tool.

• Faculty not skilled in developing media-rich experiences.

Strategy Adopted• A systematic approach using detailed

assessments as a basis for faculty enrichment was adopted.

• Focus of initial effort was the School of Nursing at a medium-sized Midwestern University.

• Participants included 30 full and part-time faculty members.

Detailed Assessments• Teaching and Learning Skills Checklist

• Technology Skills & Interest Checklist

• Learning Management Systems Skills Checklist (D2L)

Teaching and Learning Skills Checklist• Focuses on general skills needed to successfully deliver a course.

• Skewed toward hybrid or online courses.

• 97-point assessment of key benchmarks organized around elements of the Interactive Teaching Design (ITD) framework.(http://facultysupport.com/teaching-framework.php)

• Broad categories include:– Teaching & Learning Foundation

– Context of the Learning Experience

– Planning the Content

– Preparing the Presentation

– Facilitating the Interaction

– Reflecting on the Results

Technology Skills & Interest Checklist• Focuses on wide range of technology tools used in education.

• 50-point assessment of key benchmarks organized around the technology categories outline in the Technology section of the Faculty Support Center (http://www.facultysuppprt.com).

• Broad categories include:

o Basic Applications o Collaboration Toolso Communication Tools o Multimedia Toolso Class Mgt. Tools o Reflection Toolso Presentation Tools o Research Toolso Interaction Tools o Nursing Applications

Learning Management Skills Checklist (D2L)• Focuses on skills needed to successfully use the learning

management system.

• For this university, Desire-to-Learn (D2L) is being used.

• 45-point assessment.

• Broad categories include:– General D2L Skills

– Planning the Content

– Preparing the Presentation

– Facilitating the Interaction

– Reflecting on the Results

Teaching & Learning/D2L Results

Technology Skills & Interests Results

Teaching & Learning Best Practices Goals

 Teaching & Learning Best Practices Goal

Number of Faculty

Choosing Goal

Learn to post .pdf documents with the OCR option (text-readable rather than image).

15

Learn different class management techniques to gauge student understanding.

13

Learn more about recommended communications practice. 13Learn more about teaching & learning frameworks. 12Learn to use guiding questions to focus student work in each unit/lesson.

12

Learn about using essential questions to frame the learning experience.

11

Learn how to better manage multimedia files. 11Learn more about giving students opportunities to provide feedback to the instructor.

11

Learn to access my university files remotely. 11Learn to design a unit using the Learning Experience Designer. 11Learn how to inform my students about netiquette. 10

Use of Technology GoalsUse of Technology Goals

Number of Faculty

Choosing Goal

Learn to set up and use a Virtual Classroom (ie. Zoom, Lync). 17Learn to set up a grading rubric for an assignment. 17Learn to customize my course homepage/create a widget. 15Learn to create a survey. 14Learn to review student participation in the course/ Learn to use the course logs to monitor student activity.

14

Learn to use virtual groups tools/shared editing tools/wiki. 13Learn how to set up and manage groups. 13Learn to use digital storytelling. 13Learn to back up my course for future reference. 12Learn to set up and organize my gradebook better. 11Learn to use reflective blogging. 11Learn to create a video. 10Learn to set up and take attendance. 10

General Goals Applying to Most• Secure messaging options at the university

• Basic graphic design principles

• Accessibility principles and guidelines– Formatting tables headers in D2L to comply with Quality Matters/Accessibility

standards.

– Creating .pdf documents with the OCR option.

• Using the SMARTBoard in the conference room

• Information on Scholarship of Teaching & Learning resources

• Way to manage personal FAQ type of information

• Plagiarism detection options at university

Conclusions• Faculty rated themselves above average in general teaching

& learning best practices except in the area of context: understanding accessibility, usability in an online environment, and diverse student populations.

• Faculty rated themselves in the low range across most technology skills categories including many basic areas.

• Faculty varied significantly in how they rated their interest in learning more about different technologies. Some individuals indicated a high interest (4) in many areas, while a few indicated a low interest (1) across the board.

Preferences for Providing Professional Development

Use of Online Resource Center

http://www.facultysupport.com/my-faculty-center.php

Planned Improvements to Faculty Enrichment Program• Expanding the program to include adjunct faculty.

• Re-administer assessments annually to document progress toward goals.

• Optimize the assessments to be taken as a set.

• Statistical reliability and validity for the instruments needs to be determined.

• Automatically generate goals and provide links to resources based on more information or high interest being selected in the assessment instrument.