Fostering Student Successthrough in-house faculty
development programming
Hanna Erpestad, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kelli Hallsten-Erickson, CTL Coordinator and English Faculty
Lake Superior College
Because Lake Superior College believes that an investment in faculty is an investment in our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning develops, facilitates, and promotes a comprehensive professional development program for faculty designed to meet the ever-changing academic environment.
(9/27/12)
Our Mission
Master Academic Plan A commitment to provide faculty and staff
professional development, including systemic orientation and mentoring, improving online instructional capabilities and effectively using feedback
FY12-FY15 Strategic Plan 4 goals addressing professional development of
instructors teaching in all delivery modalities, including new faculty mentoring
Connections to LSC Initiatives
#1: Dramatically increase the success of all learners, especially those in diverse populations traditionally underserved by higher education.
Strategy: Implement research-based best practices for student success. At LSC: Constant use of research-backed strategies
(Example: FIG text Envisioning Equity)
Strategy: Partner with diverse communities...to create welcoming learning environments that expand access to educational pathways and increase student success.
At LSC: All-campus book read, a Muslim student forum
Connections to Charting the Future
#4: Expand the innovative use of technology to deliver high quality online courses, strengthen classroom instruction...and provide more individualized learning and advising.
Strategy: Enhance student educational experiences by infusing emerging technologies into courses and student support services and by developing an integrated, collaborative approach to support professional development of faculty and investment in instructional design.
At LSC: Consistent practice of offering sessions dealing with technology and instructional tools. LSC POET®.
Connections to Charting the Future
Faculty nominate a name for the CTL Coordinator
position for administrative approval
Coordinator and Dean meet monthly
Coordinator convenes 2-3 advisory board meetings per
year
Activities are planned based on input from across
campus
Structure
CTL coordinator is given 9 credits of release
The CTL supply budget has never exceeded $5000
Budget monies are spent with the oversight of the
advisory board
The Dean of LAS has final approval of expenditures
How much does this cost?
Excellence in Teaching Festival
Faculty Inquiry Group (FIG)
Faculty Duty Days
Stand alone brown bag-style sessions
All-Campus Book Read
World Travelers Series
Annual Events
The traditional breakout session
Plenary sessions
“Speedy” sessions
D2L discussion boards
Ongoing “core group” discussions (FIG)
Delivery Modes
Each year has a theme --
Suggested by the advisory board and
connected to survey results and work plan
AY14 theme: Serving Students with Complex
Needs
Overarching Themes
Tracking attendance using STARS
The Annual Survey Most satisfaction comes from the format
of sessions, opportunity to network, and learning new teaching strategies.
Professional Development and Sabbatical Plans
Tracking and Data
InternalLibrary, Intercultural Center, Student Life, Customized Training, Workforce
Development, IT, eCampus team, Learning Center, Counselors, Disability Services, Online Faculty Development Coordinator and Online Course Peer Review Coordinator External
Service-Learning Duluth, other MnSCU colleges
Collaboration
The CFI is a physical space on campus --
Library of professional development texts and materials
A lounge
A copier/printer
A conference room
The offices of the CTL coordinator & the Instructional
Technologist
The Center for Faculty Innovation
D2L shell that hosts a variety of materials, mostly from sessions, posted for ongoing viewing
Online discussions, especially during the Excellence in Teaching Festival (next year: connected to the FIG)
The CFI Online
New Faculty Orientation
New Faculty Mentoring Program
Online Professional Development Committee
POET® Revision Committee
LSC Campus Climate Committee
Special Initiatives
Inheriting a lackluster program & finding a new
leader
MnSCU CTL office closes
Validating the local CTL work to the new President
Moving away from administratively-assigned duty
days to take advantage of all optional duty days
Challenges
An average of 7 formal monthly meetings per
month in the CFI
More than doubled annual offerings and
attendance numbers after the MnSCU CTL office
closed
FY14: 52 professional development sessions, 590
acts of participation
The Numbers
Ultimately, through the support of administration and
the coordinative efforts of the CTL coordinator, but
mostly because of the faculty, it is clear that LSC is
rich with knowledge and the desire to share that
knowledge with others:
We are a model for teaching and learning for
our students.
The Payoff: