Seeking Input for Faculty Support

The modern research university like Arizona State University has a multifaceted mission including research, education, and service to the community. The pressure on faculty to perform at high levels in the three areas can be daunting. Faculty positions require a diverse skill set to meet expectations in each critical job area. Additionally, given the mixed mission of the university faculty are frequently hired for their research expertise.

 

Arizona State University is uniquely positioned because the university is dedicated to accessibility for all students qualified to study at the university. The diversity and preparedness of students can create a complex teaching and learning environment which is further complicated by level of faculty preparedness to address the challenges of the diverse classroom. A collaborative relationship between faculty and instructional designers can produce positive outcomes for faculty and students (Richardson et al., 2018). It is imperative the university provide faculty with support for course design and development.

Faculty enter the profession often with extensive research experience and training. Faculty do not necessarily have pedagogical training in most cases. However, faculty are expected to develop and deliver undergraduate courses often with little experience developing courses, activities, and assessments. Education professionals such as instructional designers and curriculum developers are crucial in this diverse educational environment.

The role of education professionals can be challenging because of the diverse training and backgrounds of the faculty. Faculty will join the organization with various levels of teaching experience, and pedagogical knowledge. According to Yee (2015), faculty are in some cases equally versed in teaching and theory making the need for collaborative partnerships and needs assessments critical. To providing the right level of support.

The intense expectations placed on faculty of all ranks requires a commitment and support from the academic unit leadership.  Building successful collaborations between instructional designers and faculty is critical for improving the student learning experience and sharing interdisciplinary knowledge (Chao, Saj, & Hamilton, 2010). The administration must support professional development in multiple areas including research, teaching, and work life balance. 

The School of Life Sciences has embarked on an ambitious mission to improve undergraduate education through a variety of projects. The BioSpine Project has the primary objective of creating an aligned curriculum. The Teach Tech Lab’s objective is to create a safe space for faculty, graduate students and staff to collaborate on course design, and development. Dedicated and specific thought about how each course is developed and fits into the program curriculum map is underway. This long-term and continuous process of improving and mapping the curriculum is critical to the primary objective of improving undergraduate education and retaining students.

Projects such as the BioSpine, and TeachTech Lab make the role of education professionals essential to support faculty in curriculum development and improvement efforts. Education professionals assist faculty by sharing evidence-based pedagogical knowledge and support services. The School of Life Sciences has a team ready to serve the faculty with just-in-time support for the various efforts to improve teaching and learning. However, the feedback from faculty is critical to improving the services our education professionals provide given the diverse expertise and experience of our faculty.  

The administration needs your input in order to improve faculty support services. The big question is: How can we better support the teaching efforts of faculty in the School of Life Sciences? Please help us better support faculty by completing this survey. We look forward to your feedback.

References

Richardson et al., (2019). Faculty and instructional designers on building successful collaborative relationships. Educational Technology Research and Development, 67(4), 855-880.

Saj, T., & Hamilton, D. (2010). Using collaborative course development to achieve online course quality standards. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(3), 106-126.

Yee, K. (2015). Learner-Centered Faculty Development. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, (144), 99.

Guest blogger: 
Courtney Shobert,
Associate Director, Undergraduate Programs
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University