Professional Development Resources for Faculty Developers
What Does a Faculty Developer do?
Vancouver Island University Teaching and Learning program refers to a faculty developer as an educational developer, being a sub-discipline of higher education research and practice. They further outline who does this type of work and what they actually do. In essence, a faculty developer provides professional development for the faculty profession by offering continual learning opportunities in teaching and learning across the entire university. The faculty developer profession involves many aspects such as teaching, research and social service. They help promote scholarship in faculty development to ensure that research informs practice. Their goal is to develop strategies to lead change, collaborate across institutions and international borders, and work together to share lessons in research and practice.
To gain more insights about the practice of this profession, read Higher Education Today: ACE, Faculty Development as an Authentic Professional Practice.
Curated list of Best Practices in Teaching and Learning
- Carnegie Mellon University - Principles of Teaching and Learning
- Carnegie Mellon University: Eberly Center: Solve a Teaching Problem
- The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
- National Institute for Learning outcomes Assessment
- Active Learning at the Center for Teaching & Learning at the University of Minnesota - An excellent overview of active learning, strategies you can use, and advice for implementation. The site includes uncaptioned videos, but the text is sufficient without the videos.
- Learn about CAST the developers of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- The National Education Association Provides an excellent series of short articles on some of the best practices at the college level
- Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center: Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation Teaching as Research, Discovering what works for student learning
- California State University, Northridge Faculty Development
- Alternative Final Assessment
- This webpage, created at Cal Poly, provides a variety of alternative approaches to final assessments that can be incorporated into remote teaching modalities. The site includes suggestions for presentations, academic integrity, and flexibility for students who need more time on exams
- Maintaining Equity and Inclusion in Virtual Learning Environments
- This is a webpage created at San Diego State University that provides practical pedagogical tips and resources for faculty to continue teaching in ways that are equitable and inclusive for ALL students. There is an abundance of useful strategies, links, and resources on this site!
- Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) an organization that partners withhigher education institutions to provide evidence-based teaching best practices.
- Accessibility Best Practices for Using Zoom for Meetings and Classes - MS Word version (produced by EDUCAUSE)
National Organizations (Information, Networking and, Professional Development Opportunities)
- The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) network in Higher Education
- The International Teaching Learning Cooperative Network (ITLC) contains resources, educational tools on evidenced-based teaching and learning. Each year, they also host the LILLY Conferences on evidenced-based teaching and learning.
- Online Teaching and Learning PD:
- Learn to teach online through these regionally and nationally recognized organizations.
- Online Learning Consortium (OLC): Online Teaching Certificate Programs
- Quality Matters (QM) Teaching Online Certificate
- California State University: Online Education – Quality Assurance Training
- LERN (Learning Resources Network) - World’s largest network for continuing education for professions. They have a Faculty Developer Certification Program online.
- ijSOTL (International Journal Scholarship of Teaching & Learning) - reconceptualizes teaching as an ongoing and scholarly process with an emphasis on improving student learning (Huber & Morreale, 2002).
Community Engagement & Service Learning
- California State University: Center for Community Engagement
- Learn about their Initiatives
- Review their Resource Center
- Presentations: Recent Presentations made by CSU practitioners on community engagement issues
- Subscribe to their Listservs
- 3-part webinar series focused on Creating Virtual and Remote Service-Learning Experiences
- The Association of American Colleges & Universities developed a rubric called VALUE (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education) as a campus-based assessment tool to help institutions demonstrate, share, and assess student accomplishment of progressively more advanced and integrative learning: Civic Engagement VALUE Rubric (AAC&U)
International Organizations and Opportunities
- AAC&U Conference on Global Learning
- Institute of International Education (IIE): Faculty Development – works with higher education institutions around the globe to connect faulty with opportunities abroad.
Journals and Newsletters
PEER-REVIEWED
- ACE (American Council on Education) - Conducted research to explore the impact faculty development has on student success. Institutional Commitment to Teaching Excellence: Assessing the impacts and Outcomes of Faculty Development.
- ijSOTL: The Current Status of Faculty Development Internationally
NOT PEER-REVIEWED
- Higher Education Today: Faculty Development as an Authentic Professional Practice PD Resources
- Riyadh Elm University - Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences: Role of Faculty Development Programs in Improving Teaching and Learning
