Faculty Development:Concerns and Considerations for Effective Programming
Abstract
While theorists in faculty development define the term differently, there is general agreement that the intent of well-conceived faculty development is to maximize opportunities for faculty members to experience and then sustain success in personal and professional growth (Chait & Ford, 1982; Eble, 1972; Gaff, 1975). Opportunities for faculty development vary greatly across institutions. It is increasingly clear, however, that the need for faculty to engage in development activities has intensified. Factors that have traditionally encouraged faculty development (i.e., movement toward promotion and tenure) have been added to by changes both internal and external to institutions of higher education. Schwartz (1983) recently noted that, while these changes will have impact on all faculty who choose to continue a professorial career, faculty in teacher education are considerably more "endangered" than faculty in other disciplines. It is critical that faculty development efforts in special education likewise take these changes into account. Awareness of the factors will allow the establishment of successful faculty development programs that react to identified pressures and are also proactive in guiding the disciplines of teaching and learning for the coming decade.