ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the previous Faculty Development Seminars in an Aeronautical School in Paranaque City as a basis for the Faculty Development Program. It identified the respondents’ demographic profile in terms of department. It also determined the respondents’ perceptions on the Faculty Development Seminars from 2016-2018 in terms of content of the discussion/presentation, resource speaker, reference materials, and the overall activity.
The study made use of the descriptive method with statistical tools frequency and percentage and weighted mean.
From 2016 up to 2018, the most number of respondents came from the Aircraft Maintenance Technology Department. In terms of the content of the discussion/presentation, the average mean descriptions of the valuableness and relevance of the content were excellent. In terms of details and cohesiveness of the content, respondents perceived these as very satisfactory. In terms of the resource speaker, data showed that the average mean description for the knowledge of the resource speaker is excellent while the average mean descriptions for presentations skills, encouragement of participation, and acknowledgment of their level and needs are very satisfactory. In terms of reference materials, excellence, alignment of materials with content, and valuableness of the materials for class reference were all perceived with an average mean description of very satisfactory. Respondents evaluated the overall activity in terms of clarity of goals, attainment of goals, length, and excellence of the overall activity. Only the clarity of goals got an excellent remark while the other three had average mean descriptions which is very satisfactory.
1. INTRODUCTION
The primary role of the faculty is to disseminate knowledge that will equip future leaders and experts in the society. Other roles include research and service. The students today are different from students before. Therefore, the skills that teachers had before may not suffice student needs. In able to teach current and new skills to students, the faculty should undergo different development programs to ensure quality learning of students.
Altany (2012) discussed the three-legged stool of academic life which are teaching, research, and service. However, he added a fourth leg – professional faculty development. He stated that it should be the fourth leg because professional development promotes faculty responsibility for career-growth, it connects faculty across disciplines and career stages, it should be a part of every faculty member’s efforts to become more effective in the classroom not just as a remedial, and because good teaching is an action and process that needs intellectual work.
It is believed that the most important resource that any higher education institution has is its faculty members (Kamel, 2016). Universities and colleges rely on them to teach skills and knowledge to students as well as produce individuals who portray and mirror the values and expertise that the school offers. It cannot be denied that continuous faculty development has to take place to improve and develop HEI teachers’ knowledge and skills. Mukerji and Tripathi (2013) defined faculty development as the process of providing educational and coaching to faculty members to help them improve their work performance, and programs, seminars and workshops offered by institutions of higher learning designed to support the improvement of teaching. For Gaff, faculty development in HEIs consists of activities that aid teachers in developing their teaching skills, design improved curricula, and enhance the organizational climate for education (Kamel, 2016). However, faculty development takes place overnight. As Hynes (as cited in Kamel, 2016) puts it, it is a continuous process that not even providing workshops and lectures can make a teaching methods change overnight. For the past few years, plenty of literature and studies regarding faculty development have been published especially in the medical field. Kwan (as cited in Bilal, Guraya, & Chen, 2017) stated that faculty development refers to a range of activities that are perceived to help academicians in improving their professional skills that are vital for carrying out their teaching, research, or administrative activities in medical education. The growth in medical education is seen to be caused by recognizing the value of faculty support in their roles as educators (Kamel, 2016).
Gappa et al. (as cited in Mukerji & Tripathi, 2013), listed and discussed different factors that should be taken into consideration through faculty development. First is the fiscal constraints and calls for accountability. Faculty members are deemed more accountable than others for school fees, concerns from parents, students, and the general public. Second, effective faculty must support the learning of diverse students which has constantly been increasing. This means that new and developed curricula and teaching strategies must suit these diverse learners. Third, faculty members should have enough knowledge on the use of technology since they are dealing with learners who are also used to technology. Last thing to consider is the changing of faculty characteristics and shifts in appointment patterns. This entails the need to find ways to integrate new faculty members and equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to teach students.
Shahid (2013) created a checklist for an effective faculty development program (FDP). Before conducting the FDP, the administration should first understand the roles and expectations of the faculty. The development of respect and trust with faculty as learners will take place once they understand the needs of the faculty. Next, they must review a wide perspective for consistent new abilities that addresses all the aspects that impact faculty success in each setting, connect the institutional/organizational culture with faculty development culture, conduct a needs assessment to establish relevant program outcomes, solicit timely and effective feedback, design and implement a variety of programs to meet diverse needs, prepare staff developers, implement a rewards structures for participation in FDPs and last, build a culture for learning based on collaboration, teamwork, and shared vision.
In terms of FDP assessment, the elements which the factors for assessment be based upon must be agreed upon. In the literature review of Lancaster et al (2014) it was discussed that satisfaction, impact on teaching, and impact on student learning are the areas that are mostly assessed after an FDP. The effectiveness of the FDP is seen when whet has been learned is applied to the students and when students show positive responses to the method applied. There are different ways to make a FDP work out for the faculty members. If it is seen by the faculty as a remedial, most probably, attendance and certificates will be the main reason for being there. Ambrose (1990) narrated and explained in her article the history of their FDP luncheon seminars. They thought of way to make all the 500 faculty members of Carnegie Mellon University attend the FDP. After assessing its effectiveness to their teaching, it has been a tradition in the university. Moreover, it was observed that the faculty did not want to just sit through the lectures but wanted to actively participate instead.
However, not all faculty members really engage in FDPs no matter the effort of the institution’s administration to include everyone. There are three reasons that hinder faculty participation: underestimation of potential benefits from FDPs; lack of belief in the utility of teaching skills; and a belief that teacher training was not related to teaching excellence (Kamel, 2016). Faculty members must see that they are 21st century teachers who need to teach 21st century skills. A 21st century educator was described by Cox (n.d.). They look forward to the future for their students, they are masters of technology, they use teaching strategies that will equip students with skills for their future workplace. All these can be continuously be improved with the help of FDPs.
Likewise, there are many other programs that a faculty developer can conduct like workshops, panels, individual faculty and/or graduate consultations, classroom observations, new instructor orientations, teaching-related grant programs, teaching awards, faculty learning communities or reading groups, scholarship of teaching and learning support, training and other graduate student professional development programs (University of Virginia, n.d.).
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