11: Faculty Development at Small and Liberal Arts Colleges

Abstract

The notable growth of faculty development programs and centers at small institutions warrants attention before their next stages of growth. We aim to capture and convey the central issues coalescing around the professionalization of teaching and learning activities and the work of faculty developers at small colleges. While this descriptive review draws direct comparisons to other types of institutions, particularly large research and comprehensive universities that serve as the norm for our profession's faculty development practices, its main purpose is to address the distinctive characteristics of professional development at small colleges in general and liberal arts colleges in particular. Toward this end, we identify and explore four key issues: the characteristics and traditions related to teaching and learning in these institutional settings; the models and structures for teaching and learning programs at such colleges; the distinctive components of successful faculty development work at such institutions; and the broad applications that small college programs have for other institutional types and the future of our profession.

The Challenges of Promoting Instructional Improvement: Teaching Behaviors and Teaching Cultures at Liberal Arts Institutions in the Associated Colleges of the South

“…With the exception of one institution, our findings also did not reveal differences in individual teaching behaviors between institutions. These findings comport with the perception among faculty developers that small, residential liberal arts colleges place a high value on teaching (Mooney & Reder, ; see also Boyer, ). This finding also suggests that workshop participants are not self‐selecting, and it reinforces the view that the workshop is not remedial, but instead aims to improve instructional practice for all ACS faculty members (see Reder, ).…”

“…These outcomes align with the guiding principles for faculty development programs in small colleges, namely to promote intentional teaching, foster critically reflective practice, and recognize a diversity of instructional approaches (Mooney & Reder, ; Reder, ). Ultimately, the ACS ST&LW's learning outcomes support a “culture of teaching excellence” (McKee et al, ; Reder, ).…”

Systems Alignment for Comprehensive Faculty Development in Liberal Arts Colleges

“…Research about the liberal arts context is critical, given the centrality of institutional mission, size and resource allocation, student populations, and organizational setting and culture in faculty careers and professional development. Yet, only recently have scholars and practitioners begun to explore faculty development in the context of liberal arts and other small colleges (Mooney & Reder, ; Reder et al, ). Research by Sorcinelli, Austin, Eddy, and Beach () suggests that faculty developers at liberal arts colleges perceive their top three challenges related to faculty support include balancing roles, integrating technology into their teaching, and adjusting to changing expectations.…”

“…Yet, there has been little progress in meeting changing needs for faculty development, for example, budgeting, management, or planning and assessment, which has contributed to a leadership vacuum in higher education (Portney, ). Mooney and Reder () noted a lack of work that specifically addresses “the professional experiences, programming goals, and other potentially distinctive issues and concerns of faculty development at liberal arts and other small colleges” (p. 159). Over the past five years, researchers have focused on faculty development in liberal arts and small colleges, but this work takes a programmatic or faculty developer perspective rather than a strategic organizational perspective (see, e.g., Felten, Little, Ortquist‐Ahrens, & Reder, ; Reder, Mooney, Holmgren, & Kuerbis, ).…”

A Teaching Conference of One's Own: Inviting Faculty into the Scholarly Work of Teaching

“…Those who do SoTL projects compose a small percentage of the total faculty at any institution. In addition, at many smaller colleges, the teaching and learning center may be staffed by a single person (often with only a part‐time release from regular teaching duties) who has many competing priorities vying for his or her time, with SoTL ranked low on the list (Huber, ; Lee, ; Mooney & Reder, ; Peters, Schodt, & Walczak, ).…”