Developing a Faculty Learning Community for Non-Tenure Track Professors

Bond, Nathan

doi:10.5430/ijhe.v4n4p1

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This is assumed because teaching is most often a secondary profession to their work as a healthcare professional, as evidenced by our sample which has an average classroom teaching of 1.3 h per week. The fact that TF and SF report similar high values for ID seems to contradict assumptions that SF identify less with being a teacher and are less motivated and committed to teaching [16, 17] and indicate that they identify themselves as teachers similar to TF.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some researchers question whether the needs of SF are being met [9, 14, 15], especially in the areas of preparation for teaching and ongoing training. SF may vary in terms of their backgrounds, teaching abilities, and motivational levels for teaching students, which has led to questions about SF quality of instruction, loyalty, and the impact on student learning [16]. The Association of American Medical colleges reports that SF often feel that their status causes both the institution and their colleagues to doubt their commitment and work ethic [17], which may contribute to feelings of not being understood or appreciated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Needs, motivations, and identification with teaching: a comparative study of temporary part-time and tenure-track health science faculty in Iceland

et al. 2019

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Background About 70% of teachers who instruct healthcare students are considered sessional (adjunct/temporary part-time) faculty and receive limited instruction in pedagogy. Sessional faculty may feel isolated and struggle with their teacher identity, and are often assumed to vary in their commitment, motivation, and ability to teach. However, research on teaching identity, motivations, and needs of sessional faculty is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare similarities and differences between sessional and tenure-track faculty across a health science school to guide faculty development for sessional faculty. Methods We developed an online needs assessment survey, based on informal interviews and literature reviews. Seventy-eight tenure-track faculty and 160 sessional faculty completed the survey (37, 25% response rate, respectively). We used validated scales to assess intrinsic motivation, identified regulated motivation, and identification with teaching, as well as developed scales (perceived connectedness, motivated by appreciation to try new teaching method) and single items. All scales demonstrated good internal consistency. We compared sessional and tenure-track faculty using t-tests/chi-square values. Results We found similarities between sessional and tenure-track faculty in intrinsic motivation, identified regulated motivation, and identification with teaching. However, sessional faculty perceived less department connectedness and were more motivated to improve instruction if shown appreciation for trying new teaching methods. Sessional faculty agreed more that they desired pedagogy instruction before starting to teach and that teachers should invest energy in improving their teaching. Admitting to less participation in activities to enhance teaching in the last year, sessional faculty were more interested in digital formats of faculty development. Conclusion Our comparison suggested that sessional faculty value being a teacher as part of their self, similar to tenured faculty, but desired more appreciation for efforts to improve and perceived less connectedness to their university department than tenured faculty. They also preferred digital formats for pedagogy to improve accessibility, prior to and throughout their teaching career to support their development as teachers. Using this information as a guide, we provide suggestions for faculty development for sessional faculty. Supporting sessional faculty in the health sciences should improve the quality of teaching and positively affect student learning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Needs, motivations, and identification with teaching: a comparative study of temporary part-time and tenure-track health science faculty in Iceland

et al. 2019

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“…In the absence of this cycle, an experience is merely an activity. Participants in a FLC actively gain new knowledge by having the opportunity to ask questions, receive feedback, and engage in critical dialogues about their teaching (Bond, 2015). In doing so, they become re-energized and gain confidence (Anderson et al, 2014;O'Meara, 2007).…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…He found professors who were in FLCs, regardless of the stage of career, had a greater understanding of the scholarship of teaching and learning and a stronger affiliation with their institution. Whether research focused on adjunct faculty (Bond, 2015;Brydes et al, 2012) or tenured faculty (Gordon & Foutz, 2015), most researchers cite the work of Cox and Richlin in the review of the literature. A search of the nursing education literature yielded no mention of FLCs, yet they are ideally suited to the nature of nursing faculty whose members strive to improve their teaching and learning.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Scholarship and Faculty Development through Faculty Learning Communities

Yonge¹,

Davidson²

2017

Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formatio

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“…As mentioned previously, authors of a systematic review determined that both a sense of appreciation and a sense of connectedness are important to the development of teacher identity but noted that both can be strengthened or constrained by the work environment of the teacher's department . Various studies have evaluated appreciation and the benefits of communities of practice for TF, including faculty learning communities, as ways to engage faculty members, in the hope of improving teaching, although the literature is limited on outcomes . A group of teachers who may struggle with feeling connected and appreciated are SF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors predicting identity as educators and openness to improve: an exploratory study

et al. 2019

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Context Researchers suggest that teachers’ work environment affects their sense of connectedness and appreciation, which affects their educator identity. However, sessional (also known as adjunct, clinical, contingent and non‐tenured) faculty members may struggle with their educator identity. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which perceived connectedness and received appreciation predicted identity as a medical (health care science) educator and openness to improve in tenure‐track and sessional faculty members. Methods We utilised an ‘identification with teaching’ scale to measure medical educator identity. We developed scales to measure perceived connectedness to university department, openness to improve teaching, and appreciation as a motivation to try a new teaching method. We then hypothesised a path model between these constructs. We surveyed faculty members at a health sciences school and performed confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling using data from a sample of 73 tenure‐track and 146 sessional faculty members to explore support for the hypothesised model. Results Connectedness and appreciation predicted identity as a medical educator and openness to improve in different ways for sessional and tenure‐track faculty members. For tenure‐track faculty members, appreciation predicted medical educator identity and openness to improve, whereas a sense of connectedness trended towards predicting an openness to improve. For sessional faculty members, connectedness to their department predicted their identity as a medical educator, which acted as a mediator to predict an openness to improve. Discussion Our data supported the hypothesised model, but the sessional and tenure‐track faculty models differed in strength and focus. We explore reasons for these differences based on the working environment of each teacher type. We suggest that the two models partially explain the transformation from ‘a clinician who teaches’ to a medical educator. Finally, we make suggestions for how identity as a medical educator and openness to improve may be encouraged in both types of teachers.

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Developing a Faculty Learning Community for Non-Tenure Track Professors

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

Needs, motivations, and identification with teaching: a comparative study of temporary part-time and tenure-track health science faculty in Iceland

Needs, motivations, and identification with teaching: a comparative study of temporary part-time and tenure-track health science faculty in Iceland

Promoting Scholarship and Faculty Development through Faculty Learning Communities

Factors predicting identity as educators and openness to improve: an exploratory study

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