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Derek Bruff
Assistant Director, Center for Teaching
Vanderbilt University
I have been a member of POD since
2005, although my work in instructional development began before
then. While a graduate student in mathematics at Vanderbilt
University, I worked with teaching assistants as a teaching
consultant at the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching. After
finishing graduate school, I continued working in instructional
development at Harvard University in the mathematics department
and at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Since
2005 I have been an assistant director at the Vanderbilt Center
for Teaching, where I consult with instructors, facilitate
workshops, and oversee other programs. I have helped develop a
teaching certificate program for graduate students and a podcast
series for the Center, and I have particular experience in STEM
teaching issues, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and
educational technology. My work in the latter led to my 2009
book, Teaching with Classroom Response Systems, which in turn
has led me to discuss teaching with "clickers" with instructors
at a variety of different institutions, broadening my
perspective on professional and organizational development
issues beyond those faced at research-intensive universities.
My involvement in POD has included
presenting posters and concurrent sessions at POD Network
conferences, as well as reviewing conference proposals for the
last four years. I am an active participant on the POD
listserv, and I was on the official POD "Twitter team" at the
2009 conference, reporting on conference sessions live on
Twitter throughout the conference. As a result of that
activity, I have now joined the Electronic Communications and
Resources Committee (ECRC). I also contributed an article on
teaching with clickers to the POD/National Education Association
"Thriving in Academic" series appearing in the NEA's higher
education newsletter.
What would I like to see POD
accomplish over the next three years? One important task is
communicating the value of the work we do to stakeholders.
Faculty and administrators are not always sure what to make of
the work we do. Given current economic realities, it is all the
more important that we find ways to communicate the value of our
work on our campuses and beyond. I am interested in finding
ways that POD can help its members do so. I have found in my
work helping instructors understand the potential value of
teaching with classroom response systems that some faculty are
persuaded by data, but most want to see very concrete examples
of how others (in their discipline, preferably) have used the
technology. POD can help its members generate and share stories
of how our work with instructors has enhanced teaching and
learning on our campuses.
I would also like POD to affirm and
deepen its interest in issues of teaching and learning. I can
still recall the excitement I felt when I first explored the POD
listserv and found so many people interested in teaching.
Supporting innovative and effective college and university
instruction is at the core of much of our work. Although I
would not want POD to focus exclusively on teaching and
learning, ignoring other important issues in the broader
professional and organizational work we do, I would want to
preserve POD as a place where stimulating discussions about
student learning are welcomed and encouraged.
As one who received formal training
in instructional development as a graduate student and later
chose this field as a career, I am always interested in hearing
the stories of those who find their way into professional and
organizational development in higher education. Although there
are a variety of paths into this kind of work, I see the value
of initiatives aimed at preparing future faculty and TA
developers. I am interested in supporting work by those in POD
in developing, evaluating, and disseminating programs design to
nurture future generations of POD members.
When it comes to my own continuing
professional development in this field, I have found a variety
of technologies, including wikis, blogs, podcasts, and Twitter,
useful in expanding my "personal learning environment" by
connecting with others in the field with interesting ideas to
share. I have been impressed by the recent work of the ECRC to
enhance the POD conference experience through the sharing of
session resources on WikiPODia and Twitter-facilitated
"backchannel" discussion during the conference, and I am
interested in helping those in POD continue to find ways to make
meaningful use digital technologies for their own professional
development.
Dakin Burdick
Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence
Endicott College
My name is Dakin Burdick. I am the
Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Endicott
College, Massachusetts. I have a broad background in faculty
development. I have worked in faculty development for the last
nine years, including at two leading research institutions (IU
and MSU), at an urban commuter campus (IUPUI) and now at a small
college (Endicott). I have also worked on a wide variety of
initiatives, including clickers, TA development, Medical
Education, critical thinking, diversity programs, online course
design, e-portfolios, the American Democracy Project, Study
Abroad, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Throughout all of this, I also served as the traditional faculty
consultant, and have had the pleasure of working with hundreds
of talented faculty members in confidential consultations.
I joined POD in 2001 and have
presented eight times since then at POD. I also presented at
NINFD and the SRFIDC. I have been POD’s Historian since 2004.
Among other tasks in that role, I inventoried the POD Archives
in Lincoln, Nebraska. I have served on the Research Committee
for seven years, and have also served on the Grants Committee
and the Conference committee. I have served as a proposal
reviewer for both POD and ICED, and on the Planning Committee
for the first IS-SOTL conference.
To me, the key to POD’s continued
success is to build stronger external connections, while
preserving its unique internal strengths. POD needs to continue
to build stronger connections with other leading organizations
supporting teaching and learning. Organizations with whom we
might build stronger relationships include those that support
faculty development, information technology, and the Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
POD is the leading organization for
faculty development and in order to maintain that role it should
continue to build relationships and partnerships with other
organizations, including STLHE/SAPES, ICED, HERDSA, and others.
Technology can help bring these groups closer together through
Skype, Adobe Connect, social media, and other forms of
electronic communication.
POD should model the effective use of
technological innovations. Our expertise is valuable, but often
it is difficult to find. That is changing, and just this past
year POD has established a presence in Linked-In, Facebook, and
Twitter. Those resources have largely centered on building
communication within POD. The web can also market POD’s
expertise. The Membership Directory and Networking Guide has for
a long time been one of the most valuable resources for our
membership. We could publish the Directory on the POD website in
an electronic format, making it easier for those seeking our
expertise to find and make use of it. POD could also offer
electronic workshops with leading developers, which would save
money for the colleges, save travel time for the presenters, and
make those workshops available to colleges that currently cannot
afford them.
Likewise, many campuses are
developing online programs. It is essential that POD members
have more experience in what constitutes promising practices in
online instruction. A partnership with Educause and a potential
joint conference might help create that bond.
POD can also take a more active role
in embedding the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the
culture of faculty life. Building partnerships with IS-SOTL and
similar organizations would be the first step in that direction,
as well as finding new ways to share or distribute faculty
research on student learning.
Finally, but most importantly, we
should retain the openness and friendliness that sets it apart
from other professional organizations. As part of POD Oral
History Project, I have so far interviewed 32 leading faculty
developers (most past members of Core) about their personal
histories and their vision for the future of POD. The results of
those interviews are published in each issue of the POD Network
News. These interviews share the lessons of leadership with
everyone in POD and preserve the unique flavor of POD. All of
the developers I interviewed greatly valued the friendships they
found in POD and the willingness of its members to help each
other. We need to remember to go out of our way to help
newcomers find a place for themselves in POD. POD has made an
effort to increase the diversity of its members in the last
twenty years, and that effort has broadened and strengthened our
understanding of the field. As we build our international
relationships, we should also concentrate on nurturing the
diversity of POD by ensuring that there is a place for everyone
to contribute and to enjoy the camaraderie that makes POD
unique.
Linda Cirocco
Director, Innovative Teaching and Learning
Savannah College of Art and Design
Background in professional and
organizational development
My academic background consists of a
BFA in Studio Art from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, an
MA in Art from New York University and an Ed.D in Adult Learning
and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. I
began my academic career as an artist, but found that I really
enjoyed the administrative side of academia. I decided to pursue
Adult Learning and Leadership in the Organization and Leadership
Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. I earned my
Doctorate in Education in March 2007. Since that time, I have
served as the director of innovative teaching and learning at
the Savannah College of Art and Design. I love my job as it
allows me to blend my arts background with my adult learning
studies. As a faculty developer, I have the pleasure of watching
new faculty practice and hone their teaching skills. I have the
pleasure of working with faculty who need someone to talk to
when their motivation in the classroom is lacking. One of the
best compliments I ever received was from a department chair. I
was working with one of his faculty, a mid-career faculty member
who was in a slump. Afterward, the chair told me that I was
“empowering” his faculty. Moments like these are why I do what I
do.
Specific involvement in and
contributions to POD
I consider myself a “younger” member
of POD, having only three years of membership. During those
three years, I have attended all three national conferences and
have been (and continue to be) impressed by the breadth of
knowledge presented, surprised by the collegiality and motivated
to return to my college to do more.
At my first conference, I was working
the registration table with Frank and Kay Gillespie. It was
their last year serving as executive directors of POD. When
Frank learned that this was my very first experience with POD,
Frank told me that I was doing it right—jumping right in with
both feet. He made me feel welcomed and inspired me to reach out
to others. I took his advice and I am glad I did. I continue to
volunteer at the welcoming table-- it is a terrific way to meet
new people and greet old friends. I am continuing to take
Frank’s advice by self-nominating myself for the Core Committee.
In this way, I can give back what was so freely given to me by
the members of POD.
What you would like to see POD
accomplish over the next three years and how your leadership
might contribute to those goals?
I would like to see POD grow at a
healthy pace so that we can continue on our mission, more
important than ever:
“… the advocacy of the on-going
enhancement of teaching and learning through faculty and
organizational development. To this end it supports the work of
educational developers and champions their importance to the
academic enterprise.”
In these shaky economic times, when
faculty developers are losing their jobs, we have to pull
together and lead the way in educating the upper-level
administrators and the public that faculty development is not an
option! In these days of accreditation, student learning
outcomes and assessment, faculty need the tools, the research
and the experiences that POD members possess. There is no better
place for these conversations to take place than at POD. I would
like to lead the way for increased membership.
Along these same lines, I would like
to see POD take the lead in the scholarship of faculty
development. More sessions on faculty developer portfolios, more
research on the outcomes of faculty development offices, more
knowledge on writing strategic plans so that a faculty
development office can be interwoven into the structure of an
institution—and to do so in such a way that to cut it from the
budget would be a grave misstep and injustice to student
learning.
Mentoring is another area I am
passionate about. I would like to see ongoing mentoring for our
younger members. And alongside the mentoring, I would like to
see ethical guidelines established for that mentoring.
I have made this statement a personal
one, but I think it is important that you know who I am and how
I became the person I am today. If elected to the Core
Committee, I will work hard on your behalf. It would be an honor
to serve POD.
Eli Collins-Brown
Director of Instructional Technology & Faculty Development
Methodist College of Nursing
As a faculty development
professional, dedicated to creating supportive learning
environments, I am focused on the needs of the 21st century
educator and institution, adept at pedagogy, teaching methods,
instructional design and technology. I came to faculty
development 10 years ago through instructional technology,
specifically in helping faculty design and teach their online
courses, then teaching graduate courses online myself. I now
teach undergraduate and graduate courses in face-to-face,
blended and fully online environments, along with my faculty
development and instructional technology activities. Using
technology to support best practices and sound pedagogy has been
the focus of my research and practice for the past decade, which
in turn has expanded my efforts and experience in professional
and organization development.
The mainstream campus is becoming
immersed in the technology. Whether the learning environment is
web-enhanced classroom-based, blended/hybrid, or fully online,
the technology must become invisible; the learning environment
being so completely immersed in technology that it is as
essential as desks, books, white or blackboards, and pencils.
Institutions that have fully embraced technology will thrive in
the 21st century, where web-based or online components and
courses will be the norm for students in the dorm or at a
distance. Faculty developers and instructional
technologists/designers are facilitating this immersion as we
speak.
POD needs to be involved in this
movement to bring best practices and evidence-based research of
effective teaching/learning and faculty development to the
table. There was great excitement at the POD conference this
year with many discussions focused on technology. More of our
centers include a technology component now than ever before, and
thus as an organization, POD must integrate technology into our
conversations, offerings, and discipline. POD has experts in
teaching/learning and instructional technology amongst its
membership. We can bring balance to the conversation on our
campuses by not focusing on technology as the latest and great
'cool' tool, but as a conscious choice made as a result of sound
course design, best practices and pedagogy, recognizing that
sometimes that choice will be to not use technology.
I have been fortunate to be a part of
the Electronic Communication and Resources Committee for three
years. I volunteered to take the lead on the WikiPODia project,
a POD community project focused on growing a publicly viewable
repository of POD's collective wisdom and experience. The
WikiPODia group also ventured into the Twitter world by tweeting
the conference with great success! The ECRC is a great example
of the exceptional people that are volunteer members of POD's
committees and contribute to its success. The ECRC will
continue to be an important part of the POD organization in
supporting its mission. I have volunteered to be the chair-elect
for the ECRC and to continue growing the WikiPODia and Twitter
project.
Over the next three years I would
like to see POD continue to explore and more fully embrace
technology as an organization. We are making great strides
already and I am excited to be a part of this effort. I would
also like to see POD explore the role that instructional
designers and technologists play in professional and
organizational development, identifying the value they bring to
the discipline even though they may not be full-time,
tenure-track or tenured professors. We need their voices and
expertise. As a designer/technologist who focuses on issues of
effective teaching and learning, I feel that I can bring a
valuable perspective and set of experiences to the Core
Committee and take the lead in helping POD grow and thrive in
the 21st century.
Jake
Glover
Faculty Development Coordinator
Fort Hays State University
Hi, I am Jake
Glover, Faculty Development Coordinator for Fort Hays State
University, a state comprehensive university in Hays, KS. I am
writing to nominate myself as a candidate for the 2010-2013 POD
Core Committee. I have been the faculty development coordinator
of our center for the last 3 years all of which I have been a
member of POD. Prior to my entry into higher education I spent
seven years as an Information Technology Administrator for a
national financial planning and broker-dealer firm. At the
conclusion of this semester I will be ABD in my PhD in Higher
Education Administration -- Student Personnel at Kansas State
University. I am on the POD Membership Committee and was on the
subcommittee that put together the draft of the membership
survey coming out soon. I also have presented at POD on the
topic of course evaluations (online and international modalities
as well as exploration of methods). I am truly indebted to POD
and her members. I cannot count the number of times I was
presented with a question or problem by our Provost that I
found immediate help via the list serv or from resources found
on the POD website. As I am relatively new to higher education
POD, as an organization and as individual members, has provided
mentoring for me as a professional and as a graduate student.
Thanks to POD I come away from conversations seeming far smarter
than I truly am! I may be coming off a wave of emotion with the
recent conclusion of the Houston conference but without too much
embarrassment I can say I love POD!
Therefore, I want
to give back and believe I can make a positive and lasting
contribution to the organization. One key area I have in mind is
to deepen existing relationships we have with other
organizations such as IDEA and NSSE (there are certainly others
as well, these two come readily to mind) to facilitate research
into topics of shared concern. One example would be to further
explore the topic presented by this year’s Keynote speaker Neil
Howe on the Millennial Generation. It seems to me we have the
connections and resources as an organization to put together a
study that would validate, modify and further extend the
applicability of the premise of Dr. Howe’s presentation. The
output of this research could then be disseminated via the list
serv, the POD website and in burgeoning efforts such as
WikiPODia. With just a little planning applied research such as
I am proposing could actually be presented at the conference
coinciding the topic at hand. I am not suggesting that EVERY
keynote be assigned a research project -- this idea is one of
many possible applications. What I hope to implement as a member
of the Core Committee is better utilization of the vast sea of
resources (data, expertise, distributed manpower and
institutional resources) to scientifically study the numerous
excellent ideas the POD membership discuss and endeavor to
incorporate into our practice. This would not only increase the
benefits of being a member of POD to individuals but also to
organizations POD partners with (increasing the potential to
recruit both). Furthermore, it would benefit the idea of faculty
development as a discipline opening avenues for members and for
POD as a whole to increase the discussion of supporting good
teaching at national levels.
Another idea I
would like to see implemented as a member of the Core Committee
is better coordination of the “message” of POD at the national
and international levels. If Steven Colbert (cable television
comedy talk show host) can harness his audience to petition NASA
to name space equipment after him (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/colberttreadmill.html)
POD should be able to coordinate our efforts to influence the
direction of the conversation of excellent teaching and the
support required to help faculty achieve it. We represent many
voices and we have influence within many national and
international organizations. With some careful thought it is not
unreasonable to expect a POD directed “theme of the year” to
shape the national and international discourse. I admit my
experience in higher education is in the nascent stages but I
feel this is an asset for bringing a fresh set of eyes to the
topics and issues we tackle. I also am very enthusiastic
regarding the mission of
higher education
and the role POD plays to see that mission accomplished. I have
no doubts that my personal and professional skills will make an
immediate, positive contribution to the organization.
Barbara
Hornum
Director, Drexel Center for Academic Excellence &
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Drexel University
I rejoined POD in 2005 and have been
a member since. My earlier membership was in the mid to late
90s. At that time I was Associate Provost and Dean of
Undergraduate Affairs at Drexel University and one of my major
responsibilities was to initiate a university wide faculty
development program. Attending POD programs along with those
sponsored by AAHE and AAC&U were very helpful in exposing me to
the work of key people and helping me learn about the different
aspects of faculty development. Between 1996 and 2002 I received
to grants from AAHE to develop a program of Post-Tenure Review.
Under my auspices we had two cohorts of senior faculty and their
department heads involved in a formative process of reflection,
retooling and renewal. Those involved in these cohorts presented
at conferences and I have presented and written about our
experiences.
In 2002, I returned to my faculty
position and then in 2005, I became the first Director of the
DCAE, our faculty development center. In that capacity I am
engaged in a variety of activities relating to serving our
faculty at every rank and in every category. We have initiated
and expanded our work with adjuncts and teaching professors as
well as trying to meet the needs of tenure track and tenured
faculty. I have been presenting sessions at POD and elsewhere on
a variety of topics including dealing with the changes in
students and technology and the nexus between these changes and
focused faculty development. Currently, I am expanding my work
on the diversity of faculty to look at how faculty developers
can assist faculty across their career life span and
trajectories to maintain vitality in a rapidly changing academy.
Over the next three years, I would
like to see POD expand its responses to a number of issues
relating to the likelihood that the diversity of faculty and
faculty needs will increase. The current economic climate
appears to be altering the decisions of some faculty about
retirement, leading colleges and universities to increase the
number of faculty not on a tenure track, giving rise to greater
expectations from universities about economies of scale. It is
also increasing the use of technology and the expansion of
online and hybrid courses. Student expectations as well as the
expectations from accrediting bodies to have demonstrable value
added learning are clearly present. The demands on faculty to
reflect, retool, recharge and renew are apt to increase. POD
with its awareness of faculty as whole persons with roles that
encompass both the professional and the personal within an
institutional and organizational context is well poised to help
faculty and organizational developers help individuals and
institutions of higher education.
My experience as an anthropologist as
well as a faculty developer will be useful in assisting POD to
ask the right questions and to work toward aiding faculty and
their institutions in developing the skills, competencies and
techniques in maneuvering through a complex and ever-changing
world. I would appreciate the opportunity to work with
colleagues on the POD Core Committee.
Kevin M. Johnston
Director, MSU Teaching Assistant Programs
Michigan State University
I'm in my 6th year directing MSU's
future faculty development programs and my 13th year of graduate
student professional development overall (POD member since
1999). My early career commitments to creating more effective
training environments and promoting diversity in graduate
student professional preparation have now manifested themselves
into professional philosophies of practice that underpin all our
programs’ goals. I believe that the successful future of TA (GSI)
development depends on our abilities to meet rapidly changing
needs of the Academy. We need to engage in more sophisticated
conversations about diversity and foster in those with whom we
work a commitment to understanding how culture operates within
pedagogy. In short, my professional philosophy rests on notions
that we not only teach who we are, but that we teach how we
are.
I first became involved with graduate
student professional development in 1996, coordinating an
interdisciplinary program at UT-Knoxville funded first by ALCOA
then institutionalized for several years. Influential
mentoring, and our program's success, prompted me to seek a
preparing future faculty position at MSU. I signed on
originally to coordinate programs, but became MSU TAP's Director
(a new position for the office) in 2003. In my nine years with
POD, I've focused primarily on issues having to do with TA (GSI)
development. I was an original member of the GSPD cohort, have
presented many times at POD on issues covering the pedagogical
development of grad students, the challenges international
TA/faculty development poses, and on the roles organizational
development plays in program development and implementation.
I've been a regular program reviewer since 2003 and have enjoyed
facilitating the topical interest group,
"International/Intercultural Issues in Faculty and TA
Development."
My research focuses on measuring
training "transfer," TAs' conceptions of (and abilities to
handle) classroom incivility, the importance of considering
culture as a means for understanding what "works" in TA
training, and most recently, as part of the Center for the
Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), how
developers can more effectively train STEM-filed graduate
students for their professional futures. I'm involved with
projects focused on developing professional web presences,
understanding TA development as a "globalized" entity, and
preparing undergraduate peer learning assistants. In the last
three years and in addition to my development conferences, I
have presented at four different national and international
meetings in an effort to strengthen my ability to work within
specific disciplinary contexts.
My increased interest personally (and
growing emphasis professionally) on intercultural communication
profoundly effects my professional development approaches and
goals. In that respect, I propose the following as a means for
understanding my goals for Popover the next three years:
1) Increased focus on
disciplinarily-based development (from Humanities to Human
Anatomy);
2) fostering stronger links with
professional organizations having mutual interests, including
TESOL, STHLE, and ISSOTL; and
3) ramping up graduate student
involvement at POD.
In the longer term, I hope that POD
becomes more adept in fostering and sustaining increasingly
sophisticated notions of graduate student professional
development, particularly in the sense of understanding how to
meet graduate students "where they are," making professional
development a more effective part of their professional growth.
As part of that effort, I'd support strongly programs that focus
on leadership as a part of graduate student professionalization.
Finally, I'd like to see our understanding of Diversity grow to
encompass more effectively the international context. As
problematic as the term "globalization" can be, the fact remains
that university faculty and graduate student populations "look"
different than they did even ten years ago. Too, university
missions increasingly focus on efforts to make their environs
(and objectives) more international. POD can be an effective
force for developing and sustaining programs that consider
better the roles international students scholars play in the
Academy.
As to what I might provide as a
leader of efforts to achieve these goals, I'm reminded that
esteemed historians of the American South describe leadership as
something "granted," often won, and undeniably
community-driven. Great ideas in isolation are,
well...isolated. I hope my ideas for part of POD's future
resonate with many of you and I will work ardently to help bring
them to fruition. But I have always worked from the premise
that unplanned trajectories can often result in better ways to
think about my ideas. My relationship with POD colleagues
thrives on the wonderful dialectic our collegiality fosters.
Certainly the same can be said of my beliefs about my
professional efficacy. You're all part of what I do. Please
consider favorably my application to CORE.
Angela R.
Linse
Executive Director and Assoc. Dean
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
Background in Professional and
Organizational Development
I currently lead Penn State's
Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, which is responsible
for serving 8500 full- and part-time faculty at 24 campuses and
over 1500 teaching assistants. Institute consultants provide
instructional development, workshops, and resources to support
teaching, learning, and outcomes assessment. The Institute also
manages our computer-based testing center, provides exam
scanning services, and processes student ratings.
Previously, I directed Temple
University's Teaching and Learning Center, which provided
instructional consulting for faculty, and administered TA and
ITA training programs. Prior to moving East, I held a
variety of positions in faculty development at the
University of Washington, including Assistant Director
for Faculty Development in the College of Engineering's Center
for Engineering Learning and Teaching. I began my career
at the UW Center for Instructional Development and
Research under the tutelage of Donald Wulff. I also
served as a postdoctoral researcher for the UW Graduate School's
Preparing Future Faculty program.
POD Involvement & Contributions
I have been an active member of POD
since 2000. I served as program co-chair for the 2005 POD
conference and have been on the POD Grants Committee since
2008. In 2009, I coordinated the Job Fair and will do so again
in 2010. My interests in the POD community include STEM faculty
development, diversity, program assessment and accreditation,
student ratings, and future faculty development.
Three-Year Vision for POD
The POD Network is making great
strides adapting to changes in the academy. Our founders have
given us a tremendous legacy that makes POD one of the most
unique, interactive, and inclusive organizations in higher
education, which is why our membership continues to grow. With
growth comes change and the Core Committee faces an ongoing
challenge of maintaining the intimacy and values of POD, while
increasing the value and impact of instructional development.
Even while new centers are being
founded, others are disappearing. After decades of successes,
many centers are still reliant on the support of individual
administrators. In this age of accountability and fiscal
crises, it is time to consider how we can consciously highlight
the good work we do--at all scales and for different
constituencies. If we were more intentional about our impact
with administrators, funding agencies, legislatures, and the
public, we would be less vulnerable.
Our disciplinary heterogeneity and
the many pathways into this profession are great strengths, but
it may be time intentionally provide professional development to
members at three critical points in their careers: before we
hire them, in mid-career, and in late career.
First, we can develop strategies to
attract and cultivate more graduate students and experienced
academics into faculty development careers. Without a systematic
approach to attracting future developers, we will continue to
find ourselves sorting through unqualified applicants and
competing with one another over a small pool of qualified
candidates. We can leverage experiences that indicate PhDs with
center experience have an advantage in the faculty job market
and others use it as a springboard to campus leadership.
Second, we can better nurture
mid-career faculty development skills, particularly in areas
such as program and institutional assessment. Calls for
academic accountability are unlikely to diminish, and our
centers critical skills needed to help faculty make the outcomes
assessment transition. Outcomes assessment at the course level
is routine for us, but we may be less prepared to facilitate it
at the program- or curricular-level. Unlike most individual
consultations, program assessment is neither welcome nor
voluntary. But centers that have already adapted, know that our
experiences with faculty are essential, that we can maintain our
ideals, and still avoid becoming evaluators.
Third, many highly respected POD
leaders and former center directors now hold administrative
leadership positions. With our strong tradition of mentoring,
we should ask them to help us cultivate the next generation of
academic leaders. If next generation leaders come from our
membership or our client lists, we have an unprecedented
opportunity raise the profile of the work we do and enhance the
value of teaching and learning. POD might want to sponsor
administrative fellowships to help similar to those offered
through the ACE Fellows Program (acenet.edu).
Finally, POD has made great progress
in updating its use of technology and integrating instructional
technology topics into its proceedings and publications.
Building on the successful collaboration with NCSPOD in 2008, we
should consider collaborating with national organizations
focused on instructional technology. We have an opportunity to
influence and infuse new instructional media and technologies
with sound pedagogy, rather than the other way around.
Deandra
Little
Associate Professor & Assistant Director, Teaching Resource
Center
University of Virginia
Background in
professional and organizational development
In 2000-01,
during my last year of Ph.D. work in American Literature, I was
a graduate teaching fellow at Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching.
The experience re-defined my career path when I realized that
educational development combined my interests in scholarly
teaching with a broader organizational perspective.
In 2003, I joined
the University of Virginia’s Teaching Resource Center as a
faculty consultant and assistant professor and in 2009 was
promoted to assistant director and associate professor. At UVA,
I work with administrators, faculty, post-docs and graduate
students on a range of teaching and professional development
issues.
Specific
Involvement in/contributions to POD
I presented at my
first POD conference in St. Louis in 2001, where I was warmly
welcomed into the field. My first experience at POD introduced
me to a wider range of faculty development issues and convinced
me this was a career that pulled together my passions and
skills. Since then, I’ve continued to seek opportunities to give
back to the organization.
I've been an
active member of POD for eight years. During that time, I have
presented concurrent, roundtable, poster and pre-conference
sessions on a variety of topics. I have regularly attended the
graduate and professional student committee meetings, and, just
recently, facilitated a topical interest group discussion on
SoTL work. I also regularly review conference proposals and
manuscripts for To Improve the Academy. This past year, I joined
the POD professional development committee, and find the focus
and work of the committee – developers' own professional
development – important and rewarding.
What I’d like
to see POD accomplish over the next three years and how my
leadership might accomplish this
My approach to
educational development aligns with my teaching philosophy. In
both roles, my primary purpose is to facilitate learning by
listening carefully, asking insightful questions, and
synthesizing information to help others act. I would bring to
the Core Committee a commitment to build connections between
people and ideas and to communicate what we do to stakeholders
outside of the POD Network. Specifically, I would like to help
POD accomplish the following, each aligned with the strategic
plan:
1) Connecting
Cohorts
Even as it grows
from year to year, POD continues to be a vital network for
collegiality, for innovation, and for sharing scholarly
approaches to teaching, learning, professional and
organizational development. As the POD Network grows and
strengthens its national and international connections, it is
imperative that we continue fostering the connections that make
this a professional network. I propose we
• Support smaller
cohorts or learning communities within POD, perhaps as an
outgrowth of the topical interest groups, as an avenue toward
research and publications
• Provide a forum
for these groups to share ideas and initiatives publicly, so the
ideas of these distinct communities enrich the whole
• Maximize the
rich resources collected on the POD website and wikiPODia to
build connections. This might mean creating a separate location
for information sharing, whether news from regional or
state-wide consortiums, opportunities for collaborating with
other graduate student or faculty development organizations,
calls for papers, or organizing job postings.
2) Connecting &
Communicating
In addition to
strengthening connections, it’s important to continue
communicating the value and scope of what we do to organizations
outside of POD, particularly as the state of the global economy
causes more institutions to reexamine and shift priorities.
Continuing to reach out to accrediting bodies, disciplinary
organizations, granting agencies, foundations, and related
groups will be even more necessary in the next three years.
3) Connecting &
Developing Scholarship
A third area I
would promote is the further articulation of a scholarship of
educational development, particularly as it intersects with
discipline-based scholarship of teaching and learning. I would
encourage conversation and research addressing such questions
as: How might SoTL work inform a scholarship of faculty
development? How might we begin to recognize the skill sets
developers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds bring to
professional development? What does it mean to bring one’s
disciplinary training to bear on development issues and what
impact does this have?
POD has been
foundational in my career development—over the years it has fed
both my head and my heart as an educational developer. I would
be honored to serve the organization on the Core Committee.
Megan M. Palmer
Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
1) background in professional and
organizational development
Although my interest and education in
faculty development blossomed during my doctoral studies in
higher education, my professional career in faculty and
organizational development began in 2003 when I joined the IUPUI
Office for Professional Development. During the last six years,
I have served in a variety of capacities within faculty and
organizational development at IUPUI. This includes Instructional
Designer, Director of Administrative and Organizational
Development, and Interim Assistant Dean of the Faculties. I
currently serve as an Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs and
Professional Development in the Indiana University School of
Medicine and Director of Faculty Development in the Health
Profession at IUPUI. In this capacity, I work with faculty on
issues related to teaching and learning, promotion and tenure,
orientation, leadership development, work-life balance and other
aspects of faculty life in the schools of medicine, dentistry,
nursing and health and rehabilitation science. Immediately prior
to this, I served as the Interim Executive Director of the IUPUI
Center for Teaching and Learning for two years. In addition to
my role in faculty development, I am a Visiting Assistant
Professor in the Indiana University School of Education in
Indianapolis and teach courses such as College Teaching, Campus
Environmental Theory and Assessment and Higher Education
Administration. Finally, I have an active research agenda
related to faculty, faculty life, and faculty vitality.
2) specific involvement
in/contributions to POD
I attended my first POD conference in
October of 2003 and have attended each POD conference since that
time. With the exception of Denver, I have presented at and
reviewed sessions for each of the annual meetings. At our recent
meeting in Houston, I volunteered at registration and presented
two sessions one of which was a Menges award winning session. I
have also served as a reviewer for To Improve the Academy and am
first author of an article in the most recent addition of TIA
titled, Rx for Academic Medicine: Building a Comprehensive
Faculty Development Program. I am proud of the service I
provided to POD as the co-chair of the National Institute for
New Faculty Developers, 2005. I continued my involvement with
the institute by presenting two sessions at the summer 2007
International Institute for New Faculty Developers.
3) what you would like to see POD
accomplish over the next three years and how your leadership
might contribute to those goals
As POD membership continues to grow,
it's important to find ways to value the past while building for
the future. This sentiment has been expressed during the last
several annual meetings and is clearly of interest to the POD
Core Committee and membership. I am keenly interested in
ensuring we think broadly about our work and want that to
include, but not be limited to, teaching development.
There is tremendous opportunity to
expand our network and work with faculty developers all over the
world. I am inspired by the increase in international
participation in POD and benefitted directly from this when I
presented at the International Consortium for Educational
Development, presented a keynote session at Thai POD in July
2009 and through my work with faculty from Moi University in
Kenya who are interested in developing a faculty and
organizational development unit on their campus. I think this
international involvement will allow me to help POD in thinking
about how best to become a global organization that works to
improve the life of faculty and enhance student learning around
the world.
I would like to be a part of the core
committee that continues to expand our interactions and
partnerships with other organizations. Given my associations
with the Group on Faculty Affairs in the Association of American
Medical Colleges and the Association for the Study of Higher
Education, I feel that I can help to build bridges to these and
other organizations and find ways for all of us to engage in
research-driven practice.
I am a team player who is not afraid
to work hard or to provide leadership or take direction, which
was demonstrated at our recent POD meeting when I facilitated a
session on effective lecturing in the absence of the official
presenter. I find great value in working with diverse colleagues
and would benefit from serving on the POD Core. Finally, I
believe that my background and experiences could help broaden
the conversations and enrich the POD Core and ultimately the
organization.
Ruth Reynard
Dean of Faculty Services
Career Education Corporation – Corporate Academics
I have almost 20 years experience in
program and faculty development. Before my current position, I
worked for several years in the development of instructors and
educational programs for community groups, community college,
and in a four-year liberal arts university. These experiences
included:
—Structuring community-based ESL
program in Canada (funded by local school board adult
education). This included needs assessment and curriculum
development for the program. Under my leadership, the program
grew from 2 locations to 5.
—Also in Canada, I worked with a
for-profit company owned by the public school board’s adult
education program and used some government funding to supplement
various programs for new immigrants to Canada. These included:
-Multicultural resource center for an
entire area (secured funding)
-Distance learning program for ESL
learners (new immigrants to Canada) for which I structured the
entire program and trained and developed a team of online
instructors. I also transitioned the program and trained
instructors from telephone and tapes to Internet and multimedia.
-Workplace curriculum and program
development for which I worked with a team of instructors and
provided ongoing development in teaching, personal growth, and
organizational structure.
—In Tennessee I became an associate
professor of education at a university and worked as director of
instructor development which included the establishing the
center, creating a budget, and growing and developing a full
time staff of five as well as several student workers. During
this time, I was asked to chair the faculty development
committee for the entire university, working with peers from all
disciplines and actually designing a program of FD for the
university which included:
-Regular lunch time learning
sessions-Annual retreat
-Annual technology training workshops
-Women’s Studies presentations
-Book Clubs
-Minigrants for professional
development
-Symposium for faculty research
-Online resource and publishing
center for faculty
-Grant writing
-New faculty orientation
-Annual all faculty workshop
-Adjunct faculty annual dinner and
training
—Faculty mentoring program which I
fully coordinated in conjunction with program /department chairs
and deans
In my current position, I am fully
responsible to resource, train and develop 6,000 faculty from
across all our brands and institutions (full time and adjunct,
online and on ground). I also provide online development
sessions for directors of education and program/department
chairs from all disciplines. I work with a FD advisory group
representing each vocational and career area to plan and
implement FD annually. I have also created and maintain a fully
online faculty resource center for our entire faculty here in
the US and in Europe.
2. POD involvement and contributions
I have been a member of POD for over
three years and have attended four conferences. I have
participated in the list-serv, presented a poster session,
attended special interest groups and networked with those
creating adjunct faculty support. I have also signed up for the
new Wiki Podia resource and plan to contribute. I have also
worked to encourage my peers in the career and vocational sector
to become involved in POD.
3. Ideas for improvement – what my
leadership could offer.
I really believe in the dynamic
essence of POD as a network. I hope to see POD continue to
expand that network and to associate more with IAF (Imagine
America Foundation) which is a not-for-profit research and
development foundation for career and vocational faculty. I
would also like to see POD working more closely with ISTE, The
International Society for Technology in Education to increase
its application for higher education faculty. I believe my
leadership in the core committee would help to make these and
similar connections for POD because of the international and
global implications of where POD seems to be going and the kinds
of associations and organizations with which we could partner.
This is particularly interesting for me as I have lived in
Africa, Ireland, Germany, Canada, and the US. I believe the
more global we are, the richer our experience and knowledge will
become. Also, the more efficient we will be with resources and
ideas. This year, I have also established a peer-reviewed
journal for career and vocational faculty for which I am
editor-in chief. I hope to not only learn more myself about
journal publishing, but to learn how current and future networks
of professional and organizational development can be supported
through these kinds of collaborative efforts.
Ronald C. Thomas, Jr
Dean, Online Instruction &
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
As a POD member at two institutions
throughout this decade, Florida State University and
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and having had
responsibility for faculty and teaching assistant development, I
feel I have a breadth (public and private) and depth (from
teaching how to write learning objectives to how to advise a
dissertation) that allows me to be aware of issues all across
the POD membership. In addition to my university experience, I
have ten years in the community college system, eight years
running a state technical college, and two years directing OD
and training for a Cabinet-level agency and a regional medical
center. This allows me to work with anyone, anywhere. Having
been (and still) a faculty member and administrator, I see both
sides of the coin.
My professional preparation includes my Ed.D.
from the University of Florida and a summer fellowship at
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education. My
professional activities include being on the editorial board for
EDUCAUSE Quarterly and the Florida Journal of
Educational Administration and Policy, associate editor of
the International Journal of Education and Human Development,
and a peer reviewer for the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association. I have a forthcoming book from
University Press of America, Tilling the Field: Success
Factors on Community College Fundraising, based on research
I have presented for the Florida Association of Community
Colleges and Cornell University.
My goals for serving POD come in two areas,
both admittedly self-serving under one of my current roles,
Director of ERAU’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.
First, while there are a number of things we think we know about
faculty development and educational methods, we do not know
many of them to a degree that impresses my peers in the hard
sciences. I would like to help more rigorous scholarly and
action research get into circulation among the POD members so we
can show recalcitrant colleagues that we can back up what we are
doing. Secondly, an extension of my first goal, would be to
continue to organize and share the wonderful knowledge and work
of the membership. For example, we have developed an online
writing lab for our far-flung Worldwide campus students and,
while we did take a look at Purdue’s notable “OWL” in building
our EAGLET: Electronic Access to Grammar Language and Essay
Tutoring, there must be a better way to share assets than Google
(which I now know not to be Snuffy Smith’s comic strip
friend!).
As an evangelist for servant-leadership, I
can do more than offer myself for the good of the greater
organization. It would be my privilege to serve. Thank you for
your consideration.
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