Professional development for community college faculty in a guided pathways environment

Baker, Deborah Lee (2021) Professional development for community college faculty in a guided pathways environment. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

This descriptive correlational case study sought to identify professional development recommendations for full-time community college faculty teaching within a guided pathways environment. Community college faculty across an urban, multi-college district in the southwestern United States were surveyed about their current learner-centered teaching practices, a teaching approach recommended for the guided pathways environment. While faculty indicated that they were implementing learner-centered teaching practices, they also indicated that as the learner-centered teaching practices became more difficult, faculty were less likely to implement them. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted and competency-based developmental pathways were developed in the areas of transparency and feedback with colleagues, student situational considerations, teaching improvements, collaboration with colleagues, faculty openness and empathy, course relevance and faculty-student cooperation.Relevance of each of these areas to guided pathways was identified and a recommended focus for professional development in each was suggested. This includes the assignment charrette model, in combination with transparency in learning and teaching, for the transparency and feedback with colleagues area; Fink’s Designing Significant Learning Experiences for the student situational considerations area; reflecting on the impact one’s own teaching has on students for the teaching improvements area; cross-functional professional development for the collaboration with colleagues area; applied, authentic learning experiences for the course relevance area; compassion, empathy, and service-learning for the faculty openness and empathy area; and sharing control with students for the faculty-student area.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Community colleges; Faculty; Student-centered instruction
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	31 Jan 2022 18:43
Last Modified:	31 Jan 2022 18:43
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5618

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