Standard 5: Faculty qualifications, Performance and Development
Faculty are qualified and model best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching, including the assessment of their own effectiveness as related to candidate performances; they also collaborate with colleagues in the disciplines and schools. The unit systematically evaluates faculty performance and facilitate professional development.
Teacher Education at the University of North Dakota draws from the expertise of several colleges and departments. As a comprehensive university, UND faculty reflect a broad range of backgrounds, skills, knowledge and experience that support the professional development of the candidates. Beginning in the General Education sequence, through the professional education and specialty areas of study, candidates are exposed to a faculty who are dedicated to the three legged stool of research, teaching and service to support their academic careers The University's strategic plan directly addresses the importance of recruiting and maintaining quality faculty in it's first priority by developing a plan of action that supports teaching and research for tenure and promotion purposes while focusing on faculty as models of lifelong learning for students. This priority is critical in order to support the University's continued growth and development as a premier institution and is supported by the EHD Strategic Plan (PDF File). The identification of priorities in terms of additional faculty positions is evidenced in both the college strategic plan and plans of the departments involved in the preparation of teachers and other school personnel (Department Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan (PDF File)).
During times of projected population declines in the state of North Dakota and the region, it is interesting to note that during the past several semesters, the applications to the teacher education programs exceed the numbers typically admitted. In addition, through grant initiatives (Grants), the programs have been called upon to expand programs and opportunities for those seeking programs at the basic and the advanced level. The faculty have responded positively to these challenges and several changes have occurred since the last accreditation visit.
A Technology Coordinator was added in 1996. This individual's primary responsibilities are the maintenance of the two computer labs located in the Education Building as well as providing technical support to faculty and students. Through her efforts, several workshops and in-services have been made available to faculty to support their continued applications of technology in their teaching.
Element 1: Qualified Faculty
Faculty involved in the preparation of teachers and school personnel are dedicated to enhancing the profession. In all three areas (teaching, research and service), faculty are actively engaged to promote best practices in the field. The foundation of this is having a qualified faculty. Credentials of the faculty reflect the high qualifications which are brought to the teacher education unit (Faculty Vita Matrix). This expertise is also evident in the clinical faculty that are recruited to support our candidates in the field as well and the instructors that are used in teaching courses. (Clinical Faculty Matrix). Our programs are strengthened by the demographics and qualifications of the extended faculty who are actively involved in our programs (Extended Faculty Matrix). We also have a talented pool of adjuncts that we used to support our programs (Adjunct Faculty Matrix). We recognize that it is critical that any and all faculty be fully aware of our philosophy, mission and conceptual framework. To that end, have developed orientation programs for our adjuncts to ensure that they are firmly connected to our program. In addition to formal programs, communication between our permanent faculty and the adjuncts is frequent through participation in meeting, written correspondence and informal work sessions (Adjunct Faculty Support Plan PDF file).
Element 2: Modeling best professional practices in teaching
Teaching is perhaps the single most important dimension of our work. We strive to model the best practice in promoting student learning in our courses. As our syllabi indicate, a wide range of strategies is used to promote the learning of our candidates. Classroom based courses in combination with field experiences ensure our candidates the best possible professional experience.
A number of our faculty have received awards for outstanding teaching, research, and service (Faculty Awards). Faculty play active roles on numerous National and State Boards and Professional Organizations which put them in positions of leadership in their field. (Faculty Professional Activity). For example, Dr. Mary Lou Fuller was awarded the 2000 Outstanding Multi Cultural Educator of the Year award by the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME). She has played a critical role in expansion of our work in the area of diversity and the teaching of all students.
University policies for tenure and promotion clearly articulate the need for ongoing evaluation of teaching. Programs for the preparation of teachers and other school related personnel embrace the notion that we must demonstrate quality teaching and as a result give a great deal of weight to teaching evaluations. Non tenured faculty must have each course evaluated in each semester prior to being promoted or tenure. Tenured faculty are required to conduct evaluations of at least one course each academic year (Teaching Evaluation). Candidates consistently comment favorably on the teaching effectiveness of the faculty. Moreover, the feedback received through the evaluation process is valued and as a result changes in our teaching are often evident.
Faculty is provided support for improvement of instruction through the Office of Instructional Development (OID). OID offers opportunities for instruction improvement grants and also for summer professorships that have been developed specifically to enhance teaching. Several of our faculty have received these grants. (OID Grant Recipients (PDF File)). In addition, OID coordinates the small group instructional diagnosis (SGID) process for faculty on campus. Several of the faculty in teacher education are trained facilitators of the SGID process and also participate in the process as a means to support improvement of their instruction.
Quality advising of candidates throughout their programs is a commitment of our faculty. An Office of Advising and Admissions supports our work in this area. The College of Education and Human Development employs two full time advisors whose major responsibilities are working with candidates in teacher preparation programs. Prior to formal admission, the candidates are assigned to either of these professional advisors to assist them in determining transfer credits and the meeting of general education requirements. Once the candidates have been formally admitted, they are assigned to a faculty advisor in their program area. For candidates in secondary education, two advisors are assigned: one in education and one in the discipline major. This system provides assurances that requirements for both prongs of the candidates' programs are covered. Advising manuals are available to candidates and provide detailed information about the various programs from admission through graduation requirements. Because of the various points of evaluation, the candidates meet at regular intervals throughout their programs for advising and reviewing program requirements.
Element 3: Modeling best professional practices in scholarship
Scholarship is a valued in the faculty. Work in this area is reflected in a broad range of activities from research, through curriculum development, publications, books, presentations, grant writing and creative activities. As the Scholarship/Service Matrix indicates, the productivity of the faculty is high. Support for faculty to present their papers is provided through the department. Additional funds are available through the Dean's office as well through other sources across campus.
The College supports new faculty scholarship activities. Fall 2000, a group of faculty organized for the purpose of developing research agendas. The Dean's office provided financial backing for a weekend retreat as a culminating activity of their academic year scholarly activity.
Faculty are also recognized by our own academic community with regard to scholarly activity. Each year, several awards are given to faculty and departments for outstanding work in the areas of teaching, research and service. In the College of Education and Human Devlopment, three faculty have received the highest award given to faculty at the university , the Chester Frtiz Scholar recognition (Dr. Richard Landry, Dr. Mary Lou Fuller, and Dr. Don Lemon). In addition, several departments have been recognized for their work (Departmental awards) as well as individual faculty in other areas. For example, Dr. Cindy Juntenen, Counseling, was recognized as the recipient of the UND Foundation/McDermott Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research, Creative Activity and Service during the Founder Days Recognition Banquet in February 2001. (Faculty Awards)
Grant activity is also evident in the programs (grants). External funding has made it possible to support the education of under-represented groups in our teacher education programs. In addition, the funding that has supported the professional development of our faculty through work in technology, had an impact on our curriculum. Through our grant activity, the teacher education programs have been able to create links between the schools of the state and region in the development and implementation of programs to serve students, families and communities. The research associated with grants has been shared with other teacher education professions on state, regional, national, and international levels.
Element 4: Modeling best professional practice in service
Faculty have a visible presence in the arena of service. Faculty serve on numerous Boards of Directors, volunteer in agencies within the community and are actively involved in committees at all levels in the university community (Scholarship/Service Matrix). As the matrix suggests, the faculty have a high level of involvement in the service area and activities are often linked to long term goals of the programs, as well as the college, university, and national affiliations.
Element 5:Unit Resources Including Technology
Collaboration is broadly defined in our teacher preparation programs. In addition to collaborating with other colleges and departments across campus, faculty are actively engaged in collaborative projects with agencies throughout the state, with public school districts and faculty.
At the heart of our programs is collaboration with the public schools. Those partnerships take many shapes and forms and are tailored to the unique goals and strengths of each school. The University of North Dakota teacher preparation programs and the Grand Forks Public Schools participated in the piloting of NCATE's Professional Development Standards. (Professional Development School Pilot Study PDF File). As a result of that experience, our relationship with the schools has expanded and been formalized. Affiliation agreements and School/University Partnership (professional development school) agreements have been signed by the university and schools districts with whom we work. A regional Teacher Center is physically housed in the education building and serves as the hub for supporting teaching in the regions through workshops, materials, and other means. We have regular and ongoing conversations with the public schools in numerous forums. Teacher Talk is one of our most recent and successful ventures in which faculty from the schools and the university are brought together twice each semester to discuss a wide range of issues related of the preparation of teachers.
Several grants have resulted in collaboration between our faculty and the faculty in the public schools. Excellent Beginnings provides for us a link between the university, a local public elementary school, the local Head Start program and the high schools. Through its work, young men of color are encouraged to explore options in teacher education. In another project, funded through the Knight Foundation, our Schools as Center of Community work has expanded the project schools in full service schools, greatly expanding our collaborative efforts. Another successful collaboration is that with Red River High School, funded by Dayton-Hudson, in which secondary teacher education candidates tutor students who are at-risk for academic failure.
Collaboration is also evident in our relationship with other colleges and departments on campus. Examples include an interdisciplinary course preparing professionals in early intervention (T & L 590 Collaboration in Early Intervention) and a series of courses focusing on autistic spectrum disorders (Autistic Spectrum Disorders). The preparation of secondary candidates is one of collaboration between secondary faculty and extended faculty from the various secondary subject major areas.
Element 6: Unit evaluation of professional education faculty performance
Section II of the faculty handbook describes the policies and procedures for evaluation of university faculty. Teacher Education programs adhere to the policies. In addition to the guidelines for non-tenured faculty, tenured faculty are to be evaluated every three years. The North Dakota legislature, during its 2001 session, passed a mandate that will require that all faculty are evaluated formally every year. The policies and procedures of this mandate have yet to be defined, but it is anticipated that some form of this evaluation will be implemented within the next academic year.
The teacher education programs have a time-honored approach to the evaluation of their faculty. In addition to having courses evaluated as described above, faculty participate in an approach that was developed by the faculty to respond to the constructivist principles that guide our programs. The Department of Teaching and Learning values the benefits individuals and the unit as a whole derive from evaluation of faculty. The Department of Teaching & Learning by-laws (PDF File) state that evaluation is a means of fostering mutual respect among faculty and of providing a process for personal and professional growth by reflecting on our teaching and our work in the field. The evaluation process follows that outlined in the UND Faculty Handbook II-8.1.1 and includes consideration of teaching, research/creative accomplishment, and service.
The Department values all three areas, but places the strongest importance on the area of teaching. Two forms of teaching assessment are to be part of the evaluation portfolio for faculty. One is student evaluations. All non-tenured faculty (both full and part-time) and Graduate Teaching Assistants must have each course evaluated each semester. Tenured faculty must have at least one course per semester evaluated. The second form of evaluation is completed by peers. The Descriptive Review Process, developed by faculty in education, may be used as a peer evaluation. It assumes that the instructor has important insights and understandings about his/her teaching that peers are able to respond to in a way that is supportive of continued professional development. Peer evaluation is optional for tenured faculty.
Faculty also are encouraged to use the SGID (Small Group Instructional Diagnosis) process. The purpose of the SGID is to assist the faculty to make changes which will increase student learning. SGIDs are completed at the request of individual faculty members and the reports are not included in faculty evaluation portfolios.
Element 7: Unit facilitation of professional development
Faculty are encouraged to participate in professional development activities.
Financial support is available to individual faculty members at several levels. For example, each department is allocated dollars that are dedicated to individual faculty professional development. Those funds may be spent to support travel, participation in professional meetings or purchasing of materials to support professional development. In addition, the Dean's Office in the College of Education and Human Development has a pool of money that is available to faculty members on a competitive basis to support travel. At the university level, the Office of Instructional Development (OID) and the Office of Research and Program Development (ORPD) both have financial resources available to them that faculty may apply for to support their professional development.
The unit also supports the professional development of its graduate assistants. The Department of Teaching and Learning has more graduate program completers at both the masters and doctoral levels than any other department on campus. This provides the department with the opportunity to benefit from the enthusiasm and expertise of these continuing students and also to influence the preparation of future academicians. To support the development of the graduate teaching assistants, new GTAs are required to register for a 1 credit Seminar in Higher Education (T&L 549). The course has four goals:
- To provide a forum for discussing general issues related to teaching as well as the specific successes or problems individuals enrolled may be experiencing.
- To explore strategies for college teaching identified by those enrolled as relevant to their content areas.
- To dialogue with college teachers about their experiences in higher education.
- To practice problem solving difficult situations which arise in college teaching using video clip scenarios.
In addition to the assistance provided to GTAs in Teaching and Learning, the Graduate School has an assistance program for those from all departments that includes assigning GTAs with experience as mentors to those who are new to the college classroom. Graduate students have spoken very positively about both of these programs.
Since 1995, 12 of the unit faculty have participated in the Alice T. Clark mentoring program supported through the university. The Alice T. Clark Mentoring Program was created to assist faculty members who were new to UND to develop contacts with peers, learn about the expectations of the university, share ideas about effective teaching and successful research endeavors, and generally begin their academic career at UND with the support of an experienced peer. The Office of Instructional Development Director is responsible for planning the year-long experience and providing a stipend for participation (Alice T. Clark Participants (PDF File)).
The university and the colleges also support several opportunities for professional development. For example, the College of Education and Human Development support the Rose Isabelle Kelly Fischer Endowed Professorship. The initial recipient of the professorship was Dr. Mary Lou Fuller. The appointment supported Dr. Fuller's work to enhance and expand the multicultural perspectives of our teacher preparation program. Through her work, we will experience significant changes in our programs that are supportive of diversity and the teaching of all students.
Two faculty members have been supported for developmental leaves since 1995. Dr. Mary Lou Fuller spent the year as a participant/observer in a K-3 charter school created for low income children in Safford, Arizona. Dr. Myrna Olson's work focused on graduates of our doctoral level programs in Teaching and Learning. Her work has been invaluable to us as in the consideration of graduate surveys and interviews. We have implemented changes to the curriculum, policies and procedures for dissertation and dissertation membership.
At the university level, faculty lecture series and brown bag lunches are sponsored by OID on a regular basis (OID faculty discussions). The intent of the programs is to provide a forum for sharing faculty research and other scholarly contributions as well as support interdisciplinary efforts.
Summary
Teacher Education programs at the University of North Dakota are supported by quality faculty who are dedicated to facilitating the development of the strongest teachers possible. They are committed to the three dimensions of academia: teaching, scholarship and service. Systematic evaluation of all three areas ensures that our programs continue to meet the standards of NCATE and the Educational Standards and Practices Board of North Dakota.
