A Needs Based Faculty Development Program for Raritan Valley Community College Faculty

1. Raritan Valley Community College A Needs Based Faculty Development Program for Raritan Valley Community College Faculty John Sullivan, Ph.D.Professor of Computer Science and Business

2. Overview The purpose of my study was to describe the perceptions of RVCC faculty (full and part-time) regarding their training needs and the preferred methods of meeting those needs. This study used a needs-driven systematic instructional design model.

3. Needs Analysis Benefits of Training Needs Analysis • Investment in training & development will have focus and direction; • Priority training needs throughout the organization will become apparent; • Appropriate methods for meeting those needs will be identified; • Training will be systematic and planned but flexible enough to cope with ad hoc requests (Bartram, Gibson, 1994).

4. Training • In past, faculty were seldom consulted about their own needs. • Because of this lack of faculty input, administrators often stumbled after new innovation was put into place (Willis, 1998). • Faculty input is essential (Dickey & Davis, 1999). • In addition, faculty acceptance is seldom automatic, even when included in the planning process. • Faculty development works only if one assumes that all the participants share common visions and perceptions concerning educational changes they are about to undertake (Rogers, 1995).

5. Approach • The original focus of this study was to include “all” faculty pedagogical training needs. • A narrower scope was needed. • There are 3 approaches to instructional improvement (Diamond, 2002). • Faculty development – focus on teaching • Instructional development – focus on courses and curriculum • Organizational development – focus on structure & process

6. Faculty Development Focuses on: • Individual faculty members first as teachers engaged in fostering student development. • Faculty members as scholars and professionals and involves such tasks as career planning and development of various scholarly skills. • Faculty members as persons, and involves activities that enhance a person’s well-being (e.g., wellness management, interpersonal skills, stress and time management, & assertiveness training). Furthermore

7. A Three-State Study of Presidential Perceptions of Faculty Professional Development Needs (Wallin, 2003) Presidents of technical and community colleges in three states – North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia – were asked to consider “what they thought to be the most important faculty knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities for successful teaching.” • Command of Content Area ranked first in importance in all three states. • Technology was ranked 2nd and 3rd in the three states in importance with regard to faculty development.

8. Therefore: This study concentrated on what is most important for faculty. • Knowledge of content • Knowledge of how to best convey that content with new innovations or technology

9. Motivation and Workplace Hierarchy of Needs(Owens, 2001) Lynn Porter adapted Maslow’s concept of hierarchy of needs to the work place. self-actualization autonomy self-esteem security and affiliation

10. Methodology: • First develop a Project PlanMicrosoft Project • Kaufman (1972) Needs Assessment Analysis • Sampling Procedure • Survey Instrument Pilot Tested Test for reliability (Cronbach’s alpha & Split-half)Full-timePart-time • Data Collection ProceduresLetters to Sample PopulationFollow-up Procedures • Data Analysis (ANOVA) • Validation

11. Raritan Valley Community College Faculty Profile Full time Part time Total Faculty 110 265 381 Respondents 85 109 194 Percentage 77% 42%

12. Data Analysis Need Score Calculation N = ( I – K) * ImWhere: N = Needs score I = Importance score K = Knowledge score Im= Importance mean So for MS Word( 5 – 5 ) * 5 = 0 Or there is no need for training in MS Word

13. Competencies Ranked by ImportanceFull- Time Faculty

14. Competencies Ranked by ImportancePart-Time Faculty

15. Learning Accommodations

16. Scale Ranking of Learning Accommodations 4.2 4.1 4 3.9 3.8 Mean Score Full - Time 3.7 Adjunct 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.2 Hands On One on One Hotline Self Pace Mentor Learning Category

17. Raritan Valley Community College Learning Accommodation:Best Location for Computer Training 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% Full-Time Faculty 20.0% Percentage of Sample Adjunct Faculty 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% College Department No Strong On the Web Opinion Location

18. Most Preferred Provider of Instruction 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% Full-Time Faculty 20.0% By Percentage Adjunct Faculty 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Faculty Students Technical Staff No Strong Opinion Outside Professional Provider

19. What time of year for Faculty Instruction? 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% Full-Time Faculty 20.0% Adjunct Faculty Percentage of Population 10.0% 0.0% Fall Spring Mid Summer Winter Break No Strong Opinion Before Fall Semester End of Spring Semester Time of Year Time of Year

20. Length of Training? 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% Full-Time Faculty Percentage Adjunct Faculty 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Three Hour One Hour No Strong Whole Day Two Days Module Module Opinion Mode of Delivery

21. What Would Help Attendance? Full Time Faculty 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% Percentage 15% 10% 5% 0% Training in Lieu of Consistency Ad Hoc Training with Reminders Dept. Meeting Mentor Method

22. What Would Help Attendance? Adjunct Faculty 30% 25% 20% 15% Percentage 10% 5% 0% Weeknights Reminder Saturday Mentor Method

23. Faculty Comments: Question # 32 Please explain any other considerations that you feel need to be considered when a faculty training program is designed. Full – Time Faculty

24. Faculty Comments “You need to offer training over time so that I can learn, go out and try it, then come back with questions. I always want a cookbook when I'm done with training and I can't understand why we never have them. We should have a refresher available on the web, too, so I can access it from home as well as here.”

25. Faculty Comments “Different faculty members start with different skill levels. Grouping by skill to be taught rather than by department would be preferable.” “Nursing faculty spend an enormous amount of time at the clinical site, consideration for this time off campus needs to be considered in scheduling.”

26. Faculty Comments “Training must be hands-on and help instructors with what they need to do in the classes they have now - as opposed to detached training that will be quickly forgotten and unused.” “Although technical people are valuable, for this kind of training I would prefer and value another faculty member who has used the technology and knows how to teach. P.S. John: I LOVE this survey format. How can I learn how to do this?????”

27. Faculty Comments “More emphasis on individual faculty projects & less on overall training of how to use any particular software. That is: organize learners by type of specific project they want to accomplish or program they want to learn...not overview training of entire package to all learners....am I making this at all clear?!” “Or training in lieu of an All College Day speaker.”

28. Faculty Comments “As I realize how behind I am in this area and thinking about what keeps me from doing it, is needing to tie in what I'm learning directly to using it almost immediately in my classes. The few classes I have taken (like 4) get me excited about whatever it is and then I go away and don't really apply it and then several months later when I think about doing it, the how to do it is gone from my head and I never reach out to ask anyone for help.”

29. Faculty Comments “As an adjunct I would prefer a program which is web-based or self-directed. It is difficult for me to make additional trips to the campus.” Adjunct Faculty

30. Faculty Comments “Adjuncts make about thirty cents an hour; take that into consideration when offering adjunct faculty members these training opportunities.”

31. Faculty Comments “Because I am adjunct, I have other jobs, so my time is limited. Web based programs that I could do late at night would be best. I would also be able to do one to one learning if the instructor's time was flexible.”

32. Faculty Comments “Sufficient alternative dates for training be available - similar to the one for Lion's Den.” “Repeat training sessions.”

33. Training Programs Top 10 Training Priorities Full – Time Faculty

34. Training Programs Top 10 Training Priorities Adjunct Faculty

35. Delivery Full-Time Hands-on One-on-One Hotline Location College Delivered By Technical Staff Faculty Time of Year Fall Semester End of Spring Semester Time Frame Three Hour One Hour Attendance In lieu of Department Meeting Consistency Delivery Adjunct Self Pace Hands On One-on-one Location On the Web College Delivered By Technical Staff Outside Profession Time of Year End of Spring Semester Fall Semester Time Frame Three hour One Hour Attendance Weeknight Training Strategies for RVCC Faculty

36. Training Strategies for RVCC Faculty Want: • Hands-on, or one-on-one instruction delivered on the Web or at the College. • They prefer technical staff or outside professionals to do the instruction. • The lessons should be held repeatedly to fit their schedules. • They also prefer training during the Fall or End of the Spring Semester in one or three hour modules. • They prefer training on weeknights and want financial support for attending. Again, they prefer all lessons be Want: • Hands-on & one-on-one instruction at the college taught by technical staff or faculty. • They want that instruction during the Fall or End of the Spring Semester in three hour or one hour modules. • They would prefer to attend these sessions in lieu of a department meeting and the training session should be held consistently and repeatedly throughout the year. Training support should be delivery by the same faculty member with 1 or 3 credit(s) release time or by technical staff. They should also be available for online or telephone support. All lessons given should be available on the Web for reference. Full Time Faculty Adjunct’s

37. References: Diamond, R. (2002). Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development: Options and Choices, Dickey, J. & Davis, R (1998), Faculty Development and Instructional Computing. [Online] Available: www.coe.un.edu/insite/elec_pub/HTML1998/fd_dick.htm. [November 24, 1998]. Gillespie, K. H. (Ed.). (2002). A guide to faculty development: Practical advice, examples, and resources. Bolton, MA: Anker. Hall, B. (1997). Web-Based Training: Cookbook, Wiley Computer Publishing, NY. Kendall, K, Kendall, J., (2002). Systems Analysis and Design 5th Ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ Kaufman, R.A. (1972). Educational system planning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mandel, T. (1997). The Elements of User Interface Design, Wiley Computer Publishing, NY. Owen, R.G. (2001). Organizational behavior in education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Patricia Nickerson, President of EBI Inc, a San Diego based training company. Roger, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations. (4th. Ed.) New York: The Free Press. Ross, S. The Star Ledger “Business Edge” Page 21, Monday, March 18, 2002. It’s raining e-mail: Managers drowning in messages can learn to keep their heads above water. Powers, Adams, Mills, (1984). Computer Information Systems Development: Analysis & Design; South-Western Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Sullivan, J. (1999). Statewide Online Web-based Training Program to Prepare New Jersey Community College Faculty for Distance Teaching. [Online] Available: http://rvcc2.raritanval.edu/~jsulliva/Research/Dissertadiscus.ppt[October 16, 2003. Wallin, D. (2003). Motivation and Faculty Development: A Three-State Study of Presidental Perceptions of Faculty Development Needs, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 27: 317-335 Willis, B (1998, January-February) Effective Distance Education Planning: Lessons Learned. Educational Technology, 38 (1), 57-59. Sounds: Beach Boys Linkin Park Eminem Black Eyed Peas

38. Raritan Valley The End Community College John Sullivan, Ph.D. Professor of Computer Science/Business jsulliva@raritanval.edu rvcc2.raritanval.edu/~jsulliva/john.html

39. Back Competencies Ranked by Training NeedFull -Time Faculty

40. Back Competencies Ranked by Training NeedAdjunct Faculty