International Conference on the First-Year Experience Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 25, 2006

1. Providing Professional Development Opportunities for First-Year Seminar Faculty(Roundtable Discussion) International Conference on the First-Year Experience Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 25, 2006 Dr. Marva S. Lucas Middle Tennessee State University mlucas@mtsu.edu

2. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Purpose/Overview • Communicating the need for PD • Challenges to PD • Ways to address challenges to PD • Specific areas to address in PD • Individual institutions sharing past provisions for PD

3. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Purpose/Overview • As the role of the first-year seminar course becomes increasingly more important to the over-all mission of the institution to enhance graduation and retention rates, first-year seminar faculty development also becomes more important. • This session allows participants to discuss the importance of faculty development, to identify challenges, to share ways to address the challenges, and pin point specific areas that need to be developed.

4. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Communicating the need for professional development – Why? • Make faculty teaching the course aware of the importance of the course to institutional goals and objectives • Share national and institutional research • To develop various non-traditional pedagogical strategies that incorporate service learning, civic, engagement, peer mentors, etc. in the course • Many faculty teaching the course have little classroom experience • Assure established common course goals and objectives are communicated to assure consistency

5. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Challenges to professional development • Part-time faculty not supported with travel $$$ • Part-time faculty are not eligible to receive faculty development grants • Other disciplines often do not see the value in the course • Many faculty members hold other full-time jobs • Teaching the course is often not tied to tenure and/or promotion

6. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Ways to address challenges • Garner institutional support by sharing national and institutional data • Demonstrate how the course is helping to address institutional objectives • Demonstrate how the course is beneficial to departments • Provide Incentives • Pay participants for training • Provide meals, supplies, book bags, etc. • Include informal sharing sessions • Make faculty feel valued and appreciated: Select first-year seminar instructors to offer presentations • Give door prizes

7. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Ways to address challenges (continued) • Tie to promotion and tenure for full-time faculty • Use resources that you have: • Speakers from professional organizations to which you belong • Use other outstanding faculty on campus to share their areas of expertise • Use speakers provided by book publishers • Use technology support provided by book publishers • Use speakers from other campus offices (Greek Life, Career Counseling, University Writing Center, etc.)

8. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Specific areas to address in professional development • Importance of the course • Institutional and national research regarding first-year initiatives • Knowledge about this student population • Pedagogy (critical thinking, active learning, etc.) • Classroom technology • Institutional resources • Student organizations • Academic skills • Providing opportunities for career exploration

9. Roundtable Discussion: Providing Professional Development (PD) • Related FYE Web sites • http://www.sc.edu/fye/listservs/archives/MentorPrograms.html • http://www.sc.edu/fye/events/presentation/2005SIT/ppt/C-53.ppt • http://www.sc.edu/fye