In response to national concerns a decade ago, driven by research that showed that higher education was making little impact on students' development of broad competencies and critical thinking, the provost and president of Purdue University, a research university, instituted a program whose goals were to build on the accumulated knowledge on…

The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools across Washington to help decision makers understand what quality mastery-based (or competency-based) learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary. The schools receive funding, coaching, and professional…

Over the course of six years, a diverse group of school districts and charter management organizations in California ran a substantial experiment in implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in elementary and middle grades. WestEd led an extensive evaluation of that effort, the California K-8 NGSS Early Implementers Initiative,…

NGSS Early Implementers is a six-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Administrators need learning opportunities if they are to adequately understand the substantial shifts of the Next…

This article describes how one elementary school's professional development model helped both new and veteran teachers grow in their knowledge and practice of balanced literacy. Created in partnership between university faculty, school administration, and elementary teachers, this multifaceted whole-school PD effort enabled teachers to learn…

A discussion of mentoring at Purdue University's pharmacy school describes the role of mentoring in the overall faculty development process and outlines 3 general principles of mentoring and 10 specific principles found useful in developing relationships with junior faculty. The school's statement of commitment to faculty development is appended.…

An approach to college faculty development based on the perceived needs of the faculty is recommended over the traditional faculty development approach for its capacity to accommodate varied needs and changing circumstances. A concerns-based program model in place at Massey University (New Zealand) is offered as illustration. (Author/MSE)

A media training program conducted for faculty and administrators at Seton Hall University (New Jersey) is described. The program has helped participants become more confident in speaking to media, enhanced the university's visibility, and built campus confidence in the public relations staff. Suggestions are made for selecting the target audience…

In spring 1981, a need was identified for the improvement of the faculty evaluation system at Brunswick Junior College (BJC). A committee, formed to study methods of faculty evaluation, recommended an evaluation system based on Modified Management by Objectives (MMBO). Subsequent to approval by the college administration, the new system was…

A consortium of 12 small, private liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes region has shown that by working together, the institutions can provide major opportunities for faculty professional development through conferences and workshops. (MSE)

The Brunel University (England) education department worked with evaluation teams from two local education authorities to develop a faculty development program for local colleges. The origins, design, implementation, and response to the modular program are described as is the "in house consultancy" model developed by the program. (MSE)

Bloomfield College (New Jersey) has encouraged faculty development in inclusive curricula through a faculty development program that guaranteed academic freedom, was begun with faculty members' own reflective practice, and was interdisciplinary and community-wide. This program was a central facet of a larger, institution-wide diversity effort.…

The experiences of the University of Richmond and others institutions indicate that incentives, direct and tangible or indirect and intangible, reflecting the realities of academic life enhance opportunities for initiative and collegiality. (MSE)

The University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, has begun the process of evaluating a strategic plan through the design of a performance evaluation system. Renovation of the predoctoral curriculum focused on decompressing the curriculum, adding flexibility, and improving basic science instruction and the clinical experience. (MLW)

The University of Cincinnati (Ohio) teaching and learning center recently offered a day-long workshop on pedagogical productivity entitled "Teaching Well, Saving Time." One-sixth of the faculty applied; over 100 were turned away. This experience illustrates that faculty can and will contribute to increasing pedagogical productivity,…