Academic advisors in higher education serve as more than a resource for planning classes. These student affairs professionals also assist with success plans, identifying career paths, connecting students with relevant campus resources, and working through academic and personal concerns. Over time, the field of academic advising has transitioned…

Higher education institutions have the societal role and responsibility of providing guidance to their members and the surrounding community. Institutions endeavored, and are still striving, to illustrate multi-faceted practices that can be integrated into the founding principles of an educational institution. And that can pave its way through the…

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa face the challenge of responding to the expanding demand for tertiary education while maintaining or enhancing the quality of their course offerings. This demand has led to some HEIs introducing the use of interactive web technologies to support their distance teaching and learning practices. However,…

As employers scan the current workforce and anticipate future workforce needs, they frequently find that employees are not well-equipped with core content knowledge and 21st century workplace competencies, the combination of which the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines as "deeper learning." The cumulative effect of these…

Online education is used for a variety of purposes in higher education. Two such purposes are improving staff performance over time and allowing staff to obtain feedback about their professional skill development. Relying on data from online staff skill development courses delivered in five universities, this article explores online faculty…

The development of digital information literacy (DIL) has been slow in comparison to changes in information communication technologies, and this remains an issue for the higher education sector. Competency in such skills is essential to full participation in society and work. In addition, these skills are regarded as underpinning the ability to…

The principal purpose of this study was to determine how major student affairs administrators (N=410) rated potential professional development activities. A second purpose was to assess the accuracy with which a group of faculty (N=35), involved in doctoral level programs in the field, understood practitioner preferences. (Author)

Explores leadership development from preservice preparation programs to renewal activities for veteran administrators. Staff development professionals offer examples of leadership development, such as the preparation of prospective principals, using mentors, promoting ownership in staff development, linking school districts with universities, and…

A program successful in developing the teaching skills of both experienced and new faculty members at The Autonomous University of the North East (Universidad Autonoma del Noreste) at Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, is described. The program has incorporated several literature-based features of effective programs: presentation of supportive theory of…

The author looks at some of the assumptions underlying staff development programs, examines some existing formats, and suggests ways to heighten the value of investments in staff development, particulary at mid-career. Two programs are emphasized--the Mid Career Program in Educational Administration, which is for experienced administrators, and…

Because many available employee training tools are not suitable for the college or university environment, college personnel trainers must create their own. This article proposes an approach to developing such tools which is based on behavior modeling and is designed to maximize transfer of skills learned to the work environment. (MSE)

Discusses the successes and problems in creating major changes in an undergraduate curriculum and addresses the issues of consistency in management, strengthened advising, revision of the majors' handbook, improvement in professional development skills, insufficient content, sequence of skill progression, uniformity in skill teaching, and faculty…

Examines some popular models of peer observation and their potential drawbacks and discusses the implementation of a more active and reflective model, where the focus is less on the observed and more on the active self-development of the observer. Relevance to staff development is also considered. (LRW)

An approach to building an effective training and development (T&D) process within postsecondary institutions is described. The process involves three distinct phases: developing an inservice skills training program, institutionalizing an on-the-job career development process, and conducting organizational development activities. The focus of the…

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro student financial aid office undertook a program to train staff in effective listening. Training involved personal videotaping of staff members, followed by feedback to staff and a handout for students (appended) to promote more successful interviews. Initial response has been positive. (Author/MSE)