From 1998 to 2008, the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) offered its employees a variety of options for formation, a type of reflective practice. The district encompasses 10 locations, seven of them independently accredited colleges. Formation is based primarily on Parker Palmer's model for Circles of Trust as described in "A…

Purpose: Reformers, policymakers, and researchers have given considerable attention to organizational capacity in schools, especially in those schools that perpetuate or exacerbate achievement gaps among diverse student groups and reproduce social inequalities. There is an emerging consensus about key dimensions of school capacity and how they can…

Purpose: This paper aims to demonstrate how an institutional learning, teaching and assessment (LTA) strategy was developed and a "dynamic" strategy created in order to achieve the ongoing enhancement of the quality of the student learning experience. Developing LTA strategies that foster ongoing engagement and provide inspiration to…

Recognizing that a necessary and significant role change is underway in faculty development, this book calls for centers to merge their traditional responsibilities and services with a leadership role as organizational developers. Failing to define and outline the dimensions and expertise of this new role puts centers at risk of not only…

This article traces efforts toward establishing a guiding framework for community college faculty development as integrated with professional, organizational, and program development. It emphasizes informal learning among professionals and an organizational learning system. (JOW)

Findings of a study that explored the role of staff developers in integrating staff development with organizational development are presented in this paper. Staff development (SD) is defined as professional development for individuals to improve student instruction; organizational development (OD) is defined as professional development for groups…

Inservice education is primarily planned and justified on the basis of its contribution to and impact upon the classroom. Although the student must remain central, staff development programs can and must concurrently address and relate to other institutional and/or organizational goals and objectives. Inservice or staff development should not be…

Claiming that staff development is a new concept that is not well-defined or understood by college administrators, this paper proceeds to define the concept in terms of organizational renewal theory, and present a model useful in planning, organizing, and analyzing staff development activities, programs, and processes in community colleges. A…

A study was conducted to determine the important components of a comprehensive staff development program. To guide the investigation, a paradigm was constructed which identified the content areas of staff development as personal/professional, program/instructional, and organizational development; and which specified a statement of purpose or…

Elements that the University of Akron, Furman University, and Wichita State University believe to be essential for mounting a successful program for change are identified: definition of institutional mission, top administrative support, leadership development, comprehensive change programs, emphasis on communication and process, and merging of…

A review of literature on service learning in higher education suggests ways in which colleges and universities can support faculty's involvement in this approach to education. Issues discussed include recruitment of faculty to teach service courses, barriers and inhibitors to teacher motivation, faculty development strategies, and changes in…

Considers problems in traditional faculty development programs, comments on the relation between faculty development and evaluation, and reviews the instructional development model, the organizational development approach, and the personal development model. Offers suggestions for nursing faculties and administrators in organizing a nursing…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of practical and theoretical information regarding all aspects of personal, professional, and institutional development in postsecondary education, this journal contains articles, announcements, and resource reviews. The first issue of 1983 includes the following articles: "Institutionalizing Staff, Program and…

As the purposes of colleges change and adapt, so too should college staff have the opportunities to change and adapt. Faculty development can help provide these opportunities, while at the same time meeting demands of accountability and fostering curricular and instructional innovation. The goals of faculty development in the Houston Community…

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…