An associate director of an independent preschool and elementary school developed and implemented a practicum intervention designed to improve five inexperienced teachers' ability to conduct parent-teacher conferences. Through self-evaluation, teachers identified skills they needed to improve. Intervention focused on preconference planning…

The College of Education at Chicago State University provides assistance to two- and four-year college faculty in instructional techniques, strategies, and refinement of skills in course content development and teaching methods. The program has two components: organizational analysis and process analysis. In organizational analysis, faculty are…

The conference reported in this document was attended by representatives of seven states (Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington). Participants focused on three key questions: (1) what are the issues and objectives behind assessment in each state? (2) what can be done regarding the implementation of…

The Teaching Excellence Program, designed to promote faculty use of practice-centered inquiry, was conducted at a large research university (Ohio State). The program was based on a conceptualization of practice-centered inquiry that draws on action research, reflection-in-action, and action science ideas. Data collected throughout the program…

This document explores how basic American cultural value patterns have influenced the nature of general studies, specialization, and professional education in programs of teacher education. The value patterns examined deal with individualism, the work ethic and the civic arts. These patterns are analyzed in terms of their control over what…

One hundred and eighty part-time instructors in 25 Alabama technical colleges responded to a questionnaire designed to obtain (1) demographic data on selected variables; (2) an assessment of the unique perceived competencies and professional development needs of this population; and (3) information to be used in the design of a program delivery…

Factors that have led to post-tenure evaluation of faculty are considered, along with limitations of tenure in general and current post-tenure evaluation practices. Positions of advocacy and opposition to post-tenure evaluation are identified, along with practical considerations that institutions might consider before modifying or implementing a…

The increased use of part-time faculty in community colleges has left in its wake a large literature on the problems posed by heavy reliance on part-time faculty and on the need to address these problems through staff development programs. Four approaches have been used by community colleges to deal with the staff development needs of their…

Descriptions are provided of 57 projects that concern central disciplines in undergraduate education. The projects, which were funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, focus on: improving introductory courses (23), excellence in a field (15), and fostering coherence throughout an institution (19). Each project is described, and the…

A sociometric survey examined the informal faculty development network existing within the School of Nursing at East Tennessee State University. During the fall 1983 semester, all 25 nursing faculty members at the school were asked to complete a self-report instrument dealing with patterns of seeking and providing advice regarding their role as a…

In an effort to improve the quality of its educational systems, Florida mandated participation in a year-long Beginning Teacher Program (BTP) as a requisite for regular certification of beginning teachers. The support system of the program consists of regular formative and summative assessments of the teacher's performance, and the provision of…

This project addresses the problem of inadequate mathematics high school teacher staffing and the shortage of mathematics specialists in the elementary school. Regular elementary school teachers interested in becoming certified as high school mathematics teachers, and who had taken at least three college-level mathematics courses, were invited to…

The professional development activities of teaching faculty, librarians, technical assistants, and academic administrators at Niagara County Community College (NCCC) (New York) are reviewed in this report. Twelve major categories of professional development are described: (1) college-sponsored professional development programs; (2) off-campus…

This paper provides a wide range of information related to leadership and development needs in the California community colleges. First, a summary is presented of five studies or activities concerned with community college leadership, including: (1) the work of the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education; (2) the…

A small service firm approach to assist instructors and departments improve the quality of instruction at the University of Washington is discussed. Attention is directed to basic assumptions underlying the instructional development program at the University's Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR). One assumption is that an…