Reports on a study of New York community colleges that examined five criteria important to faculty development: (1) the existence of a formal development program; (2) reward structure; (3) faculty ownership; (4) colleague support for good teaching; and (5) administrator support. Study results indicated that faculty development is a low priority.…

Describes a project in which faculty from five community colleges and one liberal arts college collaborated on developing a seamless, competency-based program of courses to aid transfer students. Indicates that as a group those transfer students participating in the project had higher post-transfer GPAs than non-participating students. Contains…

In a high-quality professional development system, goals are student-centered, focused on learning, and incorporated into teachers' daily routine. School boards can foster this model by ensuring that professional development is aligned with student learning needs and district improvement plans and by providing sufficient resources. (MLH)

Discussion of the growth of online courses in higher education and outsourcing for online course development focuses on the work of VCampus, an application service provider that develops online instruction for corporations and academic institutions. Discusses partnering arrangements; merging goals; intellectual property rights; marketing plans;…

Discusses whether schools can be vehicles for improving race relations, describing one elementary school that simultaneously provides language instruction for language minority students and integrates children across ethnic groups to break down tensions fostered by segregation. Innovative classroom teaming, teacher-led professional development,…

Studied role of 4 factors in scholarly writing of tenured female faculty (n=59) who have significant publication records: personal qualities, graduate program, organizational or institutional supports, and participation in professional associations. Findings suggest that participants generally struggled to assume the role of intellectual authority…

Describes the "Teaching with Technology" program, administered by Pennsylvania's Duquesne University to provide inservice training for elementary and secondary teachers. Indicates that the program provides experience with a state-of-the-art multimedia classroom, an introduction to computer presentation software, and a hands-on tour of…

SCANSLink (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) is a statewide model for postsecondary faculty professional development in Texas. This article discusses SCANSLink's evolution into an Internet-accessible electronic newsletter and its design for viewer feedback and interaction though electronic mail and hypertext links. Focusing on…

Describes an action research inquiry conducted by a primary science tutor, focusing on his work with preservice and inservice teachers. The paper examines parallels between the research process and the researcher's approach to teaching adult learners. Both were underpinned by explicit epistemological assumptions based on a constructivist view of…

Staff developers are being called upon to operate in four dimensions as skilled school change facilitators (process leaders, skills trainers, resource consultants, and energy enhancers). For staff developers to adopt the role of school change facilitator, expertise in both change process and group process skills is crucial. (SM)

Demand for qualified and skilled computer science/computer support specialists will more than double between 1996 and 2006. Carnegie Technology Education (CTE), a non-profit business, has formed partnerships with ten community colleges, four-year colleges, companies and for profit institutions to provide Web-based faculty development and…

Describes the evaluation of a British continuing teacher professional development program that focused on school improvement, school effectiveness, and action research. Teachers participated in the professional development, then conducted interventions in their schools to raise student achievement and evaluated program success using action…

High-stakes standardized testing cannot be considered a reform tool for increasing student achievement. Teaching quality is critical in student achievement. Teachers can become powerful agents in raising students' academic achievement levels, regardless of common barriers (e.g., poverty and bilingualism). The extreme focus on high-stakes testing…

Relates a personal history of events leading to the establishment of the College and University Faculty Assembly and its journal "Theory and Research in Social Education." Details the tensions and obstacles encountered in the creation of a college-level faculty group and a professional journal. (DSK)

Analyzes the professional development aspects of incorporating information technology (IT) into teaching and learning. Asserts that because the majority of faculty still do not use technology other than e-mail to support instruction, and because institutions continue to struggle to meet technology support needs, professional development for IT…