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How do MSU faculty view their strengths and weaknesses as educators?
What resources do they need to continue to grow?
In 2018, our Learning Community of Adams Academy graduates surveyed 215 faculty to find out.
Here are some of our results:
Strengths: We see ourselves as having more strengths than challenges, especially:
- Teaching with enthusiasm
- Fostering active learning
- Female respondents: mentoring, teaching teachers, facilitating connections and creating community.
Challenges:
- Student assessment was the most commonly cited challenge
- Fostering active learning (again!)
- Fostering dialogue
Familiarity with evidence-based teaching practices: much variation!
- Broad Business College and the College of Music, no respondents familiar with the concept (or at least the term).
- James Madison, the College of Law, the College of Veterinary Med. and the College of Osteopathic Med.: all respondents familiar with it.
- Labor categories: a plurality of “no” responses only from tenure-track and “other”: tenured, fixed-term and academic specialists had plurality of “yes” answers.
Barriers to developing teaching practice:
- “More time” is no. 1 response.
Most frequently used resources for developing teaching practice:
- Brown Bag or Learn at Lunch presentations
- Departmental workshops
- Academic Advancement Network
- MSU Learning Communities
Following our survey, in 2019 we developed a peer-observation protocol.
If you’re interested in trying it out, either in your own department or with one of our group, please contact Mike or Cheryl.
Dr. Cheryl Caesar, caesarc@msu.edu
Dr. Michael Ristich, ristich@msu.edu
