Board 81: Work-in-Progress: Building an Inclusive Faculty Community through the Teaching and Learning Academy

Jianyu Jane Dong; Emily L. Allen

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: Faculty Development Poster Session
Tagged Division: Faculty Development Constituent Committee
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32437
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/32437
Download Count: 374

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Paper Authors

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Jianyu Jane Dong California State University, Los Angeles

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Jianyu Dong is a professor in electrical and computer engineering at CSULA and currently serves as the Associate Dean for the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology. Her area of expertise is video compression/communication, multimedia networks, QoS, etc. She has been engaged in multiple projects and initiatives in engineering education to increase the success of students from underserved low-income communities.

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Emily L. Allen California State University, Los Angeles

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Emily L. Allen, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles. She earned her BS in metallurgy and materials science from Columbia University, and her MS and PhD in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. She previously served as faculty, chair and Associate Dean at San Jose State University's College of Engineering. Dr. Allen believes in a collaborative, student-centered approach to research, education and academic administration and leadership. She currently serves on the ASEE Engineering Deans Council Executive Board, the ABET Academic Affairs Council, and chairs the ABET Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.

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Abstract

Faculty engagement and integration has been well recognized as a key factor in the development of a positive college culture and a productive teaching and learning environment. However, the independent nature of faculty work as well as the segmented institutional structure has led to the prevalence of academic silos. In addition, with the changing landscape and budgets of institutions of higher education, contract or temporary faculty are playing a more and more important role in undergraduate education. In the College of [college name] at XXX University, more than 50% of courses are taught by adjunct faculty, many of whom are working professionals in companies or government sectors. Clearly the work experience and expertise of the adjunct faculty is a great asset to the college, however, the lack of effective ways of integrating faculty into the college has presented a significant challenge to the establishment of an inclusive and supportive faculty community. In addition, bargaining unit rules make it difficult to require adjunct faculty to attend professional development meetings.

To address this challenge, the College launched a Teaching and Learning (T&L) Academy in 2015 as a platform to bring all faculty together to share ideas and learn from each other. Originated as a one-day workshop to share best teaching practices within the college, the T&L Academy now has expanded to include a series of short, informal faculty learning community meetings called Teacher-Scholar Forums throughout the academic year. The content of the summer workshop is designed collaboratively with the Center of Effective Teaching and Learning (CETL), which organizes the University New Faculty Orientation. In the past three years, we have seen the growth of participation of faculty, both T/TT and adjunct faculty from different departments in the College. This Work-in-Progress paper presents the evolving process of the development of the ECST Teaching and Learning Academy, as well as its impact on faculty integration and engagement. Preliminary data including faculty participation and survey results on perceived value of the T&L Academy will be shared. We would prefer to present this WIP paper in poster format to allow engaged conversation. While we feel that sharing the practice of building a successful Teaching and Learning Academy benefits the broader community, we also expect to receive feedback to formulate a study to enhance faculty engagement and integration using this platform.

Citation
Format

Dong, J. J., & Allen, E. L. (2019, June), Board 81: Work-in-Progress: Building an Inclusive Faculty Community through the Teaching and Learning Academy Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32437

TY - CPAPER
AB - Faculty engagement and integration has been well recognized as a key factor in the development of a positive college culture and a productive teaching and learning environment. However, the independent nature of faculty work as well as the segmented institutional structure has led to the prevalence of academic silos. In addition, with the changing landscape and budgets of institutions of higher education, contract or temporary faculty are playing a more and more important role in undergraduate education. In the College of [college name] at XXX University, more than 50% of courses are taught by adjunct faculty, many of whom are working professionals in companies or government sectors. Clearly the work experience and expertise of the adjunct faculty is a great asset to the college, however, the lack of effective ways of integrating faculty into the college has presented a significant challenge to the establishment of an inclusive and supportive faculty community. In addition, bargaining unit rules make it difficult to require adjunct faculty to attend professional development meetings.

To address this challenge, the College launched a Teaching and Learning (T&amp;L) Academy in 2015 as a platform to bring all faculty together to share ideas and learn from each other. Originated as a one-day workshop to share best teaching practices within the college, the T&amp;L Academy now has expanded to include a series of short, informal faculty learning community meetings called Teacher-Scholar Forums throughout the academic year. The content of the summer workshop is designed collaboratively with the Center of Effective Teaching and Learning (CETL), which organizes the University New Faculty Orientation. In the past three years, we have seen the growth of participation of faculty, both T/TT and adjunct faculty from different departments in the College. This Work-in-Progress paper presents the evolving process of the development of the ECST Teaching and Learning Academy, as well as its impact on faculty integration and engagement. Preliminary data including faculty participation and survey results on perceived value of the T&amp;L Academy will be shared. We would prefer to present this WIP paper in poster format to allow engaged conversation. While we feel that sharing the practice of building a successful Teaching and Learning Academy benefits the broader community, we also expect to receive feedback to formulate a study to enhance faculty engagement and integration using this platform.

AU - Jianyu Jane Dong
AU - Emily L. Allen
CY - Tampa, Florida
DA - 2019/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 81: Work-in-Progress: Building an Inclusive Faculty Community through the Teaching and Learning Academy
UR - https://peer.asee.org/32437
DO - 10.18260/1-2--32437
ER -