Fostering Student Successthrough in-house faculty

development programming

Hanna Erpestad, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Kelli Hallsten-Erickson, CTL Coordinator and English Faculty

Lake Superior College

Because Lake Superior College believes that an investment in faculty is an investment in our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning develops, facilitates, and promotes a comprehensive professional development program for faculty designed to meet the ever-changing academic environment.

(9/27/12)

Our Mission

Master Academic Plan A commitment to provide faculty and staff

professional development, including systemic orientation and mentoring, improving online instructional capabilities and effectively using feedback  

FY12-FY15 Strategic Plan 4 goals addressing professional development of

instructors teaching in all delivery modalities, including new faculty mentoring

Connections to LSC Initiatives

#1: Dramatically increase the success of all learners, especially those in diverse populations traditionally underserved by higher education.

Strategy: Implement research-based best practices for student success.  At LSC:  Constant use of research-backed strategies

(Example: FIG text Envisioning Equity)

Strategy: Partner with diverse communities...to create welcoming learning environments that expand access to educational pathways and increase student success.

At LSC:  All-campus book read, a Muslim student forum

Connections to Charting the Future

#4: Expand the innovative use of technology to deliver high quality online courses, strengthen classroom instruction...and provide more individualized learning and advising.

Strategy: Enhance student educational experiences by infusing emerging technologies into courses and student support services and by developing an integrated, collaborative approach to support professional development of faculty and investment in instructional design.

At LSC: Consistent practice of offering sessions dealing with technology and instructional tools. LSC POET®.

Connections to Charting the Future

Faculty nominate a name for the CTL Coordinator

position for administrative approval

Coordinator and Dean meet monthly

Coordinator convenes 2-3 advisory board meetings per

year

Activities are planned based on input from across

campus

Structure

CTL coordinator is given 9 credits of release

The CTL supply budget has never exceeded $5000

Budget monies are spent with the oversight of the

advisory board

The Dean of LAS has final approval of expenditures

How much does this cost?

Excellence in Teaching Festival

Faculty Inquiry Group (FIG)

Faculty Duty Days

Stand alone brown bag-style sessions

All-Campus Book Read

World Travelers Series

Annual Events

The traditional breakout session

Plenary sessions

“Speedy” sessions

D2L discussion boards

Ongoing “core group” discussions (FIG)

Delivery Modes

Each year has a theme --

Suggested by the advisory board and

connected to survey results and work plan

AY14 theme: Serving Students with Complex

Needs

Overarching Themes

Tracking attendance using STARS

The Annual Survey Most satisfaction comes from the format

of sessions, opportunity to network, and learning new teaching strategies.

Professional Development and Sabbatical Plans

Tracking and Data

InternalLibrary, Intercultural Center, Student Life, Customized Training, Workforce

Development, IT, eCampus team, Learning Center, Counselors, Disability Services, Online Faculty Development Coordinator and Online Course Peer Review Coordinator External

Service-Learning Duluth, other MnSCU colleges

Collaboration

The CFI is a physical space on campus --

Library of professional development texts and materials

A lounge

A copier/printer

A conference room

The offices of the CTL coordinator & the Instructional

Technologist

The Center for Faculty Innovation

CFI Space

CFI Space

D2L shell that hosts a variety of materials, mostly from sessions, posted for ongoing viewing

Online discussions, especially during the Excellence in Teaching Festival (next year: connected to the FIG)

The CFI Online

New Faculty Orientation

New Faculty Mentoring Program

Online Professional Development Committee

POET® Revision Committee

LSC Campus Climate Committee

Special Initiatives

Inheriting a lackluster program & finding a new

leader

MnSCU CTL office closes

Validating the local CTL work to the new President

Moving away from administratively-assigned duty

days to take advantage of all optional duty days

Challenges

An average of 7 formal monthly meetings per

month in the CFI

More than doubled annual offerings and

attendance numbers after the MnSCU CTL office

closed

FY14: 52 professional development sessions, 590

acts of participation

The Numbers

Ultimately, through the support of administration and

the coordinative efforts of the CTL coordinator, but

mostly because of the faculty, it is clear that LSC is

rich with knowledge and the desire to share that

knowledge with others:

We are a model for teaching and learning for

our students.

The Payoff: