ABSTRACT: 2014 ELATE Institutional Action Project Poster Symposium
Project Title: Establishing a Center for Faculty Excellence
Name and Institution: Vicki S. Freeman, MASCP, MLS (ASCP)CM SC, FACB
University of Texas Medical Branch
Collaborators: Elizabeth Protas, Ph.D. PT, Ph.D., FACSM, FAPTA
Background, Challenge or Opportunity: Invest in our number one asset, Our People. That is a major
priority at UTMB, an Academic Health Science Campus where both faculty and staff are important.
Nationally, the shortages of faculty is one of the single most important factors affecting the supply of
health professionals. This is no different at UTMB. Students in the health professions usually attend
school to enter clinical practice, not to teach. New faculty are usually recruited from practice where
they are excellent practitioners, but have little to no background or preparation for teaching. Without
instruction and support, a new faculty member may receive negative student evaluations, become
frustrated with the faculty role, and seek other employment opportunities.
Purpose/Objectives: The vision of the SHP Center for Faculty Excellence is to support the professional
development of faculty across all career stages in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service. Goal:
Retain outstanding faculty who are committed to teaching excellence. The Center will do this by:
1.
Developing, promoting, and implementing initiatives focused on school wide faculty
development, mentoring and succession planning and retention.
2.
Serving as a resource to individual faculty, assisting them with preparation of educator
portfolios, career plans, peer observation and the evaluation of teaching.
3.
Collaborating and partnering with other faculty development efforts on campus
Methods/Approach:
Step 1: Faculty Development Program was developed by gathering data from faculty, department
chairs, senior administrators, and system/institution policies. Components of the program that have
been developed and implemented include: 1) Appointment of an Associate Dean for Faculty
Development with 10% time allocation; 2) Redesigned BlackBoard Faculty Development Site; 3)
Guidelines, checklists, and training for peer observation for faculty development; 4) Three year faculty
career plans; 5) Teaching Snippets at Faculty Assembly; 6) Updated information and documents on the
SHP Faculty Resources website; 7) Scholarships for faculty to attend the Academy of Master Teachers
Education Symposium
Step 2: Proposal for the Center for Faculty Excellence will be reviewed by the Dean and Department
Chairs in April. This proposal will include the resources needed for a formal center and a timeline for
implementation.
Outcomes and Evaluation:
Short-term evaluation: Feedback from faculty on the implemented components in Step 1 have been
very positive. Other schools at UTMB have used SHP’s peer observation guidelines as a model for
developing their own.
Long-term evaluation will include:
1. Junior faculty members are successful in their teaching (based on quality teaching metrics)
2. Junior faculty members on the tenure track received tenure.
3. Faculty are promoted to the next rank and/or receive tenure
Center for Faculty Excellence
Vicki S. Freeman, Ph.D., MASCP, MLS (ASCP)CM SC, FACB
Associate Dean, School of Health Professions
Chair and Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
Presented at the 2015 ELATE Leaderships Forum
Outcomes
Challenges and Opportunities
• Faculty shortages - the single most important
factor affecting the supply of health professionals
Vision
SHP Center for Faculty Excellence will support the
professional development of faculty across all career stages
in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service.
• SHP faculty come from the professions with little
or no teaching experience
Faculty Tenure Status
Nontenure
track
54%
Faculty Rank
• Faculty feedback has been very positive on
Teaching Snippets, BB site, and Handbook
• Other UTMB components use SHP’s Peer
Observation Guidelines as a model
• Three year career plans used for Self-Studies.
Next Steps
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Y NAME]
[PERCENT
AGE]
[CATEG
ORY
NAME]
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NTAGE]
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• Faculty development programs have a positive
impact on the success of a faculty member in
teaching, scholarship and service
Establish Faculty Development Advisory Committee
↑ AD time allocation for Faculty Development
Collaborate with campus activities
Formalize New Faculty Orientation Program
Develop/Implement Peer Observer training
Develop Mentoring Program
Establish use of Educator Portfolios for APT
Establish Learning Communities
Introduce Research Snippets
Objectives
Long-Term Evaluation
• Develop, promote, and implement initiatives
• Quality faculty hired and retained
• focused on school wide faculty development,
mentoring and succession planning and retention
• Serve as a resource to individual faculty
• Assist with educator portfolios, career plans, peer
observation and teaching evaluation
• Collaborate and partner with other faculty
development efforts on campus
Acknowledgements:
Special Thanks to the Covalent Bonds Learning
Community for their feedback and support
Approach
•
•
•
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Associate Dean (AD) for Faculty Development appointed (10% time allocation)
Faculty Development BlackBoard (BB) Site developed
Three year Faculty Career Plans implemented
Peer Observation implemented with new guidelines and checklists
Teaching Snippets at Faculty Assembly presented
Faculty Handbook Resources Website updated
Faculty Scholarships to attend the AMT Events awarded
• Junior faculty members are successful in their
teaching (based on productivity measures and
quality teaching metrics)
• Faculty
are promoted and/or receive tenure
,
• Innovative curriculums developed
• Graduates are successful in professional career
Collaborators:
Elizabeth Protas, Ph.D., Dean
Chairs Council members
School of Health Professions