How can you balance faculty development with institutional priorities?

In current times of rapid change, it is absolutely essential that faculty development is an institutional priority and connected with the other priorities. In my point of view, the strategy should include 3 fronts: i) mandatory training for the success of the institution must be funded and induced by the administration, being part of the performance assessment; ii) training related to the faculty area should be encouraged as a personal lifelong learning process and partially financed by the institution. In any case, they must count in the faculty's evaluation; iii) training of interest to the faculty should be their responsibility, but encouraged and valued in performance evaluation. It is an approach of commitment and mutual results.

Cascading strategies and aligning faculties according to my experience doesn't work for universities. We always need a mixture of top down and bottom up. For instance the instrument of performance/target agreements allows to define institutional objectives and encourage faculties to develop their strategies at the same time. Faculty strategies should not contradict the institutional objectives, but they could find their own priorities and should be able to integrate their specific goals. This creates motivation and mutual trust.

My experience with Universities both State and Central for more than thirty five years tells me Institutional priorities need to be attended for the safety of students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff for the approvals of higher authorities, next we have to recruit permanent staff for the smooth running. The trend now is running the Institute or a University with ad hoc faculty including the statutory positions. It will collapse the entire system of education.

De fato o professor deve estar alinhado com a institui??o onde ministra suas aulas. Ele é o porta voz da institui??o para o corpo discente.

Professional development is necessary if faculty are to improve teaching and stay on top of current trends in teaching as well as developments within their disciplines. Good teaching and engaged faculty can increase student success and retention. It should be a priority in both funding and strategic goal-setting.

O trabalho em equipe entre os membros do corpo docente da institui??o de ensino superior, aumenta a motiva??o e o sentido de pertencimento .

Ce discours est politiquement correct et parfaitement creux. Tout ceci donne l'impression du sens sans en avoir aucun. Belles structures ternaires, mais aucun vécu.

Faculty members are used to being experts in their field. Anything that smells like a top down approach will not be very well received. Having them transform the institutional main idea into their discipline-based goal is key.

Empower faculty members not just as participants but as co-creators of development programs. Encourage them to take the lead in designing and delivering initiatives that reflect their expertise, passions, and the specific needs of their disciplines, fostering a culture of innovation and ownership.

Involved and empowered members are more creative and cooperative. By involving others, you are sharing the responsibilities with them, they are part of goal setting and future decisions. This brings creativity, less confusion and better commitment to achieve the overall instructional goals.

O desenvolvimento do corpo docente pode ser feito de muitas maneiras, tais como reuni?es de planejamento, workshops, seminários, mentorias.

Bla, bla, bla... Tout ceci démontre une absence abyssale de connaissance du contexte. Le corps professoral fran?ais cro?le sous le nombre d'heures et de taches.

Embrace unconventional formats and methodologies for faculty development that spark engagement and foster creativity. Experiment with immersive experiences, gamification, interdisciplinary collaborations, or even artistic expression to ignite inspiration and drive transformative learning outcomes.

Simply, using tools for the innovation has been the best way to figure out the source. By using a variety of tools and methods, we can accommodate different learning styles, preferences, and needs of your faculty, and provide them with multiple opportunities to learn, practice, and demonstrate their competencies.

O corpo docente deve ser incentivado a se desenvolver internamente e para isso é fundamental um plano de carreira, que valorize a equipe, recompensando os esfor?os individuais.

Franchement, on appelle ceci un article?! La recherche et le journalisme, c'est des heures de travail, du vécu, des émotions, du nouveau! Rien de ceci dans cet "article ". Cette contribution de l'IA me fait fortement penser aux manuels de montage des meubles IKEA...

Go beyond conventional evaluation metrics and embed faculty development outcomes into a broader framework of holistic assessment. Recognize and celebrate growth in areas such as community engagement, ethical leadership, or global citizenship, reflecting the institution's commitment to nurturing well-rounded scholars and citizens.

Hoje sabemos que dados s?o uma mina de ouro e o monitoramento constante do corpo docente resulta em impacto positivo para a institui??o de ensino, que terá sempre uma equipe de ponta.

In my experiences, the most important criteria of development for a faculty is a fit measurement management framework. This includes but not limits to data collecting, data analization, activities monitoring and assessing, and the alignment with strategic goals and the related organizational components. The output results of the whole process might be a new working culture applying for the faculty in special and the whole organization in general, or a selection process of best alignment values and people, which could sometimes not satisfy all parties’ rights. That’s why the process should never been enacted by one individual, but a board of both independent and organizational staffs and managers. This ensure the objectivity of the process.

The key word here is 'Balance' which means differently to each faculty in relation to one's years of experience, specialization and commitments. Of course, in any case, institution must be kept in priority. It has been seen that faculty development happens on such an exaggerated and acute note that sometime it becomes difficult for institutions to run even with basic norms. Once started, then faculty development clouds over the institution and latter seems to lost the tract for which it has been created. In the nutshell, administration must train the faculty for this 'balancing' insight by providing the number of expected milestones supposed to be covered and their position in respect to them.

Higher education institutions may consider to partner with startup accelerators also as a way to boost faculty development efforts. Some strategies that are worth to consider: - Faculty can be engaged to select or evaluate startups. This can be effective both because it can ensure that startups are working on problems that are aligned with what faculty members experience and also because it is a way for faculty to be exposure to innovation. - Faculty can be engaged to propose new ideas for startup developments as a way to boost entrepreneurship in academia and for them to get to know more about how solutions and business should be designed to maximise outcomes (commercial and learning)

Cultivate strategic alliances and partnerships not just locally but globally to enrich faculty development offerings. Collaborate with international institutions, industry leaders, or community organizations to infuse cross-cultural perspectives, cutting-edge practices, and diverse learning opportunities into your programs.

Without being too contrarian, why does faculty development need to be "balanced" with institutional priorities? Why not make faculty development an institutional priority? Make this part of the strategy for research, learning, and student success. Then enlist key partners like the library, center for teaching and learning, and centers for advising, writing, data analysis, experiential learning, service learning, leadership and more. Help faculty understand where they are, learn best-practices, build skills, and showcase their work. Mix scales and formats and develop communities of practice where faculty can learn from and with each other.

O desenvolvimento do corpo docente precisa ser uma das prioridades institucionais e requer uma abordagem estratégica. Isso pode ser alcan?ado através de planos de desenvolvimento profissional individualizado que estejam alinhados com os objetivos e valores da institui??o e do próprio docente, e é necessário garantir tempo e recursos adequados. A comunica??o aberta e colaborativa entre a gest?o e o corpo docente também s?o fundamentais para garantir que as prioridades individuais e institucionais estejam alinhadas.

In my experience is important to recognize that faculty members have diverse interests, expertise, and career goals. Provide flexibility in faculty development programming to accommodate individual needs and preferences. Finally, assess regularly the effectiveness of faculty development programs and initiatives in achieving institutional goals. Use quantitative and qualitative data (participant feedback, student outcomes, and faculty productivity). Foster a culture that values and supports ongoing professional development among faculty members. Encourage lifelong learning, scholarship, and reflective practice as integral components of faculty roles and responsibilities.

All those six ideas are great as they provide a flexible approach to faculty development. However: all those wonderful action verbs have no subject! Who is going to overview this important area? Any department could use 1-2 full-time professionals who are focused on this long-term and support the entire faculty on their development journey. They would curate a list of professional events pertinent to the faculty, a list of useful resources, they’d be able to signpost best approaches to a particular issue/ topic, organise internal workshops, etc.

Balancing faculty development with institutional, local authority, and central government priorities in the Scottish educational context requires alignment of goals and collaboration. This can be achieved by incorporating government initiatives into faculty training programs, addressing local authority needs through targeted professional development, and ensuring institutional priorities are met through flexible training approaches tailored to specific goals and challenges. Regular communication and feedback loops among stakeholders are crucial for maintaining this balance and ensuring that faculty development efforts contribute effectively to broader educational objectives.