How can you tailor faculty development programs for diverse teaching contexts?

1 Identify the context

Before designing or implementing a faculty development program, you need to understand the context in which your faculty members teach. This includes the institutional culture, mission, and goals, the disciplinary norms and expectations, the student population and characteristics, the curriculum and assessment methods, and the available resources and support. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations to gather information about the context and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

2 Define the goals and outcomes

Based on the context analysis, you can define the goals and outcomes of your faculty development program. What do you want your faculty members to learn, do, or change as a result of the program? How will you measure their progress and impact? You can use the SMART framework to make your goals and outcomes specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You can also align your goals and outcomes with the institutional or disciplinary standards and accreditation criteria.

4 Incorporate diversity and inclusion

One of the most important aspects of tailoring your faculty development program for diverse teaching contexts is to incorporate diversity and inclusion principles and practices. This means that you respect and value the diversity of your faculty members and their students, and you create an inclusive and equitable learning environment for them. You can use the UDL framework to design your program for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. You can also use the CIRTL framework to promote culturally responsive teaching and learning.

5 Solicit feedback and improvement

Finally, you need to solicit feedback and improvement for your faculty development program. How will you know if your program is effective, relevant, and satisfying for your faculty members? How will you identify the areas of improvement and make adjustments accordingly? You can use various methods to collect feedback and improvement, such as surveys, quizzes, reflections, portfolios, peer observations, or student evaluations. You can also use the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate your program at four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?