scholarly journals Online Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Professional Development to Support Personal and Professional Academic Growth During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Burleigh ◽  
Patricia B Steele ◽  
Grace Gwitira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Academic Growth ◽  
For Profit

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand what online adjunct faculty value as support services, specifically professional development opportunities, provided by their respective higher education institutions. Method: This qualitative narrative inquiry study centered on exploring perceptions and experiences of online adjunct faculty members from higher education institutions and their experiences and expectations of professional development (PD), prior to and during COVID-19. Results: The study resulted in the identification of possible improvements and enhancements to existing PD content that would further support faculty personal development, mental health, wellbeing, and academic growth. Conclusions: This study reminds us that there are numerous variables, including unforeseen crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that need to be considered when developing, implementing, and presenting PD for online adjunct faculty professional and personal growth. Because faculty want to be listened to and heard, the PD development and implementation process needs to be interactive to support online adjunct faculty, regardless of whether the university is for-profit or not-for-profit. Implication for Practice: The results based on online adjunct faculty experiences could lead to updating professional development opportunities employed in different higher education institutions to promote faculty self-actualization and ultimately, student success.

scholarly journals Faculty Perceptions on Accessibility in Online Learning: Knowledge, Practice and Professional Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thelma C Guilbaud ◽  
Florence Martin ◽  
Xiaoxia Newton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Time Part

This study examined the level of readiness of faculty in designing and delivering accessible online courses to meet the needs of all learners, including students with disabilities. A total of 182 tenured/non-tenured full time, part-time, adjunct and clinical faculty from three public universities of different sizes were surveyed to gauge their awareness, understanding, and practices related to disability laws, quality standards, utilization of tools, and professional development support. Results from the study indicated an uneven level of readiness by faculty regarding online learning accessibility. Results from the study showed that professional development training in online learning had a very significant influence on accessibility knowledge and practice. Also, high perceptions of knowledge for institutional policy and terminology and low perception of accessibility laws and standards were found. It is also found that training on disability-related laws and regulations provided by higher education institutions was insufficient and at times, does not align with the faculty’s schedule. Given the results of the study, it is recommended that higher education institutions reorient their approach to supporting faculty who teach online and develop a comprehensive strategy to reach the goal of helping all students, including students with disabilities, to fully engage online learning. The findings from this study have implications for course development and implementation to support students with disabilities. 

A FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS’ ADAPTATION TO DIFFICULTIES AT HIGH EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-113
Author(s):  
Nailya R. Salikhova ◽  
◽  
Aida R. Fakhrutdinova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Social Community ◽  
Transition To Higher Education ◽  
Study Participants

Data from an empirical study aimed at identifying the difficulties faced by students in their transition to higher education, the overcoming of which is important for personal development, are presented in the article. The study participants (n=179) were asked to describe the difficulties of transition from school to University in the 1st year based on analysis of their autobiographical memory. The content analysis of texts allowed identifying the main themes and compiling a list of challenges, and then the frequency of occurrence of each of them was determined. According to the results, the most actual difficulties are the different aspects of integrating into the new social community due to sharp changes in the social environment during the transition from school to University. A big challenge is the need for self-organization in educational and everyday matters, planning and organizing your time. The third most frequently mentioned is learning difficulties, especially those related to mastering the material in the new educational environment. Problematic areas of adaptation to higher education that have not been previously reflected in the sources are the establishment of a common life in the dormitory, pressure from parents, the manifestation of their individuality, the increase in the length of classes and the pace of learning, romantic relationships and language barriers. The difficulties of the first examination session are much less frequently mentioned, and are more frequently mentioned when examining the current adaptation process. The results of the study can be used for the development and subsequent implementation of a system of practical measures aimed at helping students to adapt to the new environment and conditions. Such assistance to students in building a new way of life at a university, especially at an early stage of study, is necessary not only to improve the effectiveness of the educational process, but also to facilitate the processes of personal growth and development of students

scholarly journals Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Participation in Online Collaborative Research Teams

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Hartman ◽  
Danielle Kearns-Sixsmith ◽  
Patricia Akojie ◽  
Christa Banton
Keyword(s):  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Research Teams ◽  
Organizational Skills ◽  
Part Time Faculty ◽  
Inquiry Approach

Career professionals who serve as adjunct faculty at the university level are expected to engage in continual research and publishing to maintain their status as adjunct (part-time) faculty, to be considered for potential advancement, and to qualify for additional compensation.  One way of meeting this objective is to participate in online collaborative research projects benefiting from a set of multiple lenses, multiple insights, and a multitude of considerations in regard to design, methodology, data interpretations, and broader reaching implications.  A narrative inquiry approach was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of adjunct faculty working in online collaborative research teams. Data was gathered through phone interviews where adjunct faculty shared their personal experiences and reflections about working as collaborative researchers in an online environment. Using an inductive process, themes were drawn from the responses of the participants to address the research question. The dominant themes found were organizational skills, interpersonal skills, and personal growth and development. The results of the study led to recommendations for supporting adjunct faculty in online collaborative research for building a sense of scholarly community and expanding opportunities for personal professional growth.

scholarly journals CAREER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: ROLE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AMONG TEACHERS

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Bhaskar ◽  
Padmalosani Dayalan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Career Growth ◽  
The Impact

This paper aims to highlight the role of continuing education among the teachers of India. The study identifies factors which influence teachers in Higher education institutions (HEI) for continuing education. The paper also explores the impact of continuing education on career growth and development. A systematic survey was conducted among the teachers in Higher education institutions of Uttarakhand, India. Factor analysis is used to identify the important factors that influence teachers to enrol for continuing education. SPSS and AMOS are used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicate that factors like time, financial support, job opportunities, knowledge, skills, and abilities play a detrimental role among teachers for continuing education. This study also reveals that continuing education has a positive impact on career growth and development of teachers. Continuing education helps the teachers to explore better career opportunities, provides job security, salary increment, and promotion which contributes to their professional growth and personality development. Continuing education in teachers demonstrates a significant role in the development of interpersonal skills, technical skills and inculcates self-confidence that contributes to their personal growth. The importance of paper increases amidst the COVID19 pandemic and the launch of the National Education Policy in India, as the paper will provide support to the Higher education institutes and Government to frame policies and strategies to imbibe continuing education as an integral part of the education system. The paper by enumerating its benefits, motivates the teachers to enhance their qualifications and enhance their future prospects.

scholarly journals The reflective information literacy educator

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Whitworth
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Way

The shift in perception, from librarians as providers of information to librarians as educators in the effective use of information, requires the profession to become aware of differing approaches to the development of teaching and of the professional consciousness of educators: also of the way certain forms of teaching and CPD are privileged over others within higher education institutions, and why. This paper reports on and synthesises a range of theoretical works in this area, to explain how becoming an effective information literacy educator requires not just an awareness of practice, but developing it, through a continous interaction between theory and practice. The librarian-as-educator must engage in professional development practices which, ultimately, require the continuous questioning of the very foundations of IL, and work actively towards raising awareness of these processes throughout their institutions.

scholarly journals Peculiarities of the use of volleyball means in groups of sports improvement of students of higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 7-9
Author(s):  
S. Abramov ◽  
D. Tomashevsky
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Motor Activity ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Daily Exercise ◽  
Education Of Students ◽  
And Training

The article considers the peculiarities of the use of volleyball in groups of sports improvement of students of higher education institutions. The current state of physical fitness of student youth is characterized. The need to improve the system of sports training of volleyball students in connection with changes in government, structural, logistical, economic conditions, the need to educate young people in a healthy lifestyle, one of the main factors of which should be daily exercise . It is established that the existing system of physical education of students on the basis of traditional provisions of current organizational and methodological programs does not provide fully effective rehabilitation, education and upbringing of students from the standpoint of conscious mandatory motor activity and personal needs in solving important tasks of personal development. The reforms carried out in the modern system of higher education have deeply affected the physical education of student youth. The most important role in the general and professional development of students of higher education institutions belongs to physical education, both as a discipline and as one of the subsystems of the holistic pedagogical process. One of the ways to solve this problem is to reorient the target programs of different types of physical culture to meet the needs of personal orientations, interests and personal goals of each student, more fully take into account the level of physical development and physical fitness, targeted use of training loads. It is for each of the cultivated types of sports activities in higher education institutions it is necessary to develop a goal, objectives, tools, forms and a comprehensive educational and training complex. This becomes possible only on the basis of the development and application of new educational and training technologies aimed at conscious motor activity of female students of higher education institutions in the chosen sport.

Introducing Educational Technology into the Higher Education Environment

2016 ◽  
pp. 81-91
Author(s):  
Linda Van Ryneveld
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Education System ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Roll Out

Over the past decade or two advancements in educational technology have taken place so swiftly that it threatens to revolutionize the education system. This phenomena seem to drive higher education institutions to respond with costly roll out plans that bring state of the art computing hard- and software, together with other highly specialized educational technologies, to their campuses. The dilemma is that these investments in educational technology are often made in isolation, without consideration for imperative aspects such as professional development. To progress, educators need to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make optimal use of the technology. This can be achieved, among other, by means of well-structured professional development programmes. In this chapter the author explores the role of educational technology in higher education and establishes the need for capacity building by means of carefully designed professional development programmes. It furthermore suggests an alternative professional development framework.

Professor Smith Goes to Washington: Educational Interest Group Lobbying, 1998–2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 448-453
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Marsicano ◽  
Christopher Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Interest Group ◽  
Labor Unions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Lobbying Activity ◽  
Expenditure Data ◽  
K 12

Congressional lobbying by education-related interest groups is an understudied subject in education research. This brief uses congressional lobbying expenditure data from 1998 to 2017 to examine trends in lobbying behavior by labor unions; K–12 education providers; and public, private nonprofit, and for-profit higher education institutions. Education interest groups have spent in excess of $2 billion lobbying Congress since 1998. Higher education institutions represent a disproportionate share of lobbying activity and expenditures, accounting for almost 70% of education-focused interest groups and around 80% of education-related lobbying expenditures. Lobbying expenditures steadily rose until 2011 before rapidly declining. The brief speculates as to the possible reasons for these trends and concludes with a call for greater research on lobbying for education.

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