Importance and Perception of the Character Strengths Scale: psychometric evidence in professors

This study aimed at presenting the development and psychometric evidence of the Importance and Perception of Character Strengths Scale (IPCSS)-Professor Version. Two quantitative studies were conducted. In Study 1 the respondents were 214 college professors (mean age = 39.21; SD = 9.77; 55.6 % females), who answered the IPCSS-Professor and sociodemographic questions. Exploratory analysis suggested a one-factor structure for both subscales. Respondents in Study 2 were 262 college professors (mean age = 41.80; SD = 9.81; 50.8 % male). Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the adequacy of the six-factor structure theoretically proposed for both subscales after comparison with the alternative single-factor model. The IPCSS-Professor presented satisfactory reliability indexes and it is applicable for teachers of different sectors in order to understand their character strengths.

Research on College Professors’ Perception of Classroom Disability Support Services in South Korea

The present study is designed to examine college professors’ perception of classroom disability support services. A survey questionnaire was developed to measure college professors’ perception of three areas including: 1) expanding higher education opportunities for students with disabilities, 2) types of classroom disability support services, and 3) barriers in providing services, and implemented with eighty-two college professors. Overall, results indicate that college professors are permissive in providing disability-related classroom support, although they showed differences in terms of the type and scope of service depending on the nature of the discipline. To improve college disability support service in South Korea, the present study suggests to increase educational opportunities such as booklets, guidelines, and training workshop, specifically designed for college professors who are not familiar with classroom disability support services.

College Professors Turning Chaos Into Collegial Collaboration

This chapter discusses some challenges two faculty members faced after an abrupt shift to online learning during the pandemic of COVID-19. It also identifies opportunities that arose through their collegial collaboration to help students make a smooth transition to the remote learning setting. The two professors reflected on experiential strategies over varied topics including course design, student engagement and empowerment, and socioemotional support needed by both students and instructors in the process of collaboration and mutual mentoring. These discussions are documented over nine months in the form of conversations as the pandemic is stretching over two semesters. It illustrates the importance of collegial collaboration for promoting professional growth and personal wellbeing of both students and professors during times of crisis and chaos.