Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 5 of The Illinois Commitment
Instructional Development Center Programming
Heartland Community College
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
HCC employs a significant number of new or newer adjunct instructors. While these instructors are most often
well versed in their given field, they may not be well versed in teaching. Further, even those with teaching
experience may not have community college teaching experience. Finally, even among faculty with teaching
experience, some may not know the norms, values and expectations of teaching at HCC. Also, even experienced
HCC faculty may not be up to date about recent best practices or pedagogy in higher education. Consequently,
both new and experienced faculty at HCC need a place where they can become familiar with higher education
and HCC generally, and where they can explore teaching and learning issues more specifically.
Description of the effective practice:
The Instructional Development Center (IDC) at HCC provides structured programming through workshops,
brownbag discussions, and orientation sessions through which newer faculty can become familiar with the
issues of good teaching and learning in higher education. Program topics include grading, assessment,
classroom techniques, course management systems, on-line teaching and learning, the scholarship of teaching
and learning, diversity, disability and student learning styles. In sum, the programming attempts to create within
faculty a greater awareness of themselves, of their students, of good teaching practices, of appropriate resources,
and of good assessment practices.
The IDC also provides a space for faculty to come and discuss their problems, issues or concerns about teaching
and learning with both administrative staff and other faculty. These interactions help with the general
orientation process and with more specific pedagogical practices. Also, the IDC offers one-on-one work with
faculty so that the techniques learned in workshops can be extended and applied to course and classroom
situations.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
A full-time administrative director, assisted by support staff and a faculty advisory committee, is responsible for
ascertaining faculty needs and wants, for delivering appropriate programming based on those needs and wants,
and for developing spaces and opportunities where faculty can interact about those needs and wants. Instructors
are recruited to assist with presentations and other functions and to host informal discussions. Also, one of the
college’s AQIP projects is to develop a six week, twelve hour orientation, training and discussion class for new
adjunct faculty. This voluntary pilot class will introduce instructors to HCC, will show them what their new
HCC colleagues are doing in the classroom and why, and will give them a place to discuss their HCC teaching
experiences with peers.
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
For FY2006, approximately 50% of HCC’s full time faculty experienced IDC programming of one type or
another as did about 15% of our adjunct faculty. In terms of participant satisfaction with this programming,
surveys indicated that faculty attending workshops learned something new (mean of 4.1 on a 5.0 scale) and
would recommend the workshops to their colleagues (mean of 4.6 on a 5.0 scale). Anecdotal evidence suggests
that faculty are using some of the tips and techniques they have learned in their course activities and that they
are thinking in terms of student learning outcomes as they develop their courses. The faculty academy pilot
program will start Fall 2006 and will be formally evaluated.
Contact Information
Name: Paul J. Folger
Email: paul.folger@heartland.edu
Phone: (309) 268-8414
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