CHAPTER 18: Creating a Holistic Faculty Development Program

Colleges and universities have a long-standing commitment to faculty who are experts in their discipline. Before the 1960s, colleges and universities did not have well defined faculty professional development programs, and faculty were responsible for their own skill enhancement (Centra, 1985). Starting in the 1970s, more formalized faculty development in the area of pedagogical improvement began to emerge, and structures for centers arose in the 1980s (Gaff & Simpson, 1994; Hubbard & Atkins, 1995; Ouellett, 2010b). By the mid-1990s, faculty development programs were widespread, and the majority of research institutions had events for faculty to improve their teaching. Currently, as a result of calls for quality from the public and accrediting bodies, faculty development programs often occupy a prominent place within colleges and universities (Crawley, 1995; Schroeder, 2011).