Transcript Training Presentation

Faculty Development
Programmes
Accra, Ghana
November, 2008
The Experience of the
University of the West Indies
Presented by:
Marlene Hamilton
Professor Emerita
© November 2008
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• UWI committed to sharing best
practices, especially where this involves
South/South partnerships
• We have much to learn from each other
in key areas, e.g. Staff Development,
particular so for young scholars: catch
them when they are fresh and anxious to
make a difference.
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Introducing the UWI
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Introduction Cont’d
• Serves 15 Countries of the English
Speaking Caribbean
• Founded in 1948 as a College of the
University of London (UCWI)
• First Campus established at Mona,
Jamaica
• First Faculty – Medicine (33
students)
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Introduction Cont’d
• Second Campus established in Trinidad &
Tobago in 1960 (St Augustine)
• Third Campus established in Barbados in
1963 (Cave Hill)
• Student body – currently over 40,000
• Gender composition – 80% Female,
20% Male
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The Academic Programme
• Faculties – Education & Humanities;
Engineering, Law, Medical Sciences,
Pure & Applied Sciences & Agriculture,
Social Sciences
• Professional Institutes & Research
Centres (Tropical Medicine, Business,
Nuclear & Applied Sciences, Criminal
Justice etc.)
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Staff Composition
• 1544 full-time (all categories)
• 56% male, 44% female
• Academic staff breakdown
• Professorial
• Senior Lecturer
• Lecturer
• Other
11%
20%
50%
19%
• Nearly 80% Caribbean nationals
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT
The Early Days (pre–1990)
• Academic qualifications the only concern
(promotion based on R&P), despite complaints
about issues such as quality of teaching,
attention to students’ needs, etc.
− Suggestion that faculty should be required
to complete DipEd (or set of related
courses) strongly resisted by existing staff
− Orientation for “new” recruits introduced,
but not particularly successful
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School of Education Initiatives
(early 1990s)
• Increased demands from students for improved
teaching and assessment practices (plus
evidentiary input from research findings)
prompted action
• Training Committee set up in School of
Education
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School of Education Initiatives
(early 1990s) Cont’d
• Three-year link established with University of
Surrey under CHICHE Link funded by the British
Council to allow for exchange of visits to
observe and strengthen activities related to
staff development
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Institutional Developments
(from 1992)
• Staff Development Units established in 1992 on
each campus to build on the Education
initiative.
• Arose because of the UWI’s intention to
formalize evaluation of faculty for judicial
purposes. Counter-argument called for
diagnostic measures to be in place before the
introduction of judicial considerations.
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Institutional Developments
(from 1992) Cont’d
• Main Objectives: To develop skills in teaching
and the assessment of learning; To develop a
personal philosophy of teaching and learning in
faculty.
• 1996 Commission on Governance placed
centralized role re policy governing staff
development under the Board for
Undergraduate Studies. Name changed to
Instructional Development Units to better
capture intent.
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Institutional Developments
(from 1992) Cont’d
• Staff development and the importance of
teaching and learning reflected in UWI’s last
two Strategic Plans.
• Current Strategic Plan (1997-2012) for
example, has the theme, “Teaching and
Learning” – quality of teaching measured by
proportion of teaching staff certified and
proportion participating in training.
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Some Activities of the IDUs
(to present)
• Annual Teaching Skills workshop
• Methodology Workshop (topics including
“Teaching Large Groups”, “Active Learning”,
“How Students Learn”, Feedback - Giving and
Receiving”)
• Course Design workshop
• Role of Academic Advisors workshop
• Assessment methodology
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Some Activities of the IDUs
(to present) Cont’d
• Specific requests from departments for
assistance (e.g. “Making Chemistry
meaningful to students”); also to public
bodies
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Some Activities of the IDUs
(to present) Cont’d
• Programme Development – developing
postgraduate programmes to address tertiarylevel teaching and learning (PG Diploma in
Tertiary Level Teaching & Learning leading
on to a master’s degree with further study in
the area; also a Certificate programme
specifically designed for UWI faculty in
Teaching & Learning )
(in response to Strategic Plan)
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Some Activities of the IDUs
(to present) Cont’d
• SoTL Programme (Scholarship of Teaching &
Learning). Core group of faculty who have
shown interest and dedication to improve their
practice meeting twice per semester to
present special workshops showcasing best
practices. Open to university community
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Different Approaches
• Rewards
• Staff Development, Fellowships and
Scholarships
• Study Leave
• Book Grant
• Special Programmes for Women
Academics
• Mentorship and Leadership
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REWARDS
• Vice Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence based on the philosophy that UWI’s ability to
achieve its Mission is dependent on the
performance of faculty and students. Eight
awards annually (US$5,000 each) in set
categories including “Outstanding Teacher”,
“Outstanding Researcher” and service
components
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REWARDS Cont’d
• UWI/Guardian Life Premium Teaching
Awards – to recognize outstanding teaching
accomplishments; exclusively for teaching and
all relevant aspects that help create an
environment in which teaching is valued and
fostered.
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REWARDS Cont’d
• Principal’s Research Awards
• “60 Under 60”- special publication in
recognition of UWI’s 60th Anniversary
• Faculty/Departmental Awards
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT
SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS
• ACU scholarships & fellowships
• ACU Titular Fellowships (tenable in the UK,
Canada)
• Chevening Scholarships (for Master’s in HR
Management offered by Westminster
University, UK)
• Commonwealth Split-Site scholarships for
doctoral studies
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT
SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS Cont’d
• Fulbright-LASPAU (specifically for
beginning/mid-career academics)
• Campus fellowships
• Special departmental strengthening awards
(e.g. Faculty of Social Sciences arrangement
with Ohio State U to train graduates from their
Master’s programme to the PhD level). At that
time, training not available in the field at UWI.
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STUDY LEAVE
• Based on the premise that faculty require
leave to update their information base and
other skills
• Study Leave (an entitlement – 3 months every
three years)
• Annual Study & Travel Grant
• Sabbatical (every 8-10 years, depending on
ranking)
• Assisted/Fellowship Leave
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BOOK GRANT
• Permits journal subscriptions, purchase of
books, etc. for self-development
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THE SPECIAL CASE OF WOMEN ACADEMICS
• More female graduates, and with better
degrees, yet, fewer females on staff, and
generally in lower categories (Assistant
Lecturer, Lecturer)
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THE SPECIAL CASE OF WOMEN ACADEMICS
Cont’d
• “Old Boys’ network” evident, so appropriate
role models, networking very important for
women. Being addressed formally through
the Centre for Gender and Development
Studies, and informally through senior
women acting as mentors to young staff
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THE SPECIAL CASE OF WOMEN ACADEMICS
Cont’d
• Special programmes such as the ACU’s
“Women and Management in Higher
Education” to develop leadership skills in
middle-level female academics.
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MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP
• Importance long recognized, but mainly
practiced in an informal context
• General statement now in university policy
documents such as “the role of Heads of
Department and Deans in the development of
young staff”; “the role of supervising
professors of postgraduate students”
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MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP Cont’d
• Growing awareness that this was needed at a
much earlier stage (i.e. for students –
undergraduate and graduate, since a sizeable
number join the faculty upon graduation each
year)
• Decision taken in 1992 to introduce Mentorship
and Leadership programmes for students.
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MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP
Cont’d
• Both very successful and programmes have
grown tremendously on the three campuses as
part of the student development thrust
• Spin-offs; other institutions have adopted the
programmes (particularly mentorship) and a
form now being used with staff.
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MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP
Cont’d
• No secret to the overwhelming success of
these programmes; rather, they represent a
reaffirmation of some of the important
foundations of higher education.
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− Keep things simple when starting out
− Above all, be prepared to be flexible
Thank you.
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