School of Nursing @ UNC-Chapel Hill

Faculty Development: Overview

Mission

The Faculty Development Steering Committee provides information to and experience for all faculty based on input about faculty needs from multiple sources in the School of Nursing and University.

The mission of the Faculty Development Steering Committee is to promote faculty development in four major domains:

Professional development – an orientation to the academy that includes faculty roles and responsibilities and the values, norms, and expectations of the university; ongoing mentoring and development in clinical and research domains
Instructional development – basic and advanced teacher development through mentoring, peer coaching, teaching improvement workshops and consultations
Leadership development – orientation to leadership roles; the preparation of effective leaders who understand formal and informal leadership styles; ability to use various tools and techniques such as continuous quality improvement, change management, and consensus-building
Organizational development – creating an effective organizational climate that values and rewards education and research, fosters continual learning, commits resources to faculty development programs, and formulates policies and procedures that shape educational excellence and guide faculty behaviors.

This model is based on Wilkerson, L. & Irby, D. (1998). Strategies for improving teaching practices: A comprehensive approach to faculty development. Academic Medicine, 73(4), 387-396.

Philosophy

Our philosophy embraces faculty development as an essential part of the faculty role to support professional advancement, continued intellectual and personal growth, and lifelong learning. The purpose of faculty development is to advance nursing education, research and practice.
The Faculty Development Steering Committee (FDSC) holds the view that faculty development is one of the most critical functions of the University and is directly linked to the successful accomplishment of its visions and mission. The strength of the School of Nursing community relies on addressing its individual members’ needs. The Committee has adopted a model developed by Wilkerson and Irby (1998) that addresses four areas of faculty development: professional pursuits, instruction, leadership, and organization. Every faculty member has an on-going need for development that may be unique or shared with peers. The committee believes that a faculty development program can only succeed in an environment in which it is valued, planned for, and rewarded with incentives and recognition.

History

The Faculty Development Steering Committee (FDSC) was established in 2002 after the Faculty Development Task Force, commissioned by the Faculty Executive Committee, developed and presented a need for a formal and ongoing faculty development program in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing. The Task Force met seven times and identified resources both in and outside of the School and the University. A needs assessment of the faculty in the School of Nursing was conducted. The findings of the needs assessment and the work of the task force were discussed at a Faculty meeting in April 2002, during which seven recommendations were made. These included establishing a formal faculty development program, establishing a faculty steering committee, designating administrative responsibility for faculty development, setting up a formal evaluation plan for faculty development, documenting the program, establishing a mentoring program within the school, and charging the administration with a staff development plan. The FDSC meets monthly to discuss the ongoing program and also provides the school and its constituents with a bi-monthly faculty development program. The committee membership represents various faculty tracks and ranks and has representation from Information and Instructional Technologies (IIT) and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).