Faculty development toward a learning college: Peer mentoring and critical reflection on learner-centered teaching techniques

This action science-based research study explores peer mentoring in higher education as a solution for faculty development toward a learning college. It describes a field research project launched at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California by three faculty who experimented with a teaching technique unfamiliar to them. The purpose of the research is to examine peer mentoring as a method to assist faculty in the understanding of learner-centered instructional strategies to improve student learning. The discussion covers relevant literature on learning colleges and organizations, mentoring, critical reflection, double-loop learning, problem-based learning, action science-based research, and faculty development. The following significant results were identified in a quantitative research study on student learning: (a) students are more likely to achieve course objectives in a problem-based class; (b) all learning styles had significant increase in learning with problem-based learning; and (c) students are more likely to be actively involved in their own learning in a problem-based class. The qualitative data collected from participating faculty found that: (a) problem-based learning made a substantial impact on student learning; (b) the trade-off of losing some lecture time to facilitate a problem-based activity was worth it; (c) student learning outcomes should be closely tied to the problem-based activity; (d) problem-based techniques and other learner-centered techniques are valuable and worth investing time to learn; and (e) faculty need to continue to learn from other faculty.