| The purpose of this research was to identify issues relating to the design of postsecondary staff development and the results of the implemented processes within sixteen Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) institutions. This research examined theoretical frameworks for continuous professional development and utilized a web survey to gather data about opportunities for professional development, content of professional development, and perceptions about change in teaching performance.;A total of 522 WTCS faculty/staff and 34 WTCS staff development coordinators participated. More than half of participating institutions have centralized staff development units with dedicated staff. The majority of faculty respondents were full-time faculty. Participating faculty were largely from the WTCS instructional certification areas of general education, business, health, and technical. Less than one-fourth of faculty respondents were members of the Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education and only 18.3% attended the 2006 WACTE state conference.;Results showed that staff development coordinators believed that the primary goals of faculty development programs focused on responding to and supporting individual faculty members' goals for professional development, responding to critical needs as defined by the institution, and creating or sustaining a culture of teaching excellence. Faculty perceived the purposes of staff development were to advance new initiatives in teaching and learning, to create or sustain a culture of teaching excellence, and to respond to and support individual faculty members' goals. The primary influences on staff development goals were the priorities of senior-level institutional leaders, immediate organizational issues/concerns/problems, and faculty interests and concerns.;Staff developers believed that key development issues were integrating technology into teaching and learning, assessment of student outcomes, teaching for student-centered learning, and teaching underprepared learners. Conversely, faculty members perceived that important development issues included teaching adult learners, integrating technology, and active/inquiry-based or problem-based learning.;The results of this study indicated that development topics offered by most of the WTCS staff developers were assessment of student learning, integrating technology, and teaching in online and distance environments. The majority of faculty members were participating in topics relating to integrating technology, assessing student learning, and teaching in online and distance environments as part of faculty in-service, workshops, and through mentoring/peer support. Faculty felt that the topics that had the greatest impact on their teaching practice were integrating technology, assessing student learning, teaching in online and distance environments, and teaching for student-centered learning.;Staff development coordinators believed that future faculty development priorities should include faculty and departmental entrepreneurship, community-based research, balancing multiple faculty roles, and ethical conduct of faculty work. Both response groups reported that the greatest challenge facing faculty in the WTCS is teaching underprepared learners. According to participating faculty, other challenges include teaching in online and distance environments and the shifting characteristics of learners. For professional development in the next few years, WTCS faculty members wanted to work on integrating technology, teaching in online and distance environments, teaching underprepared learners, and assessment of student learning and they preferred that those topics be delivered as workshop, faculty in-service, mentoring/peer support, and certification course for university credit (face-to-face) formats. |
