A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EVALUATION PRACTICES OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The primary purpose of this study was to identify and compare evaluation practices for faculty development programs in California public institutions of higher education. A secondary purpose was to suggest standards for establishing evaluation plans and procedures for faculty development programs. The data were collected in three parts: during a telephone survey, a mailed questionnaire phase and a telephone interview. The data were analyzed descriptively and analytically to answer the following question: How is faculty development evaluated in the California public institutions of higher education?

The subquestions to be answered were: (1) Do the institutions have a faculty development program? (2) Have they established systematic evaluation procedures? (3) How are the results of the evaluation used? (4) What kinds of evaluation practices are preferred?

From the analysis of the data, the following findings were made: (1) There is no one model for faculty development program evaluation. (2) The three types of colleges and universities reflect their mission as outlined in the California Master Plan in dealing with faculty development program evaluation. (3) Most institutions which indicate that they have a program, include a series of loosely connected activities with an informal evaluation plan attached. (4) Faculty development programs in California currently are not directly related to institutional goals and objectives.

On the basis of the findings, three recommendations are made: (1) Board policy, administration commitment and faculty involvement are necessary to integrate faculty development and institutional goals. (2) Faculty development program evaluation needs to be designed for the particular program within the institution. (3) Faculty development program evaluation should encompass a variety of evaluation measures depending on the intent of the program.