*This section features summaries of recently published scholarship within the domain of faculty teaching, evaluation, and development, with the intention of sharing potentially interesting scholarship with SIG members
Capofari, M., Cruz, L., Dawson, R., Friant, S., Hood, L.,& Smith, A. (2023). Course design unbundled: A trauma-informed modality of faculty development. The Journal of Faculty Development, 37(3),72-75.
This article explored one center’s efforts to remove some of the structures and barriers around course design to give faculty more individual time and attention in the course design process. I read this article with my team as one lens through which we evaluated our own course design work. We found it to be useful both for the new original content as well as for the literature review which pointed us to some studies we had not yet reviewed. Those in faculty development work will want to read this article. -Contributed by Ted Murcray
Gansemer-Topf, A. M., Mendee, A., Liang, Y., Kensington-Miller, B.,& Alqahtani, N. (2023). SoTL support at the “best” undergraduate teaching institutions. Innovative Higher Education, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09657-6
This ambitious, multi-institutional study examines how the promotion policies at 78 U.S. universities ranked as the “best” at teaching value the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). The link between high quality teaching and engagement in SoTL is frequently asserted but notoriously difficult to prove and this project endeavors to close the gap. The findings, however, are somewhat ambiguous, suggesting that there may be a number of mitigating factors at work. The piece should be of interest not only to those who study SoTL but also organizational culture, leadership, and HEI policy. -Contributed by Laura Cruz
Herbert, M.J., Clinton-Lisell, V., & Stupnisky, R. H. (2023). Faculty motivation for OER textbook adoption and future use. Innovative Higher Education, 48(2),371-388.
My institution is looking at Open Educational Resources (OERs) as a means to support our increasingly diverse student population. This article explores the motivations behind faculty decisions to adopt OERs in the classroom. Using structural equation modeling, this study measured responses from more than 400 respondents. Self-determination theory was the theoretical framework, and the study found that faculty who were autonomously motivated was the strongest predictor of current or future OER use. Those who study faculty motivation or those who do faculty development work will be interested in these findings and their applications. Faculty members need help knowing more about OERs, how to find them, how to determine their quality, and how to implement them well. -Contributed by Ted Murcray
If you’ve read a good article, book, blog post, or other scholarly medium lately, we would love to feature a synopsis (100 words or less) in the newsletter. To submit your suggestion for consideration, please send an email to lxc601@psu.edu..