Promoting Positive Social

Change in Higher Education

Lilisa J. Williams
ID # A00582604
lilisa.williams@waldenu.edu

Program: Ph.D. in Education

Specialization: Organizational Research, Assessment and Evaluation
EDUC 8020: A New Vision of Organizational Research, Assessment, and Evaluation
Dr. Bonnie Mullinix
bonnie.mullinix@waldenu.edu
Due date: May 8, 2016

Promoting Positive Social Change in

Higher Education

Today, higher education is challenged with demonstrating accountability,

assessment and evaluation of its programs and training initiatives. This challenge
however, opens new doors for professionals in the field of ORAE. This short
presentation will discuss several professional development programs that would
benefit from a formal evaluation. These professional development program
contribute to the wider picture of Social Change in higher education.

Research shows that program evaluation is key to establishing the effectiveness

on a formal training program (Yarbrough, Shulha, Hopson, & Caruthers, 2011).

This short presentation discusses insights, actions, strategies, ideas and

opportunities for making improvements in higher education through the use of
professional development programs.

Insights, Strategies, Actions, Ideas and Opportunities

Faculty Learning Communities

There are over 79% of courses within the US taught by part time or non-tenure
track faculty (Bond, 2015).

This statistic suggest a major challenge and benefit for the training of educators
to ensure they have the skill sets to meet and improve student learning.

Many policy makers are able to save budgets by hiring less full-time faculty
(Bond, 2015).

Professional development is a popular activity used to improve the skills of

faculty in educational environments.

This is a great opportunity for evaluators to work with stakeholders within the
institution to assess challenges and make recommendations for improvements
and suggestions for more program development (Smith, Brandon, Hwalek, Kistler,
Labin, . . . . . Yarnall, 2011).

Insights, Strategies, Actions, Ideas and Opportunities

Faculty Development and New Teaching Approaches

Faculty development programs are one way to improve the teaching strategies of faculty at colleges and universities (Gunersel, & Mary, 2014).

The faculty development program evaluated in the Gunersel and Mary (2014) study found that instructors in the program shifted their focus from a teacher
centered approach to a more student centered approach.
Evaluators can conduct further research and report their findings so that practitioners in the field can find their studies and use them to make better decisions
about which faculty training programs will positively impact student success.

Insights, Strategies, Actions, Ideas and Opportunities

Professional Learning Group

Professional learning groups are on the increase (Holm, and Kajander). A simple library inquiry produces multiple reports.

Effective professional development groups are a possible way to help to create changes and improvements in the teaching practices of math teachers (Holm, and
Kajander).

This evaluation is another demonstration suggesting the use of professional development to make changes that could lead to improved program outcomes.

Rationale for Faculty Development Program Implementation

and Evaluation

A key contextual factor in each of the previously mentioned studies included teachers and/or faculty in a college or university setting (Bond, 2015; Gunersel &
Etienne, 2014; and Holm & Kajander 2015).
Evaluators could see growth in the profession to handle the amount of professional development programs nationally and internationally (Smith, Brandon, Hwalek,
Kistler, Labin, . . . . . Yarnall, 2011).

References
Bond, N. (2015). Developing a faculty learning community for non-tenure track
professors. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(4). Retrieved from the Walden
University Library databases.
Gunersel, A. B., Etienne, M. (2014). The impact of a faculty training program on teaching
conceptions and strategies. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education, 26(3). Retrieved from the Walden University Library databases.
Holm, J. & Kajander, A. (2015). Lessons learned about effective professional development:
Two contrasting case studies. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science
and Technology, 3(4), 262-274. Retrieved from the Walden University Library databases.
Smith, N.L., Brandon, P.R., Hwalek, M., Kistler, S.J., Labin, S.N., Yarnall, L. (2011). Looking
ahead: The future of evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 32(4), 565-599. Retrieved
from Walden University Library databases
Yarbrough, D. B., Shulha, L.M., Hopson, R.K., & Caruthers, F.A. (2011). The program
evaluation standards: A guide for evaluators and evaluation users (3rd ed.). Thousand
CA:SAGE

Oaks,