FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

AND CHANGE

A Report

In Partial Fulfillment

For the Requirements in

Curriculum Development in Nursing

Ateneo De Davao University

Graduate School

Master in Nursing Program

MARINELLA SIMON DEFENSOR

GRANT JOSEPH GARCES

OBJECTIVE: AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, READERS
WILL BE ABLE TO:

1. DISCUSS FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

2. EXPLAIN WHY THE TEACHER IS A KEY FIGURE IN

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT.

3. ENUMERATE DIFFERENT WAYS BY WHICH

TEACHERS MAY BE HELPED TO GROW
PROFESSIONALLY.
 Introduction

Beginning in 1960’s and continuing to date, a major role of teacher’s is to

implement new curricula. With this development emphasis, Faculty development has
become more closely tied to curriculum development thus faculty development represents
a direct link between curriculum development and classroom delivery. Experiences were
formulated to produce a minimally able teacher or to correct deficiencies in the teacher’s
collection of behaviours. New programs demand new skill.

Many questions were raised like why is the teacher a key figure in curriculum
development? Simply because a) the teacher occupies the centre stage in imparting
earning b) Through his hands pass all the future citizens of the country c) He is the
moulder of the citizens of tomorrow including the future leaders of the nation. But before
assuming any teaching job, a teacher must have completed a pre service education or
teaching course. Many changes are taking place in the field of education and so the
teacher must grow professionally while in the service to be able to follow the modern
educational trends. This is to maintain his teaching proficiency. Now the question is what
aid teachers to enrich their professional growth, the answer is faculty development.
Faculty Development for Curriculum Development

Faculty is the key players in the curriculum development and implementation

processes: in decisions to be made, in committee work to be accomplished, and in
teaching according to the tenets of a new or revised curriculum. The success of
curriculum change is largely dependent upon a knowledge able and willing faculty.

Stakeholders such as clinicians, students and administrators, who are part of the
curriculum development process, should be included in faculty development activities.
Participation in these learning opportunities will expand stakeholder’s knowledge and
skills about curriculum processes and strengthen their connection with school of nursing.

What is ‘Faculty Development’?

Faculty development can be conceived of as “the theory and practice of

facilitating improved faculty performance in a variety of domains” (Halliburton,
Marincovich & Svinicki, 1988, p.291). These domains have been personal, professional,
instructional and organizational development.

With a more specific focus on nurse educators, faculty development is defined as

a “resocialization for faculty into educative process that are liberating for both the
educator and student”(Rush, Oullet, &Wasson, 1991, p.123)

Faculty development related to curriculum change is more extensive. It addresses

all aspects of the curriculum development process, as well as specific teaching methods,
styles, and relationships with critical experts, students and colleagues.

Faculty development is intended to enhance knowledge and skills. It should

evolve naturally as part of the curriculum development process and be congruent with the
institutional philosophy, considerate of faculty needs, and supported by administrators
and resources.

Where does the Responsibility Lie?

The school of nursing dean or director has the responsibility to invest in and
support the development of faculty in order to minimize knowledge gaps in curriculum
development, teaching and research. Administrators act as change agents because of their
formal leadership positions as deans and directors. They are the primary force in
initiating change and assisting faculty in their development.(Smolen, 1996)

Identification of specific faculty development needs can be undertaken by the

curriculum leader, a committee or by individual faculty members. It is the responsibility
of faculty members to attend faculty development activities, be open to new ideas,
participate fully and commit to employing new knowledge, skills and perspectives as
they develop and implement the curriculum.

Need for faculty development

Curriculum development and ultimately implementation of new curriculum, is an

example of planned change: from familiar curriculum to one that is initially undefined.
Faculty members extensive involvement in curriculum development, implementation
plans, and opportunities to introduce aspects of the new curriculum into the current one,
the change to new curriculum might be expected to occur easily and with full faculty
support.

Change is not always smooth. Successful curriculum change is generally

dependent on the acquisition of new skills and perspectives by those who will implement
the change. Curriculum change requires personal change and this does not happen in
scheduled, orderly fashion, since it evolves according to individual readiness. Faculty
development is a means to support change and should take place concurrently with
curriculum development.

Empowerment of Faculty

Faculty development has the potential to empower faculty and benefit the school
of nursing in ways that extend beyond the tasks of developing and implementing a new
curriculum. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1977) asserts that power ( ability to get work done)
in organizations is derived from both formal positions and from alliances with superiors,
peers and subordinates. Alliances from the basis of cooperation to get work done. Formal
and informal power gives access to opportunity, resources, information and support.
These in turn, influence employees in positive ways, leading to increased self efficacy,
motivation, organizational commitment, perceived autonomy, perceptions of participative
management, and job satisfaction. Burnout is decreased. Employees derive achievement,
respect and cooperation, as well; clients of the organization are satisfied.

With a curriculum development context in schools of nursing, those with formal

power are the nursing dean or director, the curriculum leader, and to a lesser extent, those
chosen to chair committees. Faculty development is a means to provide opportunity,
resources, information and support to faculty, so they can achieve a new curriculum and
derive the benefits of it.

Faculty development is needed to support and empower faculty during curriculum

development. Planned faculty development demonstrates the school’s commitment to
faculty and their professional growth, empowers faculty, enhances job satisfaction, and is
a means to support change.
Goals for Faculty Development Relate to Curriculum Development

“Most faculty development programs are directed toward improving scholarship

under the assumption that increased or updated knowledge in faculty’s subject fields will
lead to improvement in course content” (Dunkey, 1994)

Faculty development goals related to curriculum redesign and development are

essentially four-fold: these include enhancing knowledge and skills about curriculum
development, changing views of curriculum, roles and relationships, and teaching
approaches. All the aforementioned goals are equally important and are achieved
synergistically.

Enhancing Knowledge and Skills About Curriculum Development

Knowledge about the curriculum development process varies among faculty

members and other stakeholders. Some will know a great deal; others will be familiar
with details of course planning, but not with the larger process. Likely, many will have
learning needs related to the developing curriculum. To make certain that the curriculum
development process is smooth, faculty development focused specifically on developing
a curriculum is necessary. Knowledge of the total process will lead to an appreciation of
the time required for curriculum development, work accomplished by task groups, and
importance of shared understandings and consensus. Moreover, detailed information
about each aspect of curriculum development will allow task groups to develop their
critical paths and ensure work is completed in the manner required.

Changing View of Curriculum

Another goal for faculty development is acceptance of a different perception of

curriculum and learning. In the past, learning was generally accepted as simply a change
in behavior, dependent on content. Currently, learning is seen as evolving from
transactions and interactions between and among students and teachers, which culminate
from the curriculum. This latter connotation is less reliant on content, more oriented to
the process of nursing, and is more egalitarian view of curriculum, with “teaching goals
that lead to creative and critical thinking, strategizing and methods of inquiry consistent
with learner maturity” (Bevis, 2000, p.123). whichever approach to curriculum is
adopted, it is important to facilitate faculty member’s understanding about the selected
view and provide faculty development opportunities such as workshops, conferences and
mentoring to assist them in designing curricula reflecting the new view.
Changing Roles and Relationships

A change in faculty roles could be a consequence of a new or revised curriculum,

and this would mean altered relationships with students, colleagues, administrators and
clients. The role change might involve a shift in power, equity and authority, depending
on the philosophical approaches and goals of the curriculum. Faculty facing new/ or
revised roles resulting from curriculum change can be helped through faculty
development activities which incorporate sensitivity training, sharing, nurturing and
consciousness raising (Wheeler & Chinn, 1989)

Changing Teaching Approaches

A realistic goal of faculty development is to encourage nurse educators to become

more aware of how they teach, and how they might teach, more effectively. To help them
do so, activities (e.g role playing, case studies, practice teaching and critiques, videos or
films with discussion), as well as psychological support and encouragement could be
employed. The purpose is to assist novice faculty to acquire teaching skills and
experienced faculty to revitalize their current teaching practices and courses (Davis,
1993) to be congruent with the new curriculum. Faculty development activities to support
changed teaching approaches should be considered in light of curriculum philosophical
approaches and goals.

Faculty Development Activities for Curriculum Development

Faculty engaging in curriculum development may require additional knowledge

and skills about the process they are undertaking. This learning can be facilitated through
planned faculty development activities such as workshops, mentoring, group discussions
and attendance at conferences. Formal and informal strategies for faculty development
that could be relevant for faculty development related to curriculum development.

Faculty development programs should be ongoing, but quite naturally assume

more importance when a new curriculum is envisioned. Whether faculty development
activities are formal or informal, the focus should be on the curriculum development
process
Center itself. It begins
for faculty with organizing for curriculum change and includes collecting
development
and interpreting
 Inservice workshops contextual data, establishing curriculum directions, goals, and
philosophical
Lectures andapproaches, designing
formal conferences bycurriculum and courses and evaluating curriculum.
 One-on-one
experts and/or experienced colleagues
 Dialogue and feedback
 Post-grauate courses
 Meetings with department heads
 Forums
 Handbooks
 Seminars
 Mentorship
 Learning studies laboratory
 Preceptorship
 Faculty meetings
 Buddy system
 Practice teaching
 Learning circles
 IntegrativeFormal
partnerships Informal
 Luncheon meetings
 Group meetings
 Support groups
 Tours, visits
 Readings
 Retreats
 Audiovisual and computer programs
 Modeling
 Shadowing
 Because faculty development is ongoing, a schedule must be agreed upon. Each
session’s topic, format, time, location, and leader need to be decided early. Faculty must
come together, learn and grow together, accept that change is inevitable, and take
ownership and pride in the future. Individuals who participate in faculty development
feel:

 Valued in an organization that invests in curriculum development participants

 Competent because of attainment of new abilities and progress toward goal
achievement
 Secure in group learning and interaction
 Empowered by the institution’s interest in their professional development and
provision of opportunities, resources, information, and support
 And connected to colleagues through shared learning, acceptance, appreciation
and respect

Faculty development for curriculum change

Faculty may experience feelings ranging from anticipation to resistance as the

existing curriculum ends and the transition to the new curriculum takes place
(Kupperschmidt & Burns, 1997). Faculty development is intended to support faculty
members’ personal and professional growth when a new curriculum is envisioned,
curriculum work begins, and curriculum change occurs. Therefore consideration of how
faculty might undergo change is a significant element of faculty development. Activities
to support faculty during a curriculum change merit attention. Strategies to respond to
resisters in order to enhance their participation in faculty development and acceptance of
the new curriculum direction are also important. The following brief sections on change
theories is foundational to understanding how to support faculty and respond to resistance
to curriculum change

Change theories

Lewin’s Force-Field Analysis

Kurt lewin describes change as a social-psychological process with three phases:

unfreezing, moving and refreezing. In the unfreezing phase, a problem or desired change
is identified, and a force field analysis is conducted to determine the driving and
restraining forces. Together, the leader and the target group examine the issue and
develop strategies and actions to minimize the forces limiting change and maximize the
forces driving the change. In the moving phase, actions are carried out as the system
moves towad the desired state. Finally, in the refreezing phase, the change is stabilized in
both individuals and the system (Lewin, as cited in skelton-Green, 1999; Sullivan &
Decker, 2001)

Rogers and Shoemaker’s Diffusion of Change

Rogers and Shoemaker (as cited in SkeltonGreen, 1999) propose a three-phase model
of change: invention of the change; diffusion or communication of information about the
change; and consequence, which can be acceptance or rejection of the change. This
model is premised on the assumption that people are rational and therefore, knowledge
will lead logically to acceptance of a proposed change. Accordingly, communication
about all aspects of the change and the intended outcomes are fundamental to success.
People in change are characterized according to their readiness for change.

 Innovators seek change

 Early adapters facilitate change
 Early majority members provide a support system for change
 Late majority members exert peer pressure to support the change
 Laggards strive to maintain the status quo
 Rejecters actively oppose the change

Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change

 This model addresses behavior change of an individual as the desired outcome, and
incorporates changes in attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Behavioral change is
conceptualized as a spiral and this pattern represents the reality that people do not change
in a straightforward, linear manner. Rather, at certain times, individuals can revert to
former stages, and then proceed again toward the desired change. The stages represent a
continuum of motivational readiness. Relapse to previous stages in considered a natural
part of the change cycle. The stages are:

 Precontemplation: person sees no need to change

 Contemplation: person thinks about the benefits and losses of change and admits
to desiring change, but there is no intent to act
 Preparation: person plans to make a specific change soon, and may make small
attempts at change
 Action: person makes an overt commitment to change and practices the new
behavior over time
 Maintenance: peron is able to avoid relapses to former stages for six months or
more, although the temptation to relapse can persist for several years (Prochaska,
DiClemente & Norcross, 1992; Prochaska, Redding, Harlow, Rossi & Velicer,
1994)

Supporting Faculty During Curriculum Change

Development of a new curriculum, while faculty is concurrently fulfilling,

teaching and research responsibilities, requires their dedication to a new vision, and
tangible organizational support. Faculty development is one form of substantive support.
The model of behavior change is applied to faculty and curriculum change, with activities
proposed to match the stages of the model. Incorporated into strategies, and indeed within
the curriculum development process itself, are factors that are inherently empowering:
publicity about activities; strong relationship between activities and a central issue in the
organization; high interpersonal contact; and participation in programs, meetings, and
problem-solving groups (Kanter, 1997). The school must invest in the faculty, and the
faculty members, in turn, will invest themselves in the school and its future.

Activities to support
Stage of Change Process of Change for faculty Faculty and Curriculum Change
Precontemplation : Consciousness-raising
no intention to change (increasing level of awareness
and more accurate information-
processing)
Dramatic relief (experiencing
and expressing feelings)
Environmental re-evaluation
(affective and cognitice re-
experiencing of one’s
environment and problems)
Contemplation: Consciusness-raising
seriously considering a
curriculum change
within a specified
time.
Dramatic Relief
Environmental re-evaluation
Self-re-evaluation (affective and
cognitive re-experience of one’s
self and problems)
 Present data about need for
curriculum change
 Engage faculty in discussion
about the possibility of
curriculum change
 Stimulate faculty in discussion
about frustrations and
disappointments experienced
within the current curriculum.
 Initiate faculty discussion to
identify features of the current
curriculum they dislike
 Continue discussion about the
need for curriculum change
 Engage faculty in consideration
of the benefits of curriculum
change
 Use guided imagery for faculty
to imagine how they feel when
an up-to-date, well received
curriculum is in place
 Share ideas about the effects of
avoiding curriculum change on
students, graduates, school of
nursing and educational
institution
 Initiate deliberations among
faculty and dean or director
about the possibility of
removing barriers to faculty
involvement in curriculum
development
 Review school and university
mission and goals and how
strongly the current curriculum
supports mission and goals
 Plan discussion about faculty
values related to education,
nursing practice, profession
 Identify initial faculty
development needs

Self-liberation (belief in one’s
ability to change and
commitment to act on that
belief)
Reinforcement management
(reinforcing more positive
behaviors and punishing
negative ones)
Environment re –evaluation  Minimize barriers and
maximize resources for
faculty and curriculum
development
 Obtain agreement from
the total faculty group to
proceed with curriculum
development
 Declare administrator
support publicly
 Announce curriculum
development plans to
stakeholders
 Appoint curriculum
leader
 Form steering and
advisory committees
 Initiate faculty development
activities
 Establish committees and
obtain agreement from
members to achieve goals
 Develop critical path
 Institute mentorship
 Provide positive feedback to
individuals and committees
 Provide rewards for
faculty and curriculum
development activities ( e.g
public acknowledgement and
praise, credit toward
promotion and tenure)
 Celebrate achievement
of major milestones of critical
path
 Continue formal and
informal faculty (e.g teaching
circles, lunch discussions,
online discussion groups, peer
feedback
 Use new technology
 Introduce aspects of new
curriculum into old
Preparation: a
commitment has been
made to change the
curriculum

Action: Active
engagement in:
 Curriculum
development
 Testing of new
faculty behaviors
in the current
curriculum
 Self-liberation
Counter-conditioning
(substituting more positive
behaviors and experiences for
problem ones)
Maintenance:
sustained behavior
Stimulus Control (restructuring
environment or experiences so
that problem stimuli are less
likely to occur)
Helping relationships
(relationships involving
openness, caring, trust,
genuineness and empathy
 Mentor novices
 Continue faculty development
activities focused on faculty
self-identified needs
 Identify and acknowledge
experts in school of nursing
 Conduct a funeral for the old
curriculum
 Continue faculty development
based on experiences in
testing new behaviors and
implementing new curriculum
 Structure formal evaluation of
faculty and courses to be
congruent with new
curriculum
 Disseminate information
about the new curriculum to:
 Academic and
professional
communities
 Prospective students
 Launch new curriculum with a
public celebration
 Ask for counter-examples of
effective strategies of
objections arise or reversion
to former curriculum occurs
 Encourage peer groups to
support new faculty behaviors
and curriculum
implementation
 Continue peer faculty
development and support
activities through group
activities and mentorship
 Schedule formal faculty
development for aspects of
curriculum implementation
that are problematic. Focus on
shared problem-solving
Self re-evaluation  Share stories about “how far
weve gone” and identify new
values, belief, and aspirations
 Use teaching portfolios for
faculty evaluation (self, peer
and administrator)
Responding to Resistance to Change

There may be some members who do not agree with the need for change or
faculty development. Although a minority group, resisters have the potential to
undermine the momentum of the majority. This cannot be allowed. Every effort should
be extended to help the resisters feel that their contributions are needed and valued, and
to counteract the negativity that they might project. There is a diplomatic balance to be
achieved between sensitivity to individual readiness for change and the school’s need to
progress with faculty and curriculum development.