This document discusses the importance of faculty development in curriculum work and change. It makes several key points: 1) Faculty development is a core component of curriculum work and is necessary for faculty to gain the skills and knowledge needed to develop, implement, and evaluate new curriculum. 2) Curriculum changes require changes from faculty in their work and roles, so faculty development helps faculty acquire new perspectives and skills to implement revisions. 3) Faculty development activities should provide opportunities for all stakeholders to explore curriculum questions and gain relevant knowledge, with the goals of enhancing skills, changing views of curriculum, and facilitating changes in roles and teaching approaches. 4) Both leadership and faculty share responsibility for effective faculty development that minimizes gaps and supports

1. Chapter 2
Faculty
Development for
Curriculum Work
and Change

2. Overview
• Faculty development is a core and ongoing
component of all curriculum work.
• Ongoing and planned faculty growth and
evolution are necessary to bring curriculum to
fruition.

3. Faculty Development
• Purpose and meaning:
– Faculty development is a form of ongoing
professional development for academics.
– Purpose of institution-wide faculty development
has typically been teacher improvement.
– Today, there is expanded emphasis on individual
as a scholar, professional, person, member of an
organization, with activities promoting such.

4. Faculty Development (cont.)
• Purpose and meaning (cont.):
– Activities related to curriculum tenets not typically
addressed in faculty development literature.
– Contributes to growth and development of
individuals in all their academic roles, so their
capacity to advance their discipline and influence
change is expanded.

5. Faculty Development (cont.)
• Necessary conditions:
– Factors such as clearly communicated goals, skill-
building opportunities, institutional support, and
faculty rewards are important for securing faculty
support for an educational innovation.
– Development/implementation of a new or
modified curriculum is a significant educational
innovation, which must be endorsed by faculty
and stakeholders.

6. Faculty Development (cont.)
• Necessary Conditions (cont.):
– Planned faculty development activities, as a core
process of curriculum work, embody:
• Opportunities for faculty/stakeholders to gain
curriculum skills, explore curriculum questions.
• Institutional commitment to provide tangible support.
• Professional development during curriculum work.

7. Relationship of Faculty Development,
Curriculum Work, and Change
• Curriculum development, implementation,
and evaluation represent a significant change
in school of nursing.
• Requires change from established curriculum
and work patterns to an altered curriculum
and work expectations.
• Successful change is dependent on acquisition
of new skills and perspectives by those
implementing revised curriculum.

8. Relationship of Faculty Development,
Curriculum Work, and Change (cont.)
• As changes take place, interpersonal dynamics
may be altered and realignment of teaching
colleagues may occur.
• Change depends on acquisition of new skills
and perspectives, and some loss of old ones,
and requires personal adjustment.
• Ongoing faculty development is necessary for
group to understand proposed change and
ensure necessary skills/knowledge is acquired.

9. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work
• Necessity of:
– Faculty development has been considered the
essence of curriculum development.
– Faculty development is foundational to creation,
implementation, and evaluation of curriculum
reflecting a new perspective.
– Past and recent conditions have left few nursing
faculty equipped to undertake curriculum
development.

10. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Necessity of (cont.):
– It is incumbent on school leaders to provide
opportunities for faculty to acquire relevant
knowledge and skills for curriculum development.
– Faculty development is core activity of curriculum
work, and a catalyst for creation and
operationalization of a new vision for curriculum.
– Curriculum redesign requires a forward-thinking
look at the future of nursing practice.

11. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Necessity of (cont.):
– It is necessary for faculty development to occur
with curriculum development; must be viewed as
core component of curriculum work.
– Faculty development related to curriculum
development is critical due to nursing faculty
shortage and impending retirements.

12. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Purpose and goals:
– At least four goals for faculty development related
to curriculum development:
• Enhancing related knowledge and skills
• Changing view related to curriculum
• Comfort with changing roles and relationships
• Changing teaching and learning evaluation approaches

13. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Participants in faculty development activities:
– Faculty is key in curriculum development for:
• Decisions to be made
• Committee work to be accomplished
• Facilitating/evaluating student learning
• Appraisal of curriculum evaluation results
– Success largely dependent upon knowledgeable
and willing faculty.
– Other stakeholders, such as students, clinicians
and administrators, must also be included.

14. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Responsibility for faculty development:
– School leadership has the responsibility to invest
in and support the development of faculty in
order to minimize knowledge gaps.
– Faculty has professional obligation to:
• Attend faculty development activities
• Be open to new ideas
• Participate fully in faculty development
• Commit to effectively using new knowledge
• Contribute to development of others

15. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Faculty development activities for curriculum
work:
– Faculty development activities can be:
• Formal
• Informal
• Collaborative
• Self-managed
• Individual
• Group based

16. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Faculty development activities for curriculum
work (cont.):
– All stakeholders should reach shared
understandings about curriculum work, nursing
education, practice, and health care.
– Activity schedules should be agreed upon and
activities should be consistent with evolving
philosophy of redesigned curriculum.
– When scheduling activities, the earlier the better,
though flexibility may be required.

17. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Benefits of faculty development for
curriculum work:
– Creation of shared vision for curriculum.
– Development of evidence-informed, context-
relevant, unified curriculum.
– Implementation/evaluation of curriculum in
manner consistent with underlying tenets.
– Demonstrates administrative commitment to
professional growth.
– Increased job satisfaction.

18. Faculty Development for
Curriculum Work (cont.)
• Benefits of faculty development for
curriculum work (cont.):
– May enhance faculty recruitment and retention.
– Enhanced positive perception of the work
environment and faculty value.
– Increase in faculty competence, making them
more efficient and effective.
– Reduction in frustration, need to redo work.
– Increased faculty credibility, possible external
recognition, sense of pride.

19. Faculty Development for Change
• Change associated with curriculum work can
give rise to feelings/behaviors such as:
– Eager anticipation, full engagement.
– Wait and see, with reluctant participation.
– Resistance involving refusal to participate,
possible sabotage.
• In addition to knowledge benefits, faculty
development can assist members with
strategies for dealing with changes.

20. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Theoretical perspectives on change:
– Diffusion of innovations – gives attention to
individuals and groups within a social system.
– Transtheoretical model of behavior change –
addresses individual behavior change as desired
outcome; incorporates changes in attitudes,
intentions, and behavior.
– Organizational change in culture context –
bilateral interaction in which organizational
change and culture influence one another.

21. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Nature of faculty development for change:
– Faculty development related to curriculum work is
fundamentally development for change.
– Psychological dimension of change may require
consideration. Change requires adjustment to
individuals’ mental maps of what should be.
• Some accept change easily as part of academic life,
while others face degrees of uncertainty and stress.
• Faculty development processes should include
attention to change processes.

22. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Responding to resistance to change:
– Even when members of a school of nursing agree
to curriculum development, some may be
resistant to the need for change.
– Those who feel disrupted have potential to
undermine momentum of the majority.
– Efforts should be made to help resisters feel their
contributions are needed and valued, and to
counteract projected negativity.

23. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Responding to resistance to change (cont.):
– Overt forms of resistance:
• Open criticism, refusal to acknowledge need for change
• Predictions of dire consequences related to change
• Direct refusal to participate in development
• Actively seeking support from colleagues
– Covert forms of resistance:
• Absence from meetings, failure to complete work
• Minimal participation in activities attended
• Diverting attention from the main purpose

24. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Responding to resistance to change (cont.):
– Precise reasons for resistance are varied and are
not necessary to know before confronting
unacceptable behavior.
– Resistance should be confronted as soon as
recognized.
– When group pressure fails to convince the
resister, school leadership must intervene.

25. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Responding to resistance to change (cont.):
– Measures the school leader might employ:
• Describe gab between expected/observed behavior
• Seek to understand resister’s perspective
• Explain invisible consequences including diminished
respect from colleagues, damaged school reputation
• Link desired behavior to shared values
• Identify skills individual brings to table
• Explain benefits of desired change
• Obtain commitment to behave differently
• Agree on action plan, accountability

26. Faculty Development for Change (cont.)
• Responding to resistance to change (cont.):
– When resistance is prolonged or unrelenting, it
can be helpful for faculty members to reframe the
situation to make dissent seem less personal.
– Viewing resistance as a conflict of values, beliefs,
rights, and obligations can lead to changed
understandings and reactions for all involved.