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Faculty are qualified and model best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching, including the assessment of their own effectiveness as related to candidate performance; they also collaborate with colleagues in the disciplines and schools. The unit systematically evaluates faculty performance and facilitates professional development.
During the past three years the college has made significant changes in the structure of the professional education faculty at Loyola College in order to better serve its candidates. There is now in place a structure to meet NCATE expectations while remaining in compliance with the policies set forth in the Loyola College Faculty Handbook, aspiring to the faculty coverage goals of Loyola's strategic plan (G.92), and establishing an appropriate balance between academically- and clinically-oriented faculty.
In Academic Year 1998-99 the Education Department faculty consisted of 12 tenure-track faculty, 15 Administrators without formal faculty status, and 10 half-time/core faculty (5.1). Six of the nine major program areas were coordinated by administrative personnel who did not have formal faculty status. This situation, which had evolved over time, left the department with a lack of clearly defined roles, a weak system of accountability, and problems with governance.
Much has changed in recent years and there are currently in place the structures and the policies that have allowed the department to achieve an effective balance between academic and clinical faculty and to formulate procedures that work well in ensuring accountability for all faculty and quality in programming (G.5). A major element in this developmental process has been the elimination of most non-faculty administrative lines and the creation of formal clinical faculty slots. These positions carry faculty recognition and accountability while recognizing the differences between the roles, qualifications, and expectations of faculty who are primarily responsible for teaching in the college classroom and those who are primarily focused on teaching in the field. By creating clinical faculty lines that do not require research activity, as do regular tenure-track slots, the department can recruit faculty supervisors with extensive contemporary K-12 experience into formal college faculty roles and foster programs that truly represent the transition of theory into practice.
The Professional Education faculty in the Education Department for Academic Year 2001-2002 consists of 12 tenure-track faculty, 4 Full-time faculty (visiting, core or faculty/administrators), 9 Clinical faculty, 5 Part-time faculty (including half-time appointments) and 3 Administrators. There are 5 active searches for new tenure-track faculty underway (5.1, 5.2).
All tenure-track faculty have earned doctorates in their field. Full-time, non-tenure track faculty either have earned doctorates or are candidates for the doctorate. Full-time faculty appointments are renewable annually for up to six years. Clinical faculty (a new designation for the Education Department as of the 2001-2002 academic year) are appointed for either 10 or 12 months, with appointments renewable annually. These positions are .8 FTE faculty and .2 FTE administrative, recognizing the dual expectation of those who fill them. Clinical faculty may have either the doctorate or the master's degree with some other unique, specialized qualifications (e.g. AMI trainer certificate, principalship, school- or district-level administration). Significant school-based teaching and administrative experience at the appropriate level of K-12 education is required for a clinical appointment (5.3, 5.4). Curriculum vitae are available for all regular, fulltime, and clinical faculty in exhibit 5.5.
Part-time (adjunct) faculty are hired to teach courses in all programs in the department on an as needed basis. As of July, 2001 there were 77 individuals who were active in the department as adjunct faculty (5.20). Thirty (40%) of these teachers held the terminal degree in their field (Ed.D. or Ph.D.). Many of these individuals have been employed in this capacity for a very long time and are deeply familiar with the goals and traditions of Loyola that are characterized in the conceptual framework. Adjunct faculty selection, hiring, and orientation is the responsibility of the program coordinators. A newly developed policy (5.21) specifies formal procedures for selecting adjunct faculty. Under these new procedures, each adjunct faculty member is given a copy of the unit's conceptual framework along with other relevant documents when contracted to teach a course.
The remaining administrative slots serve specialized, sometimes transitional, roles (e.g., Coordinator of Special Education Practica, Coordinator of Special Programs). All major program areas are now coordinated by individuals with full-time faculty appointments - newly proposed departmental policy requires that coordinators be regular, tenure-track faculty members whenever possible. This target should be achieved soon after the current searches are successfully completed (G.5).
School faculty work in one of 16 Professional Development Schools or in other K-12 schools where teacher, administrator, counselor, and special education candidates are placed for practicum and internship experiences. School faculty are selected based on their demonstrated expertise in their area. They are certified in the area in which they serve as mentor. Exhibit 5.6 shows the degree, level of certificate held and other demographic information for the 65 school faculty members in Professional Development Schools who are serving as mentors during the 2001-2002 academic year. Many of Loyola's school faculty have special, noteworthy experience and have received awards and other accolades for their performance in the classroom as documented in exhibit 5.6. Several are graduates of Loyola programs, as noted under Standard 3.
Clinical faculty, as well as regular faculty who provide supervision in the field, have contemporary professional experience that is closely related to the work they supervise. Most full-time clinical faculty have held not only teaching positions, but also administrative appointments at the school and/or district level (5.3, 5.5).
The Loyola College Faculty Handbook (G.4) states: "Teaching is the central activity of the entire college faculty. So, every tenured faculty member must be an able and dedicated teacher, one who is skilled in the craft and committed to its exercise. Any activity undertaken by the faculty member that contributes to the efforts of the students to acquire intellectual skills, extend their knowledge and understanding, or develop attitudes and habits that foster continued growth, shall be considered as evidence of the effectiveness of the faculty member as a teacher." (pg. B-5)
Whether appointed to tenure-track, core, full-time or clinical positions, faculty must hold appropriate degrees in the subject area in which they teach or in a closely related field (5.3, 5.5). The formal faculty hiring procedures established several years ago assure that faculty are carefully evaluated for content knowledge before they are employed (5.17). Faculty remain current in their field through scholarly activity that demands current knowledge of the literature, attendance at professional conferences and workshops, and participation in other professional development activities. The 25 fulltime faculty in the Education Department have participated in approximately 350 conferences and other professional development activities over the past 5 years (5.3).
The unit's conceptual framework was formalized only recently. However, as noted in the Introduction, it was developed based on the long-held common beliefs of the unit. While faculty have just begun to incorporate the specific terminology of the conceptual framework in a deliberate way into their syllabi, elements of the conceptual framework have been present in departmental courses for a long time. Many syllabi now include a checklist or other indication of the elements of the conceptual framework that are reflected in the course. Since the conceptual framework was formally approved by the department towards the end of the fall 2001 semester, faculty did not have time to alter courses in significant ways for spring 2002. Thus, the notations on syllabi are an indication of what was already present in the courses prior to formalizing the unit's conceptual framework. It is important to note how much of the conceptual framework was present in courses without a formal process for making it so. Of course, the process of tying teaching to the conceptual framework is ongoing. Now that the department has formalized a conceptual framework and begun to refer to it in syllabi, faculty will examine more closely how their teaching can better match these core beliefs.
The specific curricula for each program have been reviewed by specialty organizations or will be reviewed by the Maryland State Department of Education team during the review. Strong and focused academic preparation is a hallmark of the college's programs and this has been recognized in the responses of the specialty organizations in their program critiques. Faculty present material that is current (G.24 - G.44, G.104) and reflects the goals of the department's conceptual framework as noted on syllabi and as discussed under above.
The Learner-centered model, as described in the department's conceptual framework, places candidate learning at the center of a philosophical and pedagogical approach. Outcomes I.B.1 (Adapts instruction/service to Student Needs) and I.B.2 (Considers Student Background and Special Needs) place clear emphasis on the individual students that candidates will teach. Portfolios - used extensively in Teacher Education, Administration and Supervision, and Counseling - practica, and internships provide a variety of modes of assessment of student performance. Data reported under Standards 1 and 3 document the department's focus on candidate learning and assessment.
Virtually all courses include a variety of instructional techniques. Technology, service learning, field experience, as well as lecture, group work, and discussion take place in most classrooms. Reflection is ubiquitous. Outcomes I.B.1 (Adapts instruction/service to Student Needs) and III.A.3 (Shows concern for all learners) emphasize the departmental commitment to individual student needs.
Loyola College's technological infrastructure is strong (G.59). The college has recently incorporated BlackBoard as a key learning tool that allows faculty to easily place course materials online for students. All courses have a BlackBoard site available to them and at present many undergraduate courses across the college make at least some use of this technology. However, in Education, it is not important how much technology is available or even how much technology is used, but rather it is important how well candidates are prepared to integrate technology into their own teaching. While this has been a mixed effort, it is strong and improving. Most programs include at least one required class that focuses on technology (ED303, ET605, AD682). Additionally undergraduate programs begin with ED100 Introduction to Education, a class that uses technology throughout the semester, and graduate programs all require ED600 Foundations of Educational Research in which candidates are introduced to electronic methods of searching for literature and other resources.
All faculty are required to obtain feedback from students regarding their effectiveness as teachers (5.18). The college provides a standard form and automated scoring reports to all course instructors (5.7). The use of this form is optional, but almost all faculty choose to use it. Summaries of these ratings are submitted to the chair each year as part of the annual update process and strengths and weaknesses are discussed as part of the review (5.8). Ongoing discussions over the past 2 years have focused on developing a multifaceted teaching evaluation system (5.19). The Board on Rank and Tenure has provided recommendations and expectations that faculty who seek tenure and/or promotion provide a more extensive assessment of their teaching effectiveness, including student evaluations, peer reviews, self-reflections, course materials, and a portfolio demonstrating formative assessment of their teaching and appropriate adjustments to courses based on the feedback received (5.9, 5.10). The Education Department will review and revise its methods of evaluating faculty teaching and report the revisions to the dean in the spring of 2002 (5.19).
The Loyola College Faculty Handbook states: "Excellence in teaching is enhanced by the teacher's ability as a scholar. So, every tenured member must give evidence of scholarly activity. Any inquiry undertaken to establish facts, develop principles, answer or illuminate questions posed within an area of intellectual pursuit, through the systematic collection of evidence that has been subjected to replication, verification, or critical evaluation by persons other than the original researcher, and which has been reviewed by a body of peers outside the Loyola community, shall be considered as evidence for the success of the faculty member as a scholar. .... The quality of these activities, as well as the quality of the researcher's inquiries, are to be evaluated by peers." (G.4, section B-5)
As a comprehensive liberal arts institution, Loyola College places the highest emphasis on the teaching performance of its faculty. Scholarship, as noted in the quote above, is expected as a means of enhancing teaching. The current 12 Regular faculty members have produced 3 books, 14 chapters, and 47 journals articles over the past five years (5.3). Specific citations can be found in the curriculum vitae in Exhibit 5.5 and samples of published works are available in the Exhibit Room (G.83).
As noted above, clinical faculty are not on the tenure track and are not required to publish in scholarly outlets. Clinical faculty do, however, demonstrate their scholarship through grant writing activities, work on state curriculum and standards committees, and work on program reviews (5.3). Even though such activity is not required, several clinical faculty members have published articles and, with the initiation of action research projects in the Professional Development Schools over the coming years, this activity is likely to increase.
The Loyola College Faculty Handbook (G.4) states: "Teaching is shared, encouraged, supported, developed and grows as the faculty member contributes personally and professionally to the college community. So, every tenured member must be involved in serving that community. Service activities that promote the general welfare of a department or the college will be considered as evidence of a person's involvement in the college." (pg. B-5)
Service is a key component of the Loyola Mission. This stems from the Jesuit tradition of "men and women for others." Faculty are steeped in that tradition on a personal level and as role models for departmental candidates. The service tradition extends into all aspects of what faculty do at Loyola - from their personal lives to their professional requirements for tenure to their teaching. Most faculty are deeply involved in personal service through their churches and synagogues or through other outlets. This includes special education faculty helping their churches develop strategies for reaching special needs students, faculty teaching Sunday school, and faculty providing workshops for local schools and organizations in their areas of expertise.
Department faculty are involved in service to the professional community. They are members and officers of professional organizations, journal reviewers, and contributors to scholarly and practitioner journals and conferences. They sit on school boards, and work with school committees in their areas of expertise. In the college, members of the Education Department serve on a variety of committees (5.5).
Service is not merely something faculty do; it is a critical part of the college mission that candidates understand service. Service learning is an integral part of the department's undergraduate programs. For example, as part of a service learning project, candidates revitalized the library at Chadwick Elementary School in Baltimore County, raising funds, buying books, holding book drives, and organizing the library. Loyola College donated canvas bags for students at the school to use to take borrowed books home. While this institution itself makes efforts to promote service and service learning, it is not a requirement of the faculty. Instead, it is the hard work and dedication of the faculty, going beyond what is required of them, that to this institutional mission.
The majority of the adjunct faculty in the department are currently involved in P-12 education as teachers and administrators. Clinical faculty are largely supervisors of interns and coordinators of professional development schools. These roles place them in the schools on a regular basis: meeting with candidates during their internships and field placements, meeting with school-based faculty, and working with schools as part of the PDS relationship. Several regular faculty members supervise interns and field placements for elementary education, special education, reading, administration and supervision, educational technology, and school counseling. Additionally, several faculty have formal and informal contact with schools as members of school boards, members of school and district committees, workshop presenters, and consultants (as volunteers, through temporary arrangements, and through private practices. The unit has a special involvement with the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The faculty includes a former school superintendent of the Archdiocese and several faculty who regularly consult with the Archdiocese (5.5).
Department faculty are actively involved in professional associations. Document 5.3 shows that Professional Education Faculty at Loyola have held 69 memberships in Professional organizations. Many members serve as reviewers for professional journals and conferences, present posters and papers at Association meetings, attend Annual Meetings on a regular basis, and hold offices in national organizations (5.5).
Faculty provide education-related service at a variety of levels through all the activities addressed above including: school-based involvement; local, regional, national, and international organizational involvement and conference presentations; review of journal articles; and special consultative relationships with schools and school systems around the state. Faculty seek out opportunities to work where the needs are greatest with, for example, cohort groups in science to overcome the limited preparation of teachers in science in Prince Georges County Schools or by providing pro bono special education consulting services for families seeking appropriate school placements for their children.
Departmental faculty seek out collaborations to improve the quality of education for candidates. This can be seen in the collaboration with the College of Notre Dame and Goucher College to provide specialized methods courses in areas that none of the three colleges could support on their own. Additionally, faculty are actively involved in publications, many of which are collaborative efforts with colleagues at other institutions. Within Loyola College, efforts to develop a cross-disciplinary clinic with other departments including Psychology and Speech-language Pathology exemplify collaborative efforts. Education faculty are heavily involved in college-wide committees as members and participants in activities to improve teaching and learning such as: the annual multicultural curriculum infusion workshop, the biannual faculty teaching workshop, and the recent faculty diversity reading groups.
The process for annual review of regular faculty is outlined in the Faculty Handbook (G.4), the Education Department Policy Manual (G.5), and in an annual memo from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (5.11). This process, which has applied only to tenure-track faculty until last year, is under continuous review. For example, each department in the College of Arts and Sciences is expected to have reviewed its procedures for distinguishing between faculty performance that "exceeds expectations" and performance that is "outstanding" for purposed of annual faculty review by the end of the spring 2002 semester (5.19).
Currently, each regular, clinical, and full-time faculty member completes the Annual Review Form (5.12) and submits it, along with a summary of student evaluations of teaching and any publications from the previous year, to the department chair. The chair reviews the material and meets with each tenured faculty member to discuss his/her performance. Submitted materials from untenured faculty are reviewed by all tenured faculty in the department. Each untenured regular faculty member is then asked to make a presentation of his/her work to the tenured faculty, who discuss the reported performance and make a recommendation regarding reappointment to the chair. The chair conveys all of the information and recommendations to the dean. Samples of Annual Review reports and recommendation letters can be found in Exhibit 5.13.
Faculty have several opportunities to receive feedback about their teaching: faculty are required to seek student feedback at the end of each course; peer visitation is becoming a more common practice to improve teaching; peer review of grading procedures is being used in some cases as part of the tenure process; starting with new hires for 2002-2003, mentors will be assigned to new faculty members to help facilitate teaching and research; as part of the annual update process, all faculty are required to present their teaching evaluations and describe their teaching innovations to the Faculty Evaluation Committee (or for tenured faculty, to the department chair). While this process does not guarantee improvements, a system of strong incentives is built into the process. For non-tenured faculty, rehiring is based on the results of this process. For all faculty (tenured and non-tenured), the college has developed a model of merit pay that is tied directly to the annual evaluation process and that rewards quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.
The Office of the Academic Vice President sponsors a Teaching Workshop before the start of classes in the fall and spring semesters. The topics for AY 2001-2002 were "Experiential Learning" in the fall and "Problem Based Learning" in the spring (5.14). Approximately 10 faculty from the Education Department attended the most recent session.
The department shares the expenses for faculty who are presenting at conferences with the Office of the Dean on a 50-50 basis. The Dean's Office also pays for periodic faculty development activities such as NCATE workshops, leadership seminars, workshops on specialized topics (e.g., multivariate data analysis), and conferences related to the Jesuit mission of the college.
Each year the college offers a Curriculum Infusion Workshop to faculty who are interested in learning how to incorporate a multicultural perspective into their courses. These workshops provide information and consultation to faculty who agree to develop a multicultural perspective in a specific course. Stipends are offered to support the extra effort this work entails. Drs. Baker, Fenzel, Golden, Procaccini, and Vinson, all Education faculty members, have participated in these workshops (5.15).
Loyola College provides a Blackboard-based website for all courses offered by the college. Orientation workshops are available for faculty who wish to explore the use of this technology in their courses and extensive help is available through the Technology Help Desk and through online support.
Clinical faculty regularly attend Professional Development School and Assessment workshops sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Education. These workshops and research presentations are specifically targeted to K-16 faculty who are involved with implementing the Maryland Redesign of Teacher Education, with its emphasis on extended internships in Professional Development Schools and performance assessment. (5.16).
Specific examples of faculty participation in professional development activities can be found in exhibits 5.3 and 5.5.
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Last Modified: March 15, 2002 based on the February 25, 2002
Institutional Report
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