OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

PACE Center

Goal
Assist Instructors To Become More Effective Teachers
The Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) was created to promote excellence in teaching among faculty.

Objective
Effective Teaching
Instructors who consult with PACE regarding their teaching will demonstrate effective teaching strategies.


KPI
Project Based Learning (PBL)
A new PBL cohort began in spring 2015  For those faculty who participate in the training, 90% will have generated a PBL assignment for at least one of their university classes.


Result
PBL Result
Ninety-two percent of the participants had generated a PBL project and received peer feedback to improve the implementation. On the final training day, participants were asked to write impressions of what they learned throughout the training and how it would be beneficial to them.  The results are attached.


KPI
Teaching Effectiveness
Effective teaching will improve student perception of the instructor as indicated on the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA).  The score Excellent Teacher and Excellent Course on IDEA will increase for each individual participant in PACE by two-tenths point (e.g., from 2.25 to 2.45).


Result
Teaching Effectiveness Results
Those who requested consultations and attended the PACE IDEA workshops rose between 2/10 of a point to an entire point in their IDEA scores from one semester/year to another.

KPI
Consultation
The number of faculty consulters during 2014-2015 will be at least 14, a target number not reached in previous years. However, this year, we will also include in the count instructors who attend a PACE IDEA Workshop.


Result
Consultation Results
By adding the number of participants in the PACE IDEA workshops to the number seeking classroom observations, our total consulters increaed to 16 participants (goal was 14).

Action
Teaching Effectiveness Action
The PBL training has included tenured/tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and online course design specialists.  We have been very successful here.  Although we attempt to obtain participants from each college, the spring 2015 cohort had more adjunct faculty and online course designers than tenured/tenure-trck faculty.  Our goal next year is to continue to include adjunct faculty and online course design specialists and perhaps add some teaching assistants as their time permits.

Consultations increased with instructors attending IDEA workshops and implementing the suggestions from the workshops.  Our goal will be to increase attendance of tenured/tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and teaching assistants at the IDEA workshops.

For the IDEA scores, one area that is heavily addressed in the workshop is appropriate objective selection.  The goal for next year will be to have the objective selection score in the top 10% of the converted scores.

Goal
Professional Development For SHSU Staff
The goal is to include staff in professional development.

Objective
Professional Development For SHSU Staff
SHSU staff who attend a professional development workshop will be able to name at least one strategy they plan to try.


Indicator
Workshop Evaluation
The group evaluation is PACE created to determine what staff learned from the professional development workshop. 

Criterion
Professional Development
After staff attend the professional development session, the group will name at least five things they learned from the presentation.

Finding
Staff Professional Development Results
Two workshops were provided to staff during 2014-2015, one in December, "You've Got Style," determining participant personality style related to work/job. The other was a workshop at the Staff Develoopment Conference in March related to assessing job satisfaction.  At both sessions, participants were able to share orally with the group what what they had learned about themselves related to their jobs.

Action
Staff Professional Development Action
As in previous years, PACE staff will work with Staff Council to determine appropriate professional development for SHSU staff.  At the training, participants will be able to list at least one issue addressed in the staff development event that can improve their job performance/satisfaction.

Goal
New Faculty Investment
The goal is to assist new faculty (tenure-track, adjunct, teaching assistants) awareness of the services available for faculty and students in order to be able to refer students to the proper service..

Objective
New Faculty Investment
Faculty attending the New Faculty Investment will be able to determine which resources presented would be appropriae for faculty, students, or both..

Indicator
New Faculty Investment Evaluation
The evaluation provides a list of the resources presented and asks participants to determine if the resource would be helpful to faculty, students, or both..


Criterion
New Faculty Investment Evaluation Results
Resources will be rated as have at least 50% benefit to students, faculty, or both.


Finding
Results
The only resource presentation that did not meet the 50 percent criterion  for 8/19/15was Theatre.  However, there was no presentation of Theatre on 8/19/2015. The McNair program did not make the 50% cut either.  Comments indicated that participant teaching loads would not use this resource.  On 8/20/15, the First Year Experience Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and Counseling Services did not make the 50% cut.  In fact Counseling Services was rated by 52.4% as neither a resource for students or faculty.  This resource, particularly must have been misunderstood because it sees students referred by others or self-referred for any number of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and lack of motivation.


Action
New Faculty Iinvestment
Although some of the resources likely did not fit into faculty or student resource categories, Counseling Services should have.  This was our first year to do the New Faculty Investment this way, so we will remain with the status quo for one more year and cull precentations then if the same resources are not rated at least 50% applicable to faculty, students, or both.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement There was a new PBL cohort in spring 2015.  There were a number of tenured/tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and online course design specialists making the cohort.  We attempted to have training sessions on some Wednesdays due to trainer's availability.  However, there were many faculty who could not make the Wednesday sessions due to professional conflicts.  Approximately  92% of particiapnts generated at least one PBL project for at least one class. The IDES ratings for PACE clients improved on average from .2 - 1.0 points, especially in the chosen objective section.  We expanded consulters to include attendees of PACE IDEA workshops, so that our total consulters numbered 16.

PACE worked with Staff Council to present two staff professsional development events, one in December and one in March.  At both events, participants were able to list at least five items they learned to be more effective in their jobs.

Although, adjunct faculty and teaching assistants were invited to last year's New Faculty Investment, we only had one adjunct faculty member attend.

Plan for continuous improvement For the PBL sessions during 2015-2016, graduate teaching assistants (TAs) will be invited in addition to tenured/tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and online course design specialists.  Additionly, all trainings will occur on Friday afternoons folowing a provided lunch.IDEA scores will increase in all areas of the evaluation for consulters.  Once again, attendees of the PACE IDEA workshops will be considered consulters, with a goal of 16 consulters.

PACE will provide at least one professional development event for staff, co-sponsored with Staff Council.  Attendees will indicate how the presentation was meaningful to their job positions at SHSU.

This year, already, there has been increased effort to recruit adjunct faculty ad teaching assistants with at least 10 (combined) indicating they will attend.