11029

11029

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (no formal paper)

Encouraging Creative Collaboration, Research, and Professional Development among Full-Time and Adjunct Virtual Faculty in a Developmental Education Program
Teresa Kelly, Kaplan University, Brunswick, Georgia, USA, tkelly@kaplan.edu Kenneth Cline, Kaplan University, Conyers, Georgia, USA, kcline@kaplan.edu Gina Quesinberry, Kaplan University, Glen Allen, Virginia, USA, gquesinberry@kaplan.edu Carrie Jantz, Kaplan University, cjantz@kaplan.edu Lisa Teitler, Kaplan University, lteitler@kaplan.edu

Virtual educators often find it challenging to develop collegial relationships that support research and professional development in their field. Townsend (2003) notes higher education provides “… minimal support for teaching, academic research, and professional development” (p.23). Eney, Davidson, and Lau (2008) argue, “developmental education programs are looking for better ideas to boost their professional development for part-time faculty in low-cost ways.” (p. 61). To address these issues, the Department of Student Success at Kaplan University instituted a team-based approach to professional development that encourages collaborative research into implementing technology to improve developmental education and emphasizes presenting at conferences as well as sharing findings within the department. The team approach to professional development enhances learning and discourse while reducing costs and workload. In 2010, the process resulted in over twenty-five presentations by individual faculty or teams compromised of department members.

A forum of departmental leadership, full-time faculty, and adjuncts will discuss how members of the department collaborate in formal and informal teams to conduct research and present findings. They will present a series of examples illustrating how the collaboration has resulted in completed and ongoing professional development projects. The forum will also examine how the team model encourages creative collaboration and increases adjunct integration into the department. Forum members will discuss a variety of methods of collaboration including email and live collaborative sessions. Forum members will also share how this approach has increased research and professional development and encourage attendees to suggest new methods of creative collaboration within their own departments.

All Audiences creativity collaboration professional development web2.0technology