UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Building Community and Capacity: Institutionalized Faculty Development in Community Colleges Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06p452d8 Author Krug, Jessica Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Building Community and Capacity: Institutionalized Faculty Development in Community Colleges A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education by Jessica Marion Michele Krug 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Building Community and Capacity: Institutionalized Faculty Development in Community Colleges by Jessica Marion Michele Krug Doctor of Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2018 Professor Robert A. Rhoads, Chair Based on the presumptions that faculty are critical to student success and that faculty in the community college sector are largely underprepared to serve the diversity of students they encounter, this study sought to examine how community colleges create and sustain their faculty development programs. The faculty development programs selected for this study have high participation of faculty across disciplines, including both adjunct and full-time faculty, and are permanent fixtures on their campuses instead of relying on grant funding or other temporary sources of funding that could eventually be phased out. Further, institutions in this study are improving student outcomes across their campuses, particularly of low-income students and students of color. Utilizing a multi-case study design based on semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations of public spaces, this study looked holistically and in-depth at institutionalized faculty development programs at three community colleges across the ii country: Bradley Community College, Pomelo College and High Hill College, all pseudonyms. Some critical findings of this study include the nature of leadership that facilitated institutionalizing these programs, the role of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at each site, and the centrality of pedagogy. At all three sites, faculty and administrative leaders converged to create their faculty development programs. Critical administrative leaders in charge of faculty development began as faculty members, and they helped shepherd their respective programs to institutionalization as they moved into administration. Further, the CTLs at all three sites act as nexus points between authentic faculty needs and institutional priorities. All strategic initiatives are executed with the support of the CTLs; they are the facilitators of change. While each CTL still uses various grants from state, federal, local and foundation sources, the CTL staff and spaces have been institutionalized. Finally, all faculty development activities start with good instruction; whether the topic is high-impact practices, equity, guided pathways or global learning, the CTL focus is on what those ideas look like (or should look like) in a classroom. All three sites in this study are willing to invest in supports for the faculty, both adjunct and full- time, to help them become better instructors. iii The dissertation of Jessica Marion Michele Krug is approved. Kathryn M. Anderson Mark Kevin Eagan Cecilia Rios-Aguilar Linda P. Rose Robert A. Rhoads, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2018 iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this manuscript to the memory of my father, Dr. Richard J. Wingell, professor of musicology. He was a knowledgeable scholar, generous colleague, and gifted teacher. He was never officially recognized for his teaching skill by the academy, though he was beloved by his students. I hope my research contributes to the growing body of work that posits that quality teaching in higher education matters. I still miss you every day, Dad. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ........................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... ix VITA ............................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 2 The Role of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education .................................................. 5 Statement of the Project ...................................................................................................... 7 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 7 Research Design.................................................................................................................. 8 Project Significance .......................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................11 Overview of the Development of Community Colleges................................................... 12 The Role of the Community College in the California Master Plan................................. 13 The Evolution of Faculty Development in Community Colleges .................................... 16 Challenges Community Colleges Face Implementing Faculty Development .................. 26 Effective Faculty Development Practices ......................................................................... 29 Linking Faculty Development and Improved Student Outcomes..................................... 34 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3: THE DESIGN OF THE STUDY ....................................................................... 45 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 45 Research Design and Rationale ........................................................................................ 46 Strategies of Inquiry .......................................................................................................... 47 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 55 Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................... 56 Credibility and Trustworthiness ........................................................................................ 57 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 59 Case Study 1: Bradley Community College ..................................................................... 61 Case Study 2: Pomelo College .......................................................................................... 81 Case Study 3: High Hill College ..................................................................................... 103 Cross-Case Analysis........................................................................................................ 124 vi CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 131 Discussion of Major Findings ......................................................................................... 132 Limitations ...................................................................................................................... 139 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 142 Reflection ........................................................................................................................ 145 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS .............................................................................. 148 APPENDIX B STUDY INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS ................................ 151 APPENDIX C RECRUITMENT COMMUNICATION ............................................................ 154 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 155 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Alignment of Research Question and Data Collection Methods and Sources ................ 51 Table 2. Bradley Administrator Titles and Pseudonyms ..............................................................