Improving Access and Inclusion for VITAL Faculty in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Through Sustained Professional Development Programs

Contingent, VITAL faculty make up the majority of faculty positions in the United States, and their role is primarily instruction. Yet they often face numerous barriers to participating in professional development and engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), activities that can support their instructional effectiveness. This study explores how campuses can facilitate participation of contingent faculty in sustained professional development programs and how these programs can foster their engagement in SoTL. Based on a sample of fourteen campuses that have successfully created professional development for adjuncts and other contingent faculty, we first present the four models of sustained professional development programs we found—faculty learning communities, certification/badge programs, course transformation/departmental action teams, and discussion groups—and highlight the modifications that were made to better meet the needs of contingent faculty. We then consider how various design and implementation choices can support higher-order engagement in SoTL using the multidimensional model of the scholarship of teaching (Trigwell et al., 2000). The results of our study emphasize the importance for campuses to address policy-related barriers that prevent access to sustained professional development for contingent faculty and reveal a number of good practices that instructional leaders can use to guide the design of such programs.