Fostering collegial faculty development of teaching–a case study from a Norwegian university

Abstract

Collective work can promote shared responsibility for teaching and enhance individual teaching practices. This case study explores collegial faculty development (CFD) aimed at fostering communities for sharing, discussions, and the advancement of teaching practice. The study was conducted across different departments within a faculty of natural, social and economic sciences, where CFD was encouraged through writing scholarships followed by a workshop. The study is grounded on a sociocultural perspective on learning and employs data from semi-structured interviews and an anonymous questionnaire with participating teachers. It examines what the teachers consider important for their competence building and professional development when participating in CFD. Utilising a recently developed conceptual framework for CFD in the data analysis, the study reveals that the collective approach through writing scholarships and participating in a workshop promoted sharing, discussions, feedback, and enhanced teaching practices. Teachers were inspired to take a real step away from teaching as a private enterprise towards teaching as a collective endeavour, going public with their work and building pedagogical competence as part of the process. This study identifies key factors that can enhance CFD.