The Scholarship of College Teaching: Research Opportunities in the New Millennium

Abstract

This paper examines some of the challenges facing contemporary Canadian community colleges and explores research opportunities related to (a) measuring the effectiveness of college teaching, (b) preparing beginning college teachers, and (c) re-conceptualizing professional development programs. First, the criteria for measuring teaching effectiveness at colleges are often derived from those used in elementary and secondary schools; questions remain as to whether, or to what degree, these criteria are appropriate measures of effective teaching in the college setting. Second, unprecedented retirements are creating an influx of beginning faculty with extensive subject expertise but often with little or no training as professional teachers; while traditional mentorship models often function as in-house induction programs, innovative pre-service training programs are being developed to more fully prepare aspirants to the profession of college teaching. Finally, some colleges are re-conceptualizing their professional development programs, employing innovative models such as Teaching Circles which are designed to build communities of scholars focused on institutional excellence in teaching. Numerous opportunities exist for research into teaching effectiveness, faculty induction, and professional development amid the changes and challenges that currently face the community colleges.