To Improve the Academy. Resources for Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development

Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, experts in the field of online teaching and learning, this hands-on resource helps higher education professionals understand the fundamentals of effective online assessment. It offers guidance for designing and implementing creative assessment practices tied directly to course activities to measure student learning. The book is filled with illustrative case studies, authentic assessments based in real-life application of concepts, and collaborative activities that assess the quality of student learning rather than relying on the traditional methods of measuring the amount of information retained.

Since the first edition of A Guide to Faculty Development was published in 2002, the dynamic field of educational and faculty development has undergone many changes. Prepared under the auspices of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD), this thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition offers a fundamental resource for faculty developers, as well as for faculty and administrators interested in promoting and sustaining faculty development within their institutions. This essential book offers an introduction to the topic, includes twenty-three chapters by leading experts in the field, and provides the most relevant information on a range of faculty development topics including establishing and sustaining a faculty development program; the key issues of assessment, diversity, and technology; and faculty development across institutional types, career stages, and organizations. «This volume contains the gallant story of the emergence of a movement to sustain the vitality of college and university faculty in difficult times. This practical guide draws on the best minds shaping the field, the most productive experience, and elicits the imagination required to reenvision a dynamic future for learning societies in a global context.» —R. Eugene Rice, senior scholar, Association of American Colleges and Universities «Across the country, people in higher education are thinking about how to prepare our graduates for a rapidly changing world while supporting our faculty colleagues who grew up in a very different world. Faculty members, academic administrators, and policymakers alike will learn a great deal from this volume about how to put together a successful faculty development program and create a supportive environment for learning in challenging times.» —Judith A. Ramaley, president, Winona State University «This is the book on faculty development in higher education. Everyone involved in faculty development—including provosts, deans, department chairs, faculty, and teaching center staff—will learn from the extensive research and the practical wisdom in the Guide.» —Peter Felten, president, The POD Network (2010–2011), and director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Elon University

The Complete Guide to the Theory and Practice of Materials Development for Language Learning provides undergraduate and graduate-level students in applied linguistics and TESOL, researchers, materials developers, and teachers with everything they need to know about the latest theory and practice of language learning materials development for all media. The past two decades have seen historic change in the field of language learning materials development. The four main drivers of that change include a shift in emphasis from materials for language teaching to language learning; evidenced-based development; the huge increase in digital delivery technologies; and the wedding of materials developed for the learning of English with those for other second or foreign languages. Timely, authoritative, and global in scope, this text represents the ideal resource for all those studying and working in the field of language learning.

Since 1972, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health. To further its mission of improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation strives to foster innovation, develop ideas, disseminate information, and enable committed people to devote their energies to improving the nation’s well-being. As part of the Foundation’s efforts to inform the public, To Improve Health and Health Care, the eighth volume in The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Anthology series, provides an in-depth look into the programs it funds. Written for policy makers and practitioners, as well as interested members of the public, the series offers valuable lessons for leaders and educators developing plans for the coming years.

Since 1972, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health. To further its mission of improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation strives to foster innovation, develop ideas, disseminate information, and enable committed people to devote their energies to improving the nation's well-being. As part of the Foundation's efforts to inform the public, To Improve Health and Health Care, the ninth volume in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Anthology series, provides an in-depth look into the programs it funds. Written for policymakers and practitioners, as well as interested members of the public, the series offers valuable lessons for leaders and educators developing plans for the coming years.

Leading for Instructional Improvement Educational experts agree that quality teaching is the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes for all students. Teaching is a highly sophisticated and complex endeavor requiring deep expertise on the part of teachers and school leaders. This book shows how teacher, school, and district leaders can cultivate the expertise of teachers to deliver high quality instruction for all students. Leading for Instructional Improvement captures the nationally acclaimed work conducted by the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington in its effort to improve the quality of teaching and leadership in schools across the country. The book provides extensive practical guidance grounded in theory and research, along with powerful stories and examples from classrooms, schools, and districts. Many of the tools, protocols, and frameworks contained in this book can be accessed electronically by visiting the Center for Educational Leadership website at www.k-12leadership.org. Praise for Leading for Instructional Improvement «This book offers insights that are invaluable to educators who seek to enhance teacher effectiveness now. The ideas presented are practical and applicable to schools in a variety of settings.» —PEDRO A. NOGUERA, Ph.D., Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development and executive director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education «A deep and thoughtful look at how the issue of expertise is cultivated. Seizing upon their Center's research-based instructional framework, the authors provide important insights and tools.» —DR. BEVERLY HALL, superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools «In this age of intense focus on how we evaluate teachers, we have to remember that any evaluation is only as good as the evaluator. This extremely useful book provides an excellent roadmap for how principals can become more effective in the most important aspect of their work, instructional leadership.» —JERRY D. WEAST, Ed.D., superintendent of schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland «Fink and Markholt offer practitioners a guide to effective teaching. Leading for Instructional Improvement asks us to heed the lessons within and support the kind of teacher education that will improve student achievement for today's schools and those of tomorrow.» —BARNETT BERRY, president, Center for Teaching Quality

The latest edition of this classic text provides a comprehensive and internationally relevant introduction to work and organizational psychology, exploring the depth and diversity of the field in an accessible way without obscuring the complexities of the subject. Third edition of a classic textbook offering a complete introduction to work and organizational psychology for undergraduate and graduate students with no prior knowledge of the field An innovative new six part structure with two-colour presentation focuses the core material around issues that are either Job-Focused, Organization-Focused, or People-Focused Each chapter title is a question designed to engage readers in understanding work and organizational psychology whilst simultaneously inviting discussion of key topics in the field The third edition introduces two new co-editors in Franco Fraccaroli from Italy and Magnus Sverke, who join Nik Chmiel and will increase relevance and appeal for European students

Continuing to Engage the Online Learner Contributing to both the theoretical and practical literature, Continuing to Engage the Online Learner expands on the work of Conrad and Donaldson's bestselling Engaging the Online Learner. This next-step resource introduces a new phase to their proven model, the Phases of Engagement, and addresses a wide range of online and hybrid learning environments, technology tools, and communication styles. Comprehensive in scope, the book provides an introduction to the theory of engaged learning and its design, assessment, and management in online and blended learning environments and describes the types of activities that motivate the online learner in each phase of engagement. This down-to-earth resource also includes 50 new and illustrative activities paired with each phase of engagement. In Continuing to Engage the Online Learner Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson provide relevant and theoretically-sound information to enhance teaching and engage learners, offering a practical handbook for instructors. «Conrad and Donaldson have done it again! Not only have they presented a solid and useful discussion of the phases of engagement, they have brought the theory alive through the presentation of practical activities that would work well in any online or hybrid course.» —Rena Palloff, faculty, Fielding Graduate University and author, The Excellent Online Instructor

Develop and deliver a robust employee training and development program Training and Development For Dummies gives you the tools you need to develop a strong and effective training and development program. Covering the latest in talent development, this informative guide addresses classroom, virtual, and blended learning to open up your options and help you design the program that's right for your company. You'll explore the different modes of formal learning, including social learning, m-learning, and MOOCs, and delve into the benefits and implementation of self-directed and informal learning. The discussion covers mentoring and coaching, rotational and stretch assignments, and how to align talent development with the company's needs. You'll learn how to assess employee skills, design and deliver training, and evaluate each step of the process to achieve the goals of both the employee and the organization. Most employees have some weaknesses in their skill sets. A robust training program allows you to strengthen those skills, and a development program brings all employees up to the highest possible level of productivity and success. This book helps you create consistency in your company by developing and delivering the exact training and development program your people need. Develop a strong training and development program Foster a supportive and innovative work environment Learn about social learning, m-learning, and MOOCs Assess and evaluate your staff more effectively A great training and development program boosts performance, productivity, job satisfaction, and quality of services, while reducing costs and supervision. Investing in your employees gives an excellent ROI, as talent development is a primary driver behind both motivation and loyalty. Training and Development For Dummies shows you how to reap these benefits, with step by step guidance and essential expert insight.

Podcasting 101 for Training and Development Podcasting can help you revolutionize the way you deliver training. This groundbreaking book provides an innovative approach to designing and developing podcasts that can improve employees' productivity by providing them with easy-to-access up-to-date information. The book is designed to help you to decide if podcasting is the right solution for the business challenge that your organization is facing, and then guide you to make the right decisions in selecting the software and hardware that you will use to create your podcasts. Podcasting 101 for Training and Development includes critical information about the legal issues surrounding podcast development, contains an approach to developing podcasts that will ensure that your podcasts make a positive business impact, and teaches you how to plan, record, edit, and publish a training podcast. «Timely and relevant, Podcasting 101 for Training and Development is required reading for anyone interested in realistic cost-effective strategies for delivering rapidly changing content to an increasingly mobile-enabled workforce. Kaliym strikes a perfect balance between visionary thinking and practical application.» –Tai Goodwin, principal lead, Learning Media «This book introduces not only a great media, but a great approach for developing and deploying podcasts in a training environment. Podcasting 101 for Training and Development is a must read for any training manager who must deploy frequently changing training programs to a distributed workforce.» –Herman C. Thomas, deputy director for technical training, New York City Housing Authority