A PILOT-STUDY OF FACULTY-DEVELOPMENT FOR BASIC SCIENCE TEACHERS

Purpose. Relatively little research has focused on faculty development methods that assist basic science teachers to improve their instructi onal skills. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness for b asic science faculty of a faculty development seminar series that had been previously shown useful for clinical teachers. Method. The Stanfo rd Faculty Development Program's seminars on clinical teaching were ad apted for basic science instruction. Eight pathology faculty participa ted in a series of nine small-group seminars designed to provide teach ers with knowledge of a framework for analyzing teaching and identifyi ng areas for improvement, and skill-based training in specific teachin g behaviors. Each seminar included (1) brief lectures, (2) review of v ideotaped reenactments of teaching interactions, (3) role-play exercis es with videotape review, and (4) formulation of personal and departme ntal teaching goals. Results. Program evaluation included multiple mea sures: participant self-assessment, student ratings of the participant s, and blinded ratings of pre- and post-seminar videotapes of particip ants' classroom teaching. All measures indicated a positive effect of the intervention. Conclusion. Faculty development programs have signif icant potential to enhance basic science instructors' teaching effecti veness.