PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEACHERS: Year Two Data from an Online Graduate Certificate Program in Community College Teaching

摘要

The departments of Adult and Higher Educations (AHE) and Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) within the College of Education at North Carolina State University developed an NSF supported graduate certificate program in Community College Teaching (project #0302839). The cohort-based program has focused on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to design and deliver course-related content through technology-enhanced learning environments for faculty who teach in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) related areas. The courses developed for the graduate certificate enhance faculty abilities in both online and classroom environments. The program is currently in its third year with the first cohort of community college teachers from North Carolina and South Carolina completing their fifth course. A second cohort began in the fall of 2005. The project meets the broader goals of the NSF-Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program by institutionalizing the means by which working professionals can be recruited to fill shortages in community college faculty teaching positions in STEM fields. It also provides a means whereby current community college faculty can upgrade their instructional skills.