The Research On The Strategies For Junior Faculty Instructional Development Of American University

With the increasing number of junior faculty in colleges and universities,the increasingly prominent of teaching quality issues,instructional development of junior faculty has become a concerned focus in higher education.Junior faculty have developed into the main strength of faculty and its teaching level is directly related to the University’s teaching quality.In this context,promoting the instructional development of junior faculty is one of the important measures to improve the teaching quality.Instructional development of junior faculty in the United States is an important means of maintaining excellent teaching quality.Since 1962,after the establishment of Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in the University of Michigan,many universities and colleges have set up the faculty development centers to provide development services for the faculty in different stages of career.The main task of these centers is to provide services for junior faculty instructional development.Research on the strategies for junior faculty instructional development of the United States colleges and universities has important significance.In this paper,using the method of literature and case analysis of the junior faculty instructional development,the analysis is from the theoretical basis,contents and objectives,implementation platform,safeguard mechanism to activities strategies.Faculty development model theory,the scholarship of teaching and learning and teacher career cycle theory is the main theoretical support.Development is mainly based on the teaching problems that junior faculty encountered or will encounter in their work,including teaching,students,curriculum and evaluation,etc.Teaching development centers are the main platform.In view of the strategy for instructional development ranging broadly,this research mainly analyzes from teaching orientation,teaching communication to teaching reflection and teaching grants.The teaching communication activities include consultation,mentoring,seminar and faculty learning communities.The research indicates that the junior faculty instructional development in the United States has the following characteristics: in theory aspect,it has a solid theoretical basis,and the scholarship of teaching and learning services as guidance;in implementation it has specialized platforms;multi funding and system served as supporting;diversified development activities strategies.In view of the above analysis,there are some tips for the implement of junior faculty instructional development in our country.In theory,deepen the theoretical study,strengthen the scholarship of teaching and learning.Clear function orientation,universities should establish the faculty development centers.Colleges should based on the development of junior faculty in different needs,enrich the teaching content and the form of development activities,such as standardized mentoring,teaching portfolios and junior faculty learning communities.Universities should provide reasonable security system for the implementation of development strategies,such as reasonable evaluation system and reward teaching system.