University of Michigan

      National Center for Postsecondary Improvement

        Project 5.3 on Student Learning and Assessment

                The Faculty Survey:

back to Faculty Factor Page
back to Survey Intro Page                   
Back to Project 5.3 Toolkit Homepage

Variables and Factors extracted from the Faculty Survey 

Innovation:

Category
Factor Scale – Variable
Survey Question – Variable Identification
Response Options
Involvement with Innovation
Implement and Evaluate Teaching and Learning Practices
(alpha = .73)
How frequently do you participate in the following activities?
1.      Assist faculty peers in their use of new teaching and learning practices
2.      Make recommendations to administrative offices about new teaching and learning practices
3.      Evaluate faculty in their use of new teaching and learning practices
4.      Evaluate the effectiveness of new teaching and learning practices for my department
5.      Help determine the performance standard for students graduating from my department
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Academic Bridging Initiatives
(alpha = .71)
What is the level of faculty involvement in your institution on the following?
1.      Interdisciplinary teaching initiatives
2.      Innovations in undergraduate education
3.      Student assessment policies and procedures
4.      Student academic support services
1=no involvement
2=little involvement
3=moderate involvement
4=strong involvement
5=very strong involvement
 
 
 
 
Pedagogy
Enacting Pedagogical Changes
How important are each of these activities at your institution?
1.      Changing the way students learn mathematics
2.      Changing the way students learn science
1=not important
2=somewhat important
3=very important
4=essential
 
 
 
 
 
Encouraging Peer Learning
(alpha = .80)
How important are each of these activities at your institution?
1.      Creating small communities where students’ academic and social environments are seamless
2.      Assisting cohorts of students in taking a series of linked introductory courses/sections
3.      Encouraging more faculty involvement in discussions about teaching improvement 
4.      Using student peer groups to reinforce course learning 
5.      Encouraging faculty to do research on how students learn in their classes
1=not important
2=somewhat important
3=very important
4=essential
 
 
 
 
 
Use In-class Technology
(alpha = .48)
In how many of your undergraduate courses do you do each of the following?
1.      Use an electronic assessment method 
2.      Use computer-based practice exercises 
3.      Provide a course web page
1=none
2=some
3=most
4=all
 
 
 
 
 
Interdisciplinary teaching
(alpha = .59)
How frequently have you engaged in each of the following activities?
1.      Team taught a course
2.      Participated in interdisciplinary course development or projects 
3.      Offered a course listed in more than one department
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Use Innovative Techniques
(alpha = .68)
How frequently do you do each of the following?
1.      Introduce new or experimental teaching strategies in class
2.      Depend on the same teaching routines year after year 
3.      Expect students to guide the discussion and activities for a majority of class time 
4.      Create regular assignments that have many different correct answers or approaches
1=not at all
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Encourage Student Collaboration
(alpha = .65)
How frequently do you do each of the following?
1.      Encourage students to act as “peer mentors” to others in review or discussion sections 
2.      Ask students directly whether they understand course material 
3.      Encourage students to collaborate on course work through study groups or internet discussions
1=not at all
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Use Active Learning
(alpha = .82)
In how many of your undergraduate courses do you do each of the following?
1.      Require multiple drafts of student written work for progressive feedback
2.      Lecture extensively 
3.      Use small group work/group projects 
4.      Use short in-class writing exercises (e.g. one minute papers) to quickly assess student understanding of course material 
5.      Require student in-class presentations 
6.      Collect and evaluate portfolios of student work 
7.      Explicitly state to students your goals for student learning
1=none
2=some
3=most
4=all
 
 
 
 
 
Cross-Disciplinary Teaching
(alpha = .72)
How frequently have you engaged in each of the following activities?
1.      Included reading on theories and scholarship from other fields in your teaching
2.      Drew on theories and scholarship from other disciplines to enhance your own work
3.      Collaborated with colleagues from outside your discipline on teaching issues
4.      Consulted literature on teaching and learning to inform your teaching
5.      Met with students outside of formally scheduled times 
6.      Spent a good amount of class time addressing student questions
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Encourage Student Involvement
(alpha = .60)
How frequently do you do each of the following?
1.      Work to get students to ask questions during class 
2.      Listen to students' concerns, and take them into account in my teaching 
3.      Design classes to be highly interactive
1=not at all
2=occasionally
3=frequently
 
 
 
 
 
Dependent, Passive
(alpha = .62)
Please indicate your agreement about what students expect of you.
1.      Extensive use of audio/visual aids
2.      High grades
3.      Opportunities to redo assignments to improve grades
4.      Outlines and other printed course aids
5.      An entertaining lecture style
6.      Multiple out-of-classroom gatherings 
7.      Frequent summaries of key concepts
1=disagree strongly
2=disagree somewhat
3=agree somewhat
4=agree strongly
 
 
 
 
Minimal Innovation
Traditional Testing
In how many of your undergraduate courses do you do each of the following?
1.      Use a standardized test 
2.      Use a department-wide examination
1=none
2=some
3=most
4=all
 
 
 
 
Working Environment
Value of Innovation by Institution
(alpha = .74)
Please indicate your agreement with each of the following statements about your department.
1.      Allows student input on academic program issues
2.      Encourages faculty to work with other campus units to improve student learning
3.      Is recognized by faculty on other campuses for its approach to teaching, learning and assessment 
4.      Is perceived as a campus leader on issues of student assessment
1=disagree strongly
2=disagree somewhat
3=agree somewhat
4=agree strongly
 
 
 
 
 
Course Development
(alpha = .62)
How centralized are each of the following activities at your institution?
1.      Determination of coursework requirements
2.      Development of final exams
3.      Decisions regarding course content
4.      Development of teaching techniques
1=no coordination
2=voluntary by ad-hoc faculty groups
3=department
4=college or school
5=institution
 
 
 
 
Department Resistance to Innovation
Lack of Efficacy
(alpha = .73)
Regarding new teaching and learning practices, to what extent do you feel that each of the following is a concern of faculty in your department?
1.      They feel that following teaching trends or fads is dangerous
2.      They feel the new practice is less effective than traditional teaching techniques
3.      New practices seem ill-founded or ill-researched
4.      They feel that such practices make them give up too much classroom control
1=not a concern
2=minor concern
3=major concern
 
 
 
 
 
Performance Pressure
Regarding new teaching and learning practices, to what extent do you feel that each of the following is a concern of faculty in your department?
1.      They do not feel they can perform this practice well 
2.      There is pressure from peers to resist new practices
1=not a concern
2=minor concern
3=major concern
 
 
 
 
 
Time-Consuming
(alpha = .46)
Regarding new teaching and learning practices, to what extent do you feel that each of the following is a concern of faculty in your department?
1.      New practices are typically dictated by the needs of administrators 
2.      New practices seem too time-consuming
3.      New practices are too time-consuming for students
1=not a concern
2=minor concern
3=major concern
 
 
 
 
Professional Development
Collaboration with Colleagues
In the past three years, how many times have you performed each of these activities?
1.      Discussed teaching with colleagues
2.      Participated in informal teaching development activities with colleagues
1=never
2=Every 2 or 3 years
3=Annually
4=More than once a year
 
 
 
 
 
From Conferences and Publications
(alpha = .69)
How do you learn to use new teaching, learning or assessment techniques?
1.      Publications in my discipline
2.      Faculty development workshops
3.      Disciplinary conferences
4.      General higher education publications
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
4=almost always
 
 
 
 
 
From Faculty
(alpha = .65)
How do you learn to use new teaching, learning or assessment techniques?
1.      Discussion in faculty meetings 
2.      Presentations by faculty in your department
3.      Conversations with faculty colleagues
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
4=almost always
 
 
 
 
 
From Students
How do you learn to use new teaching, learning or assessment techniques?
1.      Your undergraduate students
2.      Your graduate students
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
4=almost always
 
 
 
 
 
From in-house expert
How do you learn to use new teaching, learning or assessment techniques?
1.      A designated master teacher in your department
1=never
2=occasionally
3=frequently
4=almost always
back to Faculty Factor Page
back to Survey Intro Page                   
Back to Project 5.3 Toolkit Homepage