Assessing the effectiveness of a faculty development program

Summary form only given. The College of Engineering at San Jose State University (USA) initiated its Faculty Development Program in the spring of 1996. The program offers workshops and mentoring for faculty on various topics relating to teaching, such as pedagogy and use of technology. Workshops are offered by outside experts as well as faculty from within the college, who share their innovations and mentor other faculty. In the last three years, particular emphasis has been given on introducing cooperative learning (CL) and on mentoring interested faculty in adapting the technique in their classes. The paper first discusses the goals and objectives of the Faculty Development Program along with the various activities designed to achieve these goals. Subsequently, it discusses the impact of the program in terms of its effectiveness in changing faculty´s approach to teaching and, in particular, in convincing them to adapt cooperative learning in their classes.