Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development

The professionalization of disciplines often leads to formalization of disciplinary training. As professionalization occurs, informal training roles are typically supplanted as the normative method of training but can continue to exist in parallel with formal methods. As in other fields, the ongoing...

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Main Authors: Janie Brennan, Joe Tranquillo, Todd Fernandez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Michigan Publishing Services 2022-11-01
Series:To Improve the Academy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/article/id/440/
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author Janie Brennan
Joe Tranquillo
Todd Fernandez
author_facet Janie Brennan
Joe Tranquillo
Todd Fernandez
author_sort Janie Brennan
collection DOAJ
description The professionalization of disciplines often leads to formalization of disciplinary training. As professionalization occurs, informal training roles are typically supplanted as the normative method of training but can continue to exist in parallel with formal methods. As in other fields, the ongoing professionalization of faculty development has created significant formalization of training. While the positive impact of formalization is clear in many areas of faculty development, little is known about how formalization affected the informal roles, activities, and perceptions that served to train faculty. This exploratory study reports on data gathered at a workshop designed to document and share stories of ongoing informal faculty development by engineering faculty. The results show that participants struggle to articulate their role in faculty development independent of the systems, programs, and individuals that make up the formalized training systems. Participants were unsure what to do, what they were allowed to do, and whether to label such work faculty development. They saw importance in informal faculty development work but seemed to feel a lack of agency to name such work as faculty development because it exists outside of the professionalized and formalized sphere of modern faculty development. The results suggest a paradox: faculty without a formal role in faculty development are still interested in aiding their peers’ growth informally but are unclear on their role without guidance from the formal system, which inherently reinforces the role of the formal system as the arbiters of faculty development.
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spelling doaj-art-a587a533a8c54086b01b397d2fccc1832025-08-20T03:34:33ZengMichigan Publishing ServicesTo Improve the Academy2334-48222022-11-0141210.3998/tia.440Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty developmentJanie Brennan0Joe Tranquillo1Todd Fernandez2Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. LouisBucknell UniversityBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThe professionalization of disciplines often leads to formalization of disciplinary training. As professionalization occurs, informal training roles are typically supplanted as the normative method of training but can continue to exist in parallel with formal methods. As in other fields, the ongoing professionalization of faculty development has created significant formalization of training. While the positive impact of formalization is clear in many areas of faculty development, little is known about how formalization affected the informal roles, activities, and perceptions that served to train faculty. This exploratory study reports on data gathered at a workshop designed to document and share stories of ongoing informal faculty development by engineering faculty. The results show that participants struggle to articulate their role in faculty development independent of the systems, programs, and individuals that make up the formalized training systems. Participants were unsure what to do, what they were allowed to do, and whether to label such work faculty development. They saw importance in informal faculty development work but seemed to feel a lack of agency to name such work as faculty development because it exists outside of the professionalized and formalized sphere of modern faculty development. The results suggest a paradox: faculty without a formal role in faculty development are still interested in aiding their peers’ growth informally but are unclear on their role without guidance from the formal system, which inherently reinforces the role of the formal system as the arbiters of faculty development.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/article/id/440/professionalizationexternalitiesagencystructurefaculty development
spellingShingle Janie Brennan
Joe Tranquillo
Todd Fernandez
Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
To Improve the Academy
professionalization
externalities
agency
structure
faculty development
title Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
title_full Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
title_fullStr Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
title_full_unstemmed Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
title_short Professionalization and the forgotten system: Observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
title_sort professionalization and the forgotten system observed practices and perceptions at the intersection of informal and formal faculty development
topic professionalization
externalities
agency
structure
faculty development
url https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/article/id/440/
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AT joetranquillo professionalizationandtheforgottensystemobservedpracticesandperceptionsattheintersectionofinformalandformalfacultydevelopment
AT toddfernandez professionalizationandtheforgottensystemobservedpracticesandperceptionsattheintersectionofinformalandformalfacultydevelopment