Development and Preliminary Validation of the Survey of Departmental Climate for Teaching Improvement

• In Event: 46.056 - Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Influencing Instructional Practice

Abstract

This paper examines the development and validation of the survey of departmental climate for teaching improvement (DCTI). DCTI is a 52-item Likert-scale instrument designed to measure seven aspects of organizational climate related to teaching improvement. The goal of the paper is to describe: (a) our development process, (b) initial steps in validation, and (c) patterns in the pilot data from 380 instructors in 22 STEM and applied science departments at two large institutions in the United States. Results indicate that the instrument is reliable and has the potential to differentiate among departments with different organizational climate features. The instrument and results are relevant to faculty developers, higher education researchers, and discipline-based education researchers.

Authors

• Emily M. Walter, Western Michigan University

• Andrea L. Beach, Western Michigan University

• Charles R. Henderson, Western Michigan University

• Cody Tyler Williams, Western Michigan University