Incentivizing Teaching Innovations in Professional Programs Through Individual and Institutional Support

• In Event: Stimulating Improvements in Professions Education Programs — Paper Session

Abstract

Given strong evidence that active learning could be more beneficial for student outcomes than passive learning (e.g., traditional lecturing), the impetus to understand both the barriers and affordances that could influence faculty members’ adoption of innovative teaching practices has correspondingly gained traction. Exploratory correlational evidence collected from 48 business school faculty at a research-intensive university showed that perceptions of sufficient incentives to teach effectively, as well as provisions of sufficient training, and support to do so, predicted increased adoption of in-class activities, and a corresponding reduction in time spent lecturing. Tentatively, this indicates to administrators that one way to improve student learning outcomes could be to provide sufficient incentives to encourage faculty members to consider adopting innovative teaching practices.

Authors

• Junjie Su, University of Maryland - College Park

• Sandra Michelle Loughlin, University of Maryland

• J. Elizabeth Richey, Carnegie Mellon University