Content area
The purpose of this applied dissertation project was to identify the elements of a comprehensive professional development program and apply that knowledge to the development of an institutionally-specific program for Salem State College School of Nursing (SSCSON). On-going program evaluation at SSCSON indicated that professional development needs, accreditation requirements, and strategic planning goals related to faculty development were not currently being met at the school.
The following six research questions were addressed in this study: (1) What is the status of professional development at Salem State College and SSCSON? (2) What structural and procedural faculty development practices are utilized at three nursing programs in benchmark collegiate institutions? (3) What do SSCSON faculty consider to be the essential elements of a professional development program? (4) What would be the most appropriate applied professional development model to meet the needs of SSCSON faculty? (5) What strategies should be considered in an implementation plan for the SSCSON faculty development program? (6) What criteria should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the SSCSON faculty development program?
Development and evaluation methodologies were used to address the problem and research questions. Procedures included review of related literature, development and administration of four data collection instruments, formative and summative committee review, analysis of collected data, and development of a comprehensive faculty development program inclusive of implementation and evaluation plans.
Based on the literature and collected data, a three-phase, comprehensive development program was designed to address SSCSON full- and part-time faculty learning needs from hiring until resignation/retirement. Boyer's (1990) domains of scholarship, Simpson's (1990) regenerative learning process, and Kirkpatrick's (1959, 1960) evaluation model provided conceptual guidance in the development of program components.
The study concluded that the development of a comprehensive faculty development program should be conceptually derived, empirically supported, and institutionally specific. Study recommendations included faculty acceptance of the SSCSON professional development program and its associated implementation and evaluation plans. It was further recommended that the study results be disseminated through journal publication and conference presentations. Future research efforts should examine the effect of formalized development programs on collegiate nursing faculty retention.