Faculty development for junior educators: advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Through Co-Teaching and Mentoring.

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of a faculty development program (FDP) on learner-related outcomes. This longitudinal program was designed by integrating co-teaching and mentoring methods. The FDP specifically focused on enhancing the competencies of junior educators in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Within the program, a mentor collaborated with a junior educator to generate ideas, design studies, plan and implement educational strategies, and evaluate outcomes-all aimed at addressing educational challenges or applying innovative methods in the educational setting. Learner-related outcomes were assessed using the three levels (reaction, learning, and behavior) of the Kirkpatrick model.

Results: The educators' perception toward SoTL activity and satisfaction were 35.60 ± 4.30 and 4.4 ± 0.7, respectively. The success rate of educators in conducting SoTL projects was 90.4%. The score of SoTL reports in the learning level was 85 ± 8. The productions of SoTL activities, including 38 grant funds, five SoTL festival awards, and nine projects, were published in journals and 10 abstracts. The experiences of the junior educators about the FDP are categorized into a theme of 'team learning in the teaching process'. The combination of co-teaching and mentoring elements created a supportive and collaborative environment in the FDP.