Using self-determination theory to evaluate faculty professional development programs
Fecha
2019-01-01
Autores
Vieira C.
Ortega-Alvarez J.D.
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Research in Engineering Education Network
Resumen
This paper discusses the challenges of assessing faculty professional development programs and proposes using the self-determination theory to guide the development of an instrument to assess such programs. Previous experiences have shown that some professional development programs may become transformative learning experiences. These programs present unique challenges for assessment. Since the participants may experience a shift in their understanding of specific concepts, they may feel less competent after they have actively participated in a set of learning activities regarding those concepts. In this study, we propose measuring participants' perceptions of the three psychological needs suggested by the self-determination theory: Autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The participants of a professional development workshop on instructional design completed a pretest/posttest instrument designed to assess changes in their perceptions about autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the context of instructional design. This paper presents the preliminary validation of the instrument using factor analysis, checking for internal consistency, and assessing convergent and discriminant validity. Based on the results from these analyses, the research team proposes future directions for the refinement of the instrument and the assessment of professional development programs. Copyright © 2019 Camilo Vieira and Juan David Ortega-Alvarez.