An Interview with Roberto Bamberger go to Critical Reviews Roberto Bamberger, a former professor of engineering and computer science at Washington State University who directed a lab that developed multimedia based instructional materials, currently is responsible for Microsoft's Faculty Development Initiatives Program. Institutions need to improve the quality of education. There is a lot of money available for new software and hardware development, but faculty members are really the critical component in meeting this triple challenge. We need to help faculty become comfortable with changing ways of teaching, supporting them in their increased workloads and time pressures, encouraging them to reexamine how they teach, and helping them feel supported by their institutions. Overall, faculty members should focus on how they like to teach and how technology can be appropriate for their methods.
Institutions vary in the way they approach faculty development.
But universally, people understand the rewards and incentives of respecting faculty comfort zones. In general, when instructors see peers making improvements that enhance their teaching, they are more willing to try new methods. People are creatures of habit. They accept change when they see a good value in it. Institutions shouldn't take a prescriptive role when designing faculty development programs.