These faculty attended workshops on adult learners, learning styles, classroom assessment techniques, and interactive teaching techniques. The following Spring, they applied these techniques to their evening classes. The Activating Learning in the Classroom Project at Middlesex Community College is a year-long instructional and professional development program. Eight professors repre- senting each college division volunteer to reconfigure one of their courses to promote active learning. The program begins at the end of the spring semester with five full days of seminars during which the professors assess their own teaching style, their students' thinking, and the materials used in their class.
Some community colleges tie faculty development to the evaluation process.
Oklahoma Junior College has developed a novel approach as part of a peer evaluation process. Peer coaching, which guarantees a non-threatening environment, is linked to a complementary staff development program. Massachusetts Bay Community College has produced an ongoing publication called Educational Forum, designed to promote discussion of teaching, learning, and professional development. Some faculty development programs focus on curriculum development. Development programs allow the community college faculty to establish links with professional colleagues, to modify and improve instructional material and delivery, and to keep the spark of creativity and enthusiasm alive for themselves and their students.