COLLABORATIVE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS – AN ACTIVITY SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Abstract

In the last several decades educational development efforts for faculty at higher education institutions have shifted to be more collaborative in nature, using approaches such as communities of practice and faculty learning communities. Including activities with strong interpersonal components such as communities of practice and faculty learning communities also introduces complex interpersonal and sociocultural dimensions to understanding the nature and function of these activities. The purpose of this study was to examine two collaborative educational development activities focused on improving teaching and learning by using activity systems analysis approach – based in Cultural Historical Activity Theory - to provide greater insight into the sociocultural dynamics of these types of activities. Specifically, this study was focused on tensions and contradictions in collaborative educational development activities, the impact of these tensions on these activities as a whole, and how interpersonal and sociocultural dimensions of an activity like a community of practice or faculty learning community may be affected by these dimensions. The two activities selected included a faculty learning community designed to allow faculty to learn more about applying a flipped classroom approach to designing courses for online and hybrid learning environments, and a faculty lunch and discussion group in which a video series on teaching strategies was the regular topic of discussion. A thematic analysis was conducted of transcripts of interviews conducted with participants and facilitators from each activity, followed by an activity systems analysis using the same data. Key findings for each of the cases varied across the activities. For Case A, the thematic and activity system analyses drew attention to how one’s role in the activity impacted the activity itself and how tensions between activity participants and facilitators affected the experiences and actions of others in the activity. For Case B, the key thematic and activity system analysis findings were related to a simmering tension between campus administration and Case B interviewees. Overall, the addition of an activity system analysis layer of analysis added to and complemented the thematic analysis, providing additional insight into the sociocultural dimensions of each activity and the systemic tensions present in each case.