Gathering Evidence for an Assessment of Environments That Motivate Teaching Excellence

Abstract

Inequities and discrimination within the systems and structures of higher education prevent faculty from doing and receiving recognition for their best work as educators. The purpose of this study is to present the validation testing and overview of results from a new project designed to help institutions understand the teaching environments in their local context and for researchers to understand teaching environments in higher education. The assessment instrument examined here guides our understanding of faculty needs, motivations, and supports that are necessary for healthy teaching environments and the wellbeing of diverse faculty. Findings from this study add to our knowledge of faculty teaching cultures as well as provide an example of how to collect validity evidence for climate assessment instruments