Faculty Resource Council on
Disability Model

Determining the Content and Method of Delivery of Professional Development Modules

UALR. The content and structure of the training modules were determined in response to 1) a needs assessment that was disseminated to faculty across campus, 2) student and faculty focus groups, and 3) input from disability services staff. Training was delivered through an initial 1.5-hour orientation and four 4-hour sessions. Each session was offered three times to accommodate a variety of schedules. A pre-assessment was provided to help presenters gauge the knowledge level of the participants. The modules were delivered using a variety of techniques including: lecture supported by multimedia, discussion, video, and personal stories of people with disabilities.

UAPB. The needs assessment provided at UALR was adapted for UAPB. Staff reviewed the results from the needs assessment, administrative requests, and evaluation results from the UALR training to adapt the content of the sessions. Training was delivered through eight 2-hour sessions. Since the size of the FRC was small, the sessions were only provided once and all members attended together. The modules were delivered using a variety of techniques including: lecture supported by multimedia, discussion, video, and personal stories of people with disabilities.

Recommendations:

• Seek input from faculty through needs assessments, focus groups, or pre-assessment activities to determine content.

• Be aware of any current concerns on your campus and incorporate those topics into the content.

• Consider the mode of delivery that best suits the needs of your campus. Though many institutions are initiating web-based faculty training, the Project PACE staff saw definite advantages to interacting with and getting to know the faculty participants. Needs assessments revealed that some faculty members would be excluded if materials were only delivered online.

• Emphasize the concept and practice of Universal Instructional Design and provide models for implementing the principles.