Evaluating the effectiveness of occupational therapy faculty development workshops.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, from the participants' perspective, the effectiveness over time of 10 occupational therapy faculty development workshops conducted between 1994 and 1998.

Method: Surveys were mailed to 179 occupational therapy faculty participants to gather demographic data and perceptions of the following aspects of the workshops: benefits over time of the instructional content, changes made in current teaching practices, progress as a faculty member, and future needs for faculty development.

Results: The response rate was 63% (n = 106). The majority (72%) of respondents had less than 5 years of teaching experience. Respondents were women in their early 40s with approximately 12 years of clinical experience and a master's degree. Respondents perceived the most effective aspect of the faculty development workshops as the opportunity to participate in a face-to-face environment in which they observed the skills of a master teacher demonstrating instructional principles. Further, respondents reported that the greatest changes in their current teaching practices occurred in their ability to design, implement, and evaluate a course of instruction, thus increasing their perceptions of progress as a faculty member.

Conclusion: The 10 faculty development workshops conducted between 1994 and 1998 were judged effective by occupational therapy faculty members who perceived that their participation resulted in benefits over time to their current teaching practices.