Factors affecting departmental peer collaboration for faculty development: Two cases in context

This paper extends current research on departmental peer collaboration as a means of faculty development. Given the potential advantages of such situated developmental activities, the need for further research is pressing. The study reported here examines two different cases of department-based, practice-centered peer inquiry projects; one set in a department of history and one in a department of mechanical engineering. Both departmental projects were part of a larger initiative on the peer review of teaching coordinated by the American Association for Higher Education. The aim of this study is to illuminate factors that can influence the nature, development and impact of such collaborative activities. The leadership, structure and outcomes of each department's project are compared and contrasted. The role of departmental culture is considered, through an investigation of potential influences from the discipline and institution, as well as from departmental history. Factors such as the norms of scholarly collaboration, standard work patterns, the presence or absence of external curricular standards, university status, faculty autonomy and morale are discussed.