A Study of Instructional Innovators at Michigan State University

• Main Author: Sachs, Steven G
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 1977
• Subjects: College Faculty; Educational Innovation; Faculty Evaluation; Higher Education; Instructional Innovation; Michigan State University; Program Evaluation; Teacher Evaluation

The purpose was to identify characteristics of the faculty and departments which had voluntarily initiated instructional innovations through the Educational Development Program (EDP). A profile of the participating faculty was developed and characteristics of 90 EDP project directors were compared with those of a random sample of 250 other faculty members at the university. The 18 variables selected from the Rogers and Shoemaker model included age, faculty status, size of teaching load, specialization of teaching responsibility, innovativeness, and knowledge of instructional innovations. Some questionnaire data was based on self-rating. There were five general conclusions: (1) EDP supported innovators were representative of MSU faculty regarding age, rank, and college affiliation; (2) three types of project directors were identified by characteristics; (3) there were differences between the 2 test groups in personal and social characteristics; (4) the faculty could be identified as innovators, early adopters, and non-innovators; (5) EDP innovators perceived their departments did not provide sufficient financial and/or psychological support for instructional innovation. (JAB)