Self-efficacy and Diffusion Theory - Implications for Faculty Development

There is a perception that a variety of forces, both social and technological, are accelerating the rate at which change is needed and occurring in higher education. There is also recognition that the primary means through which institutions change is via the creativity, innovation, pedagogy, and scholarship of their faculty. Addressing the challenges offered by these change issues, faculty development programs provide an institutionalized mechanism through which change may become manifest systemically. Situated within the context of institutional change, this study sought to better understand the underlying psychological processes that facilitate the adoption of innovations and new pedagogical practices by faculty within higher education. Through an interdisciplinary approach, self-efficacy research and Roger's diffusion theory were used to inform a line of inquiry that ultimately offers guidance for the evolution of future faculty development practices as well as directions for future areas of research. Faculty developers, administrators and faculty in higher education, educational psychologists, change managers, and diffusion theorists will find practical value in this book.