Dr. L. Dee Fink, Director
Instructional DevelopmentProgram
University of Oklahoma
Background Information
Contact Information
Dr. L. Dee Fink, Director
Instructional Development Program
Hester Hall, Room 203
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma 73019-0385
Phone: (405) 325-2323
Fax: (405) 325-7402
E-mail:
Higher Education
Ph.D. December, 1976, Department of Geography, University of Chicago
Dissertation: "Listening to the Learner: An Exploratory Study of Personal Meaning in College Geography Courses"
Current Professional Roles
University of Oklahoma - (1979 to present)
(a) Director, Instructional Development Program
(b) Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
POD (Professional & Organizational Development) Network in Higher Education - The POD Network is the premier organization in North America that promotes faculty development in colleges and Universities.
(a) President (This is a three year position 2003-2005)
- 2003 President Elect
- 2004 President
- 2005 Past President
Main Areas of Current Scholarly Work
Designing learning experiences
(esp. higher level learning and integrated course design)
Evaluating college teaching
Instructional consulting and faculty development programs
Honors and Awards
The University of Oklahoma recipient of the national teaching award presented by the American Association of Higher Education, the Jaime Escalante "Stand and Deliver" Award, April, 1989.
Outstanding Faculty Award, College of Liberal Studies, University of Oklahoma, 1992.
Duties in Instructional Development Program
Consulting with individual faculty members and academic units on various matters related to instruction.
Organizing a series of yearlong faculty discussion groups on college teaching.
Organizing and directing the semester-long "Professional Development Seminar" for new faculty members.
Offering periodic workshops for faculty on instructional matters.
Directing the annual orientation program for teaching assistants.
Editing a newsletter, "Spotlight on Teaching."
Coordinating the administration of the IDEA and TABS course evaluation systems.
Major Publications
The following is a list of some of Dr. Fink's major publications on the following four topics: College Teaching, Evaluating College Teaching, New Faculty Members, Instructional Development Programs
College Teaching:
Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to DesigningCollege Courses, by Dee Fink. Published by Jossey-Bass, a John Wiley & Sons Imprint, San Francisco, CA, 2003.
Team-Based Learning: A Transformative use of Small Groups in College Teaching, co-edited by Larry Michaelsen, Dee Fink, and Arletta Knight. Sterling, VA, Stylus Publishing, 2003.
"Higher Level Learning": The First Step toward More Significant Learning," in To Improve the Academy 2000, edited by Devorah Lieberman, for the POD Network in Higher Education. Bolton, MA: Anker, 2000.
"A Guide to Books on College Teaching: An Update," in Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, Vol. 10 (1996), pp. 215-222.
"The Lecture: Analyzing and Improving Its Effectiveness" in The Department Chairperson's Role in Enhancing College Teaching, edited by A. F. Lucas. New Directions for Teaching and Learning Series, No. 37 (Spring, 1989). San Francisco, Jossey-Bass
Evaluating College Teaching:
"Improving the Evaluation of College Teaching", in A Guide to Faculty Development, edited by Kay Herr Gillespie. Bolton, MA: Anker, 2002.
"Evaluating Your Own Teaching," in Improving College Teaching, edited by Peter Seldin. Bolton, MA: Anker, 1995.
New Faculty Members:
"Orientation Programs for New Faculty" in New and Junior Faculty, edited by Mary Deane Sorcinelli. New Directions for Teaching and Learning Series, No. 50. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Summer, 1992).
"New Faculty Members: The Professoriate of Tomorrow." Journal of Staff, Program and Organization Development, Volume 8, No. 4 (Winter 1990), pp. 235-245.
The First Year of College Teaching by L. Dee Fink. New Directions for Teaching and Learning Series, No. 17 (March 1984). San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. (Translated into Polish, 1989).
Instructional Development Programs:
"Establishing an Instructional Development Program: An Example," in A Guide to Faculty Development, edited by Kay Herr Gillespie. Bolton, MA: Anker, 2002.
"Getting Started in one-on-one Instructional Consulting: Suggestions for new consultants" by L. Dee Fink & Gabriele Bauer, in Face to Face: A Sourcebook of Individual Consultations, rev. ed., Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 2001.
"Instructional Consulting: A Guide for Developing Professional Knowledge," in Practically Speaking: A Sourcebook for Instructional Consultants in Higher Education, edited by Kathleen T. Brinko & Robert J. Menges. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 1997.
List of Recent Workshops/Consulting Services
The following is a list of workshops and consulting conducted over the past year or so.
Recent Campus Workshops and Presentations
"Designing Significant Learning Experiences" a workshop on course design and significant learning has been offered on several campuses during the last few years. These workshops have varied in length, usually from 1/2 day to 2 days:
Eastern IllinoisUniversity. September 30, 2004. Half-day workshop. Contact person: Bud Fischer, phone: 217-581-2817, email:
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. August 26, 2004. Whole day workshop. Contact person: Kathleen Finder, phone: 715-836-2654, email:
ColumbiaCollege (South Carolina). August 19, 2004. Half-day workshop. Contact person: John Zubizarreta, phone: 803-786-3014, email:
University of Arkansas, Faculty Retreat. July 25-26, 2004. Whole day workshop. Contact person: Dave Levine, phone: 479-575-3222, email:
University of Wisconsin System, FacultyCollege. Two sections, each having 6.5 hours of workshop over three days. Contact person: Donna Silver, phone: 608-262-4337, email:
"What is Good Teaching and Good Learning? And How Do We Promote More of It?" This is a 45 minute presentation (followed by question/answer session) for administrators and senior faculty. It addresses two questions: What might we mean by "excellence" in our educational programs, and what can the institution do to pursue excellence more effectively?
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. August 26, 2004. Contact person: Kathleen Finder, phone: 715-836-2654, email:
ColumbiaCollege (South Carolina). August 19, 2004. Contact person: John Zubizarreta, phone: 803-786-3014, email:
EdinboroUniversity of Pennsylvania. April 23-24, 2004.Contact person: Theresa Thewes, phone: 814-732-2916, email:
Keynote Presentations at Conferences (International and United States)
4th International Forum on Education Reform: Learner-Centered Approach towards Education for Sustainable Development, Bangkok, Thailand. September 6-10, 2004. I was asked by the US State Department to be the US representative at this conference, mainly attended by university representatives from SE Asia. I made two presentations: "Learner-Centered Teaching in the United States," and "Faculty Development: The Key to Meaningful Educational Reform." I also led faculty workshops at several universities in Bangkok and held a meeting on faculty development with the Thailand Ministry of Education. Contact Persons: Carmen Aponte, US State Department, Washington, DC, phone: 202-205-3868, email: and Tejal Shah, US Embassy in Bangkok, email:
Great Plains Regional Faculty Development Consortium, St. Louis, Missouri. June 5, 2004. "What's New in Higher Education and Faculty Development?" Contact person: Peggy Cohen, phone: 324-516-5308, email:
American University of Technology, Beirut, Lebanon. May 24-26, 2004. Made a presentation for representatives from multiple universities and the Ministry of Education on: "So, What is Good Teaching? And How Do We Promote More of It?" Contact person: Michael Gholam, phone: 961-9-478-143, email: . I also led a one-day workshop on course design for the faculty at AUT.
MassachusettsCommunity College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development, Haverhill, MA. March 31, 2004. Made a keynote address on: "So, What is Good Teaching and Learning Anyway and What Can We Do to Promote More of It?" Contact person: Judith Kamber, phone: 978-556-3955, email: .
"Designing Courses for Team-Based Learning" (Full day session) a joint workshop with Larry Michaelsen.
ClemsonUniversity, May 8, 2002. Contact person: Dr. Linda Nilson, phone: 864-656-4542, email:
New MexicoStateUniversity, November 30, 2001. Contact person: Dr. Tara Gray, phone: 505-646-1013, email:
Other Consulting
Program Review Committees of Faculty Development Centers:
Center for Teaching Excellent at IowaStateUniversity, February, 2000. Contact person: Dr. Corly Petersen Brooke, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence. Phone: 515-294-2402. Email: .
Served on a two-person program review committee to review the FacultyCenter for T&L (FCTL) at No. CarolinaStateUniversity, May, 2001. Contact person: Dr. Doug Wellman, former director of FCTL. Phone: 919-515-3675. Email: .
Served as one member of a four-person Program Review Committee to review the Center for Teaching Excellence at IowaStateUniversity, February 7-8, 2000. Contact Person: Dr. Corly Petersen Brooke, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence. Phone: 515-294-2402. Email: .
Institute for New Faculty Developers. A 5-day workshop sponsored by the national POD organization: July 1997, July 2000, and July 2003. I have led sessions on: "Establishing Programs," "Consulting with Faculty," "Designing Instructional Development Activities," "Workshops", and "Evaluating Teaching." Contact Person: Peg Weissinger, IUPUI. Phone: 317-278-6231. Email: .
DESCRIPTION OF CONSULTING SERVICES AVAILABLE
For: DR. L. DEE FINK
Academic Year: 2002-2003
Types of Consulting
Workshops for faculty, faculty developers, and administrators
Program reviews
Other types of consulting can be negotiated
Workshop Topics
During the last few years, I have been leading workshops on the following topics:
"DESIGNING COURSES FOR MORE SIGNIFICANT STUDENT LEARNING"
·This workshop examines the role of course design in the overall act of teaching, and then leads participants through a new way of designing courses that is the subject of my forthcoming book (Creating Significant Learning Experiences, to be published by Jossey-Bass, February 2003).
· Length: Half-day, whole-day, and two-day versions have been offered.
"SO, WHAT IS GOOD TEACHING AND HOW CAN WE PROMOTE MORE OF IT?"
· This workshop is intended for campus leaders (administrators and senior faculty) as well as faculty developers. It lays out a new vision of what constitutes good teaching and identifies what colleges and universities can do to promote more of it.
· Lays a good foundation for administrator/faculty dialogue, which can be built into the workshop.
· Length: Half-day.
Other Consulting Projects
Periodically I have also been a member of a team to review the program and operations of a teaching/learning center (also known as instructional development programs, teaching improvement programs, etc.).
I have also advised institutional leaders about establishing a new program.
References
This website lists my recent consulting activities and contact information for the people who can comment on the quality and value of the workshops or other consulting activity.