Developing and supporting the dual professionalism of CAAT faculty members

ABSTRACT This qualitative, exploratory study is focused on how teachers in Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) are prepared to teach. Using focus groups and semi-structured interviews, I sought the perspectives of front-line staff within academic development units and academic leaders to create a detailed depiction of how teacher preparation and development currently happen in CAATS and how it can be strengthened at the institutional and provincial levels. Using activity theory as my main theoretical framework and as the structure for my interview protocol, I worked with participants to collaboratively map the activity system of teacher preparation at individual institutions and across the CAAT system. Overall, CAATs provide basic teacher training – on planning and conducting lessons, designing course materials, and setting up courses on learning management systems – for faculty members but lack resources to support faculty members’ subject-matter expertise. CAATs can work together, under the direction of senior leadership, to develop better support both for educational developers and CAAT faculty members. CAAT academic development units can collaborate to create a provincial CAAT teacher training curriculum/credential that can be implemented at the institutional level to ensure consistency as well as the necessary level of institutional focus for faculty development.