DO-IT Prof

The DO-IT Prof project applied lessons learned by DO-IT and other researchers and practitioners nationwide to implement a comprehensive professional development program for college faculty and administrators. It was initially funded by the U.S. Department of Education (Grant #P33A990042, 1999-2003). Prof was selected as part of the project name to represent two project characteristics—"professional," the quality of project materials and strategies, and "professor" its primary target audience.

DO-IT Prof was designed to improve the knowledge and skills of postsecondary faculty and administrators in order to make them better prepared to fully include students with disabilities in academic programs on their campuses. Responding to the diverse content and scheduling needs of faculty and administrators, the DO-IT Prof team has created and continues to deliver six models of professional development.

Model 1: A 20-30 minute presentation to introduce participants to basic legal issues, accommodation strategies, and resources specific to their campuses.

Model 2: A 1-2 hour presentation with special focus on providing accommodations to students with a variety of disabilities.

Model 3: A tailored workshop for more in-depth training on topics selected for a specific audience.

Model 4: A televised instruction option using a series of video to deliver on public television.

Model 5: A distance learning "anytime-anywhere" course that provided lessons and discussion delivered via email.

Model 6: Self-paced, web-based instruction in The Faculty Room.

The DO-IT Prof team included faculty, disabled student services staff, and administrators at institutions of higher education in twenty-three states. The nationwide recruitment process was highly competitive, attracting more than one hundred applications. DO-IT's Academic Advisory Board selected applicants that had the potential to contribute to project efforts and to create a team with diverse characteristics.

Project partners included representatives from AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability), the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports, the HEATH Resource Center, and WAPED (Washington Association on Postsecondary Education and Disability).

Project team members chose institutional partners in their states. If a team member was from a four-year institution, the partner school was a community or technical college; if the team member is from a community or technical college, the partner school was a four-year school.

Project team members participated in three-day collaborative meetings in Seattle in 2000 and 2001. Before the first meeting, team members conducted focus groups with students who have disabilities, teaching assistants, and faculty members. At the working meetings, team members discussed faculty and administrator support issues and strategies. They developed professional development materials, data collection plans, and timelines for their home institutions.

All team member and partner campuses delivered professional development programs, disseminating materials, providing technical assistance to faculty and administrators, and institutionalizing successful strategies in their schools. Some continued these efforts as part of subsequent projects, DO-IT Admin and AccessCollege, also funded by the U.S. Department of Education (Grant #P333A020044 and Grant #P333A050064, respectively).

Completion of this project made faculty and administrators better prepared to fully include students with disabilities on their campuses and contribute to systemic change within postsecondary institutions across the nation. The DO-IT Center continues to maintain The Faculty Room and other resources created during the DO-IT Prof funding period.

DO-IT Prof was one of twenty-two Model Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education. Funded by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education, 1999-2003 their purpose is to develop innovative, effective, and efficient teaching methods to enhance the skills and abilities of postsecondary faculty and administrators in working with students who have disabilities.