Coordinate status consultation - A strategy for instructional improvement

College and university instructional development programs frequently rely on seminars and workshops as methods for assisting faculty. Group formats alone are unlikely to provide the individual assistance faculty need to explore problems in their unique teaching environments. An alternative approach is coordinate status consultation in which a faculty member and teaching improvement consultant collaborate to address the faculty member's concerns. The faculty member brings his knowledge of his content area and his teaching environment to the relationship. The consultant provides his expertise in examining teaching concerns and facilitating change. This paper defines coordinate status consultation, summarizes its conceptual bases, describes the major phases in the consultation process, and provides an example to illustrate its use.