Center for Faculty Development

Tips for New Faculty at Union University

Found in Scholarship and Professional Development > Scholarship and Professional Development Resources

First Things First

• Make yourself known to and develop a good relationship with the departmental secretary.
   
• Introduce yourself to the services staff across campus.
   
• Create a "Faculty Portfolio" file immediately. Keep duplicate copies of all relevant materials at home.
   
• Stay focused.

• Make every effort to attend President’s Reception and Christmas Open-house.
   
• Attend all the social functions in your department. Isolation is often cited as a common reality for new faculty, so consider ways to connect with faculty on campus.
   

• Take advantage of the Center’s teaching improvement workshops. We’re all moving together toward excellence.
   
• Provide full course descriptions for your students that outline course objectives, content, texts or readings, methods and evaluation. Provide sufficient detail in writing on the nature of assignments, value or worth, and due dates so that students aren’t left guessing what you expect of them.
   
• Write course and lesson objectives in the form of behavioral outcomes. In other words, clearly conceptualize what you expect students to be able to do at the end of a course or lesson in concrete, well defined terms rather than in hazy, abstract terms ("list," "describe," etc. rather than "learn" or "understand," etc.) If you establish clear behavioral objectives for courses or lessons then the rest of the course or lesson planning will follow easily.

• Use rubrics for your assignments so students will know what you expect of them. Set them up for success. Examples of rubrics can be found on the Center for Faculty Development web page (www.uu.edu/centers/faculty).
   
• Involve your students actively in the teaching/learning process; that is, encourage active rather than passive learning. Think of ways to involve your students in each of your lessons. It is better for students to assimilate and digest fifty ideas or concepts over a term rather than just passively record several hundred.
   
• Take the time to work out a grading system or approach that works well for you. An initial investment in time in this area can pay off a hundred fold over the years.
   
• Find out who the "effective" teachers are on campus and observe a few of their classes. Look for "Teach Experts on Call" under Scholarship & Professional Development on the Center for Faculty Development web page (www.uu.edu/centers/faculty).
   
• Take a deep breath and relax before you start class (always try to keep the 10 minutes -- or more -- before class free from other commitments, to avoid arriving in class harried, irritable, distracted, preoccupied, or out of breath).
   
• Teach from your own experience instead of someone else’s (if you’re comfortable and having fun, students will feel it).
   
• There’s only time to address between 2 and 5 learning objectives in a single class – start each class by stating these 2 to 5 key points as the topic for the day. State them as learning outcomes – what your students will be ‘taking away’ with them from your class. These objectives will also prove invaluable when evaluating your students. Put them on an overhead, the board, or a handout. Let your class see them as well as hear them.
   
• In each course spell out the expectations you have of the students in the first class, reiterate them consistently at regular intervals and stick with them. Students do not deal well with surprises, particularly when related to grading.
   
• Think of positive learning experiences that you’ve had, and copy them.
   
• If you want feedback from students, ask specific questions; instead of "Do you have any feedback?" ask "Are you meeting the objectives?" or, "List three things that are going well in this class, and three things you’d change if you could." (I often ask this last question and have students jot down the answers on the + and – side on small index cards, so it’s anonymous, but I get a sense of how the course is going after about 6 weeks or so when there is still time to make things better).
   
• Have someone come from outside the department, do peer evaluation of your teaching and get feedback from them. Remember "Experts on Call" listed in the TEACH brochure.
   

• Include scholarship efforts in your Faculty Development Plan and review regularly throughout the semester.
   
• Concentrate on writing grants and writing manuscripts for publication, not necessarily in that order.
   
• Start a file of possible research topics.
   
• Keep your academic work focused; avoid too many uncorrelated research pursuits; become thematic.
   
• Carve out a few hours each week to write.
   
• Keep your nose to the keyboard and write, write, write.
   
• Keep your manuscripts in the mail, not the desk.
   
• If your aren’t ready to submit manuscripts, submit proposals for conference presentations.
   
• Choose a scholar-mentor. Someone who can coach you and suggest venues for your scholarship.
   
• Use whatever resources are available to advance your research, within the bounds of law, ethics and courtesy.
   
• Research and learn all you can about grant applications.
   
• Start before you feel ready.
   

• Document any sexual (and/or other forms) of harassment if your experience them. You may have to educate your colleagues on this one.
   
• Document critical incidents with students. Identify potential problems and keep records of your interactions. Inform your chair and dean of critical incidents.
   
• Save letters of thanks, supportive memos, etc., for your dossier or dossiers (to cover teaching, research, and service). You may not have to use this material, but a least you’ll have it should the need arise. Copy particularly noteworthy items to the Chair, as they are received for inclusion in your departmental file.
   
• Document your contributions as you go, highlighting efforts made to improve your teaching (e.g., indicate course changes you’ve made and why, your expectations and actual outcomes.).
   

• Seek positive role models and mentors.
   
• Seek the advice of your mentors/Chair before volunteering for every interesting committee.
   
• Interact with your colleagues; get familiar with their work and inform them of yours in order to offer mutual support.
   
• Don’t rely on your department to give you important information (e.g. writing examinations, examination policy, tenure procedure), find out for yourself from outside sources and clarify if you can with your department Chair.
   
• Be willing to serve as a team member in your department, even in the little things. You are part of a team working toward common goals.
   
• Consider supporting your colleagues and students by attending on-campus activities they are involved in.
   

• You will be a more balanced person, and a better scholar, if you remember the importance of your family and a life outside academe; however, family or community and church work should not become an excuse not to do your job.
   
• Don’t forget to take the time to enjoy yourself – take advantage of Union’s music, theatre, art, and sports opportunities.
   
• Read the book Margins by Richard Swenson, MD.
   
• Maintain perspective on your life as a university teacher and researcher. Take regular breaks from your work, share time with your family or friends, take up some form of physical exercise, go for a walk, listen to music, etc. Above all else maintain you sense of humor.
   

• Establish a good working relationship with your chair and dean. Take your faculty development plan seriously.
   
• Talk to other faculty members and establish whether there is any potential for collaborative research. Volunteering to give a seminar or guest lecture is one way to introduce other people to your areas of expertise.
   
• Start to put together your Teaching Portfolio. This is essential for tenure and promotion and it is a huge task if left until the last minute. Contact the Center for Faculty Development to help.
   
• Ask colleagues in your department to review your portfolio and offer suggestions.
   

• Align yourself with people who are positive about Union.
   
• Seek out information on Information Technology, CFD professional development workshops, internal and external grant deadlines and all academic resources in general, ASAP.
   
• Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
   
• Avoid trying to change the world (dept.) in one day.
   
• Avoid getting too depressed if things do not work out – just look around you, then seek out your colleagues and talk to them.
   
• Avoid criticizing publicly or privately.
   
• Listen and observe. You have a great deal to learn about Union and your department’s culture.