PKAL » Attention to STEM faculty

Volume IV: What works, what matters, what lasts, 2004- present » Postings in 2004 » Examining learning communities from the kaleidoscopic perspective »

Volume IV: What works, what matters, what lasts

Attention to STEM faculty

March 12, 2004

Investing in faculty: the role of leaders: Today's STEM leaders must invest in faculty. Investment includes making hiring decisions, socializing with faculty, evaluating their performance and rewarding them appropriately. Leaders must know the career trajectory of each faculty member and they must tailor their advice and counsel to individual personalities.
A PKAL essay: Investing in Faculty at Every Career Stage: It is essential for colleges and university to invest in faculty development at every career level. In the face of general concerns about research grants, endowments, regional and international partnerships, it is critical that institutions take time to reflect on the job faculty have at hand, that of teaching and learning.
A PKAL essay: Investing in faculty - Ways and means: In the process of setting forth an institutional vision, primary attention must be given to the character and quality of the faculty. A clear understanding of the why and the how of investing in faculty must be an integral part of the strategic planning process.
Worksheet to determine the cost of investments to sustain quality faculty: PKAL developed a worksheet for faculty and administrators to assess the actual cost of faculty development activities.
Tomorrow's Professor: This site provides a forum for today's faculty to explore thoughts on "tomorrow's academy," "tomorrow's graduate students," "tomorrow's academic careers," "tomorrow's teaching and learning," and "tomorrow's research." In addition, this site provides links to relevant articles.
10 Principles of Good Practice: Supporting Early-Career Faculty: This document includes: "ten principles of good practice; inventories to prompt department chairs, senior colleagues, and other academic leaders to examine their individual and institutional practices; and examples of concrete and innovative approaches to good practice being tried out now in a variety of institutional settings."
Evaluating and Improving Undergraduate Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Evaluating, and Improving Undergraduate Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics offers a vision for systematic evaluation of teaching practices and academic programs, with recommendations to the various stakeholders in higher education about how to achieve change.