Key points:
- New faculty members should become accustomed to higher education’s pace
- Meeting support staff and being thorough with student materials and expectations is essential
- See related article: How to support new diverse faculty at your institution
As the fall semester starts around the nation, it seems a useful time to share some thoughts for new faculty members walking into their initial faculty roles this autumn.
One newer faculty member shared the following advice for new faculty members: Her first suggestion for new faculty is that higher education has its own pace. It is much different than the business world or K-12 education. It is slower, but it is often more political where process is as important, if not in some cases more, than the ideas to be implemented. In general, politics are more pervasive within higher education as well.
Time management and organization are essential, and the need for additional time for reading and research always seems to be evasive. Setting realistic goals and sticking to those goals and timelines is key to being successful. Map out your productivity plan for the year and get input from your formal and informal mentors. Make sure you fully understand the expectations for service and research beyond your instructional responsibilities. Find those faculty members who can provide you with guidance and help you through those first couple of years. Ask for samples to work from. Many of the best faculty will be happy to share their work to help lighten your load.
Another faculty member suggests an instructional focus and offered this: Set clear expectations for assignments and stay current with grading. Rubrics and assignment exemplars are useful for students as well. Take time to go through the syllabus or develop a method to ensure students read it. For instance, bury a note in your syllabus to email the instructor a picture of a dolphin after they have completely read the syllabus. Other easter eggs work in the same way. It is the same concept used by Van Halen in requiring the removal of all the brown M&Ms from their backstage munchies. They were using it as a way to see if the concert promoters had read the entire contract.
Danielle Schock is an assistant professor in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Winona State University. She earned her doctorate in education at Winona State University. She previously taught elementary school prior to moving into higher education.
Dr. Steve Baule is a faculty member at Winona State University (WSU), where he teaches in the Leadership Education Department. Prior to joining WSU, Baule spent 28 years in K-12 school systems in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, and two years teaching in the University of Wisconsin System. For the 13 years prior to moving to the university level, Baule served as a public -school superintendent. He has written 10 books on a variety of educational and historical topics and has served on the editorial boards for two journals. Baule earned an advanced diversity and equity certificate while in the UW system. He holds a doctorate in instructional technology from Northern Illinois University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University Chicago.
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