September 4, 2002

New Faculty Receive Training Aimed Toward Teaching and Research Success

New faculty members at NC State University, many of whom are fresh out of their doctoral program or have only done post-doctoral research, face a special challenge. They must essentially teach themselves the fine art of college-level teaching and conducting a research program, all while working on establishing tenure within six years of their arrival.

A team of professors and administrators at NC State is working on a project to help ease the transition for young faculty members. Dr. Rebecca Brent, codirector of the faculty development program of the National Science Foundation’s Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) and adjunct professor of education at East Carolina University, moderates a yearly new faculty workshop each August, prior to the start of fall semester. This year the workshop ran from August 5 through 9.

Beginning in 2001, the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) joined the College of Engineering in sponsoring the program. The content remained the same, but presenters from PAMS were added.

College of Engineering instructors at this year’s workshop included Brent; Dr. Richard M. Felder, Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering; Dr. David F. Ollis, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering; Dr. Sarah A. Rajala, professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate dean for academic affairs; and Dr. John S. Strenkowski, assistant dean for research. PAMS instructors were Dr. Jo-Ann D. Cohen, associate dean for academic affairs; Dr. Raymond E. Fornes, associate dean for research; and Dr. Robert J. Nemanich, professor of physics. Faculty panelists from both colleges participated as well.

According to Felder, the need for the workshop is great. “College teaching may be the only skilled profession that neither presumes experience nor routinely provides training to its novice practitioners,” he said.

“Graduate students are not routinely given guidance on dealing with most of the demands placed on new faculty members,” said Brent. “The expectation seems to be that they were all born knowing how to build a strong research program, plan and deliver effective courses and balance the competing time demands of teaching, research, service and personal life.”

Brent hopes the workshop will begin to change that reality, and early feedback indicates that the workshop is very helpful. Past participants in the workshop included Dr. Gianluca Lazzi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Laurie A. Williams, assistant professor of computer science. According to Lazzi, “A great aspect of this workshop is that it provided practical solutions to issues that new faculty members face every day.”

The participants learn about common mistakes made by new faculty members, various student learning styles, defining instructional objectives, how to set up for the first day of class, designing course activities and effective lectures, classroom management, grading methods, designing research proposals and assembling a research team. Two days are devoted to teaching issues; two days to research; and one day to time management, academic integration and promotion.

Crisis management techniques for both research and teaching are discussed. Activities are presented that give the participants an opportunity to practice their new skills. Active learning exercises, as opposed to lectures, are demonstrated. In a unique collaboration exercise, pairs of participants from different disciplines spend 90 minutes planning an interdisciplinary research project. Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential in a world where no one scientist can have the breadth of knowledge required for effective research.

The sense of community, often challenging in a large university, is one of several positive results from the workshop. According to Lazzi, “The workshop makes a new faculty member feel welcome at NC State and offers a unique opportunity to share ideas with your colleagues in a fun and relaxed environment.”

Two successful workshop reunions have given participants an opportunity to compare notes about applying what they learned to teaching and research situations. The reunions offer more than just a chance to renew acquaintances; they also provide an opportunity to continue the learning process. “Drs. Felder and Brent always had meaningful themes for all the reunions,” said Williams.

All-in-all the workshop is more than just a few days of learning techniques for novice professors; it is something of a support system. “The workshop helps new faculty members see that they are not alone — that their administrators and colleagues are invested in their success and stand ready to help them achieve it,” said Brent. “This may be the most powerful message of the workshop.”

Williams perhaps summed it up best — “It was a world-class orientation!”

— rudd —

Media Contacts:

Dr. Rebecca Brent, rbrent@mindspring.com

Dr. Richard M. Felder, rmfelder@mindspring.com

Linda E. Rudd, 919/515-3848, linda_rudd@ncsu.edu

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