Description of Core Competency Professional development experiences centered around understanding the expectations and differences between different types of higher education institutions in the United States and how to prepare to be a faculty member at these institutions
Understanding the University Context: Developing Your Teaching Presence and Philosophy Led by: Rique Campa CCT Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing Michigan Workshop date: 10 May 2013
Workshop Description
This workshop covered the characters of different institutions and how faculty responsibilities concerning teaching, research, funding, publishing, mentoring, and service would differ between different institutions. It also addressed how expectations for tenure would also vary by type of institution, as well as the expected salaries/wages and start-up funding and gave guidance how to prepare a strong and personal teaching statement, and diversity statement. Workshop attendees were coached in tailoring job materials (cover letter, CV, teaching statement, diversity statement, answers to interview questions) to the institution and their priorities.
PrePare NSF STC graduate student/postdoc professional development workshop Led by: Peter Fiske, Lynne Dehmen, Manu Platt, Scott Morgan, Bill Linstaedt and Cynthia Fuhrman National Science Foundation, Indianapolis Indiana Workshop date: 6-11 August 2017
Workshop Description
This workshop covered grant writing to fund research and academic positions, science communication within academia and other stakeholders, communicating science in presentations and interviews, uncovering unconscious bias and cultural sensitivities, creating individual professional development plans, and exploring non-faculty careers at universities.
Artifact Rationale A worksheet describing the characters of research universities, comprehensive universities, liberal arts college, community college, minority-serving institutions, and for-profit institutions. This worksheet breaks down the expectations of faculty at different higher education institutions. Understanding these expectations allows me to tailor my application materials to specific institutions based on their expectations for faculty members and the mission of the institution.
Interpretation/Reflection After completing these workshops I have a more rigorous understanding of the University context and how to prepare professionally to work in a university setting. The workshop taught by Rique Campa at the University certification in College teaching Institute was particularly helpful because we worked through a worksheet of types of higher education institutes in the United States. During this workshop I learned about institutions that I did not know exist and I gained a greater understanding of the nuanced differences between them. With this information I have been able to expand my job search to include institutions that I would not have considered before taking this workshop. I have a better understanding of what the expectations for faculty members are at these institutions and how to tailor my job materials to those priorities. Through the PrePare workshop I now know that there are other non-faculty job opportunities for me at university institutions.
My professional development under the core competency of understanding the University context made me more competitive for faculty positions, because I know how different institutions work, what institutions expect of their faculty, what faculty at those institutions can expect and other opportunities within universities.