Focus on Teaching: Support Program for New Faculty in Arts

TitleFocus on Teaching: Support Program for New Faculty in Arts
Faculty/College/UnitArts
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2003
Completion03/31/2006
Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2003/2004
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorNancy Gallini
Year 1: Funded Amount15,600
Year 1: Team Members

Nancy Gallini, Faculty of Arts
Gary Poole, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth
Luisa Canuto, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth

Year 1: Summary

The objective is to support the teaching of the many new faculty members that the Faculty of Arts has hired in the past three years (21 in 1999-00, 22 in 2000-01 and 40 in 2001-02) as well as those to be hired in the future (39 in 2002-03; 53 in 03-04). We estimate that approximately 160 of these will be tenure-stream appointments. In cooperation with TAG, the project will organize 3 classroom visits, one to be videotaped, as well as conduct the related preparation and debriefing for these new, untenured faculty members (20 + 20 in terms one and two of year one, 20 + 20 in year two, and 25 + 25 in year three). Although this will not accommodate all our past and projected new faculty, we assume that not all those hired will be new to teaching, nor will all hired be junior, nor will all volunteer. We aim to accommodate those who came earliest with the least teaching experience elsewhere first. If demand arises for more visits than we have planned, the Faculty will make it a priority to accommodate the demand. We hope to accommodate all new faculty who wish to participate at least before their tenure hearing. The purpose of this program is not to produce an evaluation for the tenure file, but rather to assist the instructor in meeting his or her teaching goals, in reflecting on teaching practice and in learning to access the teaching support resources of UBC and the Faculty. This project will establish TAG as a place to which these faculty members will turn throughout their career for advice, the latest research on teaching and programs that support teaching. There will be an introductory meeting with the TAG representatives, Gary Poole, Luisa Canuto, and Janice Johnson, with all the new faculty and their visitors (which will come from outside their own department).

All volunteer visitors, selected from the cadre of TAG facilitators or from faculty members with excellent teaching records, will be trained on how to conduct the process by Poole, Canute, and Johnson. Each volunteer new faculty instructor will meet in advance with the class visitor, Gary Poole and Luisa Canute to discuss the visit. There will be one visit with the visitor only (followed by feedback), another visit by Canute only, who will videotape the class, followed by a review of the video by Poole and Canuto with the instructor. The class visitor will return for one more visit and there will be a post class review by the class visitor and the faculty member. Finally, all participants will meet at the end of term for a discussion on issues that arose during the visits, as well as on more general teaching issues. The volunteer visitors will be asked to attend a "working lunch" which will be both a "thank you" to them, but also a way of getting their comments on the process in an informal setting. It is hoped that as this program is refined and the planning and implementation become less time-consuming, we can use some of Luisa Canute's time to research and implement new teaching-related projects. We also hope that an informal cross-department faculty mentoring and information network will develop among our new faculty and our more senior creative teachers. We will encourage the new faculty to turn to TAG for support with specific teaching related questions. During the process of feedback and consultation, new faculty will be encouraged also to start creating a teaching portfolio containing model assignments, examinations lesson plans, and course outlines.

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2004/2005
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorNancy Gallini
Year 2: Funded Amount8,100
Year 2: Team Members

Nancy Gallini, Faculty of Arts
Gary Poole, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth
Luisa Canuto, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth

Year 2: Summary

The objective is to support the teaching of the many new tenure stream faculty members that the Faculty of Arts has hired in the past three years and will hire in the next few (21 in 1999-00, 22 in 2000-01, 40 in 2001-02, 39 in 2002-03; 53 in 03-04). In cooperation with TAG, the project organizes 3 classroom visits, one videotaped, as well as conducts the related preparation and debriefing for these new, untenured faculty. Experience with our pilot version of this project (January-April 2003) and this past tern (Sept-Dec. 2003) has made it clear that we can handle a maximum of 10 mentees a term; this is slightly more than the number who have been interested (we have had 7 mentees each of these two terms). Although this will not accommodate all our past and projected new faculty, we assume that not all those hired will be new to teaching, nor will all hired be junior, nor will all volunteer. We aim to accommodate those who came earliest with the least teaching experience elsewhere first.. We hope to accommodate all new faculty who wish to participate at least before their tenure hearing. The purpose of this program is not to produce an evaluation for the tenure file, but rather to assist the instructor in meeting his or her teaching goals, in reflecting on teaching practice and in learning to access the teaching support resources of UBC and the Faculty. This project will establish TAG as a place to which these faculty members will tum throughout their career for advice, the latest research on teaching and programs that support teaching. There is an introductory meeting with the TAG representatives, Gary Poole, Luisa Canuto, and Janice Johnson, with all the new faculty and their visitors (which will come from outside their own department).

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2005/2006
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorNancy Gallini
Year 3: Funded Amount14,665
Year 3: Team Members

Nancy Gallini, Faculty of Arts
Gary Poole, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth
Luisa Canuto, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth

Year 3: Summary

The objective is to support the teaching of the many new tenure stream faculty members that the Faculty of Arts has hired in the past three years and will hire in the next few (21 in 1999-00, 22 in 2000-01, 40 in 2001-02, 39 in 2002-03, 53 in 2003-04, 40 in 2004-05 and 48 anticipated in 2005-06). In cooperation with TAG, the project organizes three classroom visits, one videotaped, as well as conducts the related preparation and debriefing for these new, untenured faculty. Experience with our pilot version of this project (January-April 2003) and the past three terms (2003-04 and fall 2004) has made it clear that we can handle a maximum of 10 mentees a term; this is slightly more than the number who have been interested. Although this will not accommodate all our past and projected new faculty, we assume that not all those hired will be new to teaching, nor will all hired be junior, nor will all volunteer. We aim to accommodate those who came earliest with the least teaching experience elsewhere first. If demand arises for more visits than we have planned, the Faculty will make it a priority to accommodate the demand. We aim to accommodate those who came earliest with the least teaching experience elsewhere first. We hope to accommodate all new faculty who wish to participate at least before their tenure hearing. The purpose of this program is not to produce an evaluation for the tenure file, but rather to assist the instructor in meeting his or her teaching goals, in reflecting on teaching practice and in learning to access the teaching support resources of UBC and the Faculty. This project will establish TAG as a place to which these faculty members will turn throughout their career for advice, the latest research on teaching and programs that support teaching. There will be an introductory meeting with the TAG representatives, Gary Poole, Luisa Canuto, and Janice Johnson, with all the new faculty and their visitors (which will come from outside their own department).

All volunteer mentors, faculty members with excellent teaching records (we have had an excellent response from volunteer senior mentors), are trained on how to conduct the process by Poole, Canuto, and Johnson. Each volunteer mentee meets in advance with the mentors and with TAG facilitators, Janice Johnson and Luisa Canuto to discuss the visit. There is one visit with the mentor only, another visit by Canuto only, who will videotape the class, followed by a review of the video by Johnson and Canuto with the instructor. The mentor returns for one more visit and there is a post class review by the mentor and the mentee. Finally, all participants meet at the end of term for a discussion on issues that arose during the visits, as well as on more general teaching issues. The volunteer visitors are asked to attend a "working lunch" which is both a "thank you" to them, but also a way of getting their comments on the process in an informal setting. It is hoped that as this program is refined and the planning and implementation become less time-consuming, we can use some of Luisa Canuto's time to research and implement new teaching related projects. We also hope that an informal cross-department faculty mentoring and information network will develop among our new faculty and our more senior creative teachers. We encourage the new faculty to turn to TAG for support with specific teaching related questions. During the process of feedback and consultation, new faculty are encouraged also to start creating a teaching portfolio containing model assignments, examinations lesson plans, and course outlines.

In second term of the current project, we plan to hold a Teaching promotion Event, where we hope that a panel composed of mentors and mentees that have been through the project can speak about their experiences to new faculty as a way of promoting the project and inviting discussion on the teaching needs of new instructors. We will also plan a professional development workshop for new faculty, to reach out to those new faculty who may not be comfortable with the videotape project at first glance. This would be another way to maintain contact with our new graduate who may now want further instruction or who may be involved in the project as peer instructors. Several mentees suggested they would like to be involved in the project this way.