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Preparing Future Faculty

In collaboration with the College of Graduate Studies, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning provides dedicated instructional and pre-faculty development support for all Ph.D. students, TAs, and Post-Docs.

The purpose of the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program is to provide a differentiating experience and competitive advantage for our graduate student and post-doctoral scholars entering the market, and to positively affect the teaching and learning experience of all instructional faculty and students at the University of Idaho. Through our affiliation with the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), we further emphasize the professional development of STEM future faculty, with a focus on inclusive teaching and learning.

The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program provides a full complement of services designed to support the professional growth and development of our graduate students and post-docs, with an emphasis on—and credentialing in—higher education pedagogy. In the span of an academic year, the PFF program provides concrete evidence of professional preparation for the academy for all U of I graduate students and post-docs.

The PFF program consists of seven main features:

• A year-long seminar culminating in a micro-credentialing in higher education pedagogy
• Dedicated teaching mentors
• Skilled instructional observations
• Assistance with "job-talk" and teaching demonstration preparation and simulations
• Exposure to diversity and inclusion policies, practices, and opportunities
• Engagement with representatives from different institutional types
• Individualized and collaborative support for all areas of future faculty success

Due to covid and newly developing institutional affiliations and collaborative programming opportunities, PFF was delivered in the form of all-faculty / graduate student / post-doc sessions --very inclusive-- while we retooled a full complement of programs and certificates aligned with CIRTL to begin in the Fall of 2021.

One of the things we are working on this year is the development of an authentic voice in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education generally and in job applications in particular. Dr. Erin Chapman is Faculty Associate for Diversity and Inclusion in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and should be contacted with any questions or for support. And the following resources are a great start:

• 11-19-2018 Breaking Down Diversity Statements: What faculty candidates should include in their diversity, equity and inclusion statements Inside Higher Ed
• Diversity & Inclusion Syllabus Statements Brown University
• 2017 Inclusivity and Accessibility Recommendations for Presenters POD Network
• Learning through Diversity CIRTL Network

The Preparing Future Faculty Seminar

Led by faculty experts in higher education pedagogy, faculty development, and course design and delivery strategies, the PFF Seminar follows a logical sequence that, while not necessarily cumulative, does follow a linear trajectory to confidence, competence, and excellence in instruction across all instructional modalities. In the span of one year, all graduate students and post-doctoral scholars will have tangible evidence of their accomplishments in teaching and learning, with an opportunity in subsequent years to explore, adapt, and adopt advanced pedagogical techniques.

FALL 2021 Schedule (pdf)

Seminar Materials

• 9/7/21 Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning Through Diversity (Slides) (pdf)
  Brian Smentkowski, Doug Habib, and Erin Chapman

Resource Materials

• Understanding and Navigating the Landscape of Higher Education by Brian Smentkowski | Watch Video (1 hr) | View Slides
• How to Create Significant Learning Experiences Across Instructional Modalities…And Why It Matters by Douglas Habib | Watch Video (1 hr) | View Slides
• Engaging Students with Technology by Cassidy Hall | Watch Video (1 hr) | View Slides
  
• How to Handle Hot Topics and Difficult Dialogues by Brian Smentkowski | Watch Video (1.3 hr)
  
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Developing an Authentic Foundation for Everyday Practice and Inclusive Teaching and Learning by Erin Chapman | Watch Video (48 min)
• Designing a Productivity Pathway That Helps You Thrive and Sets You Apart by Brian Smentkowski | Watch Video (1.2 hr) | View Slides
• Words of wisdom for the first day of class . . .
• Graduate Professional Development Opportunities: CIRTL (pdf)
• ATTENTION, ENGAGEMENT, & APPLICATION: THREE STEPS TO STUDENT LEARNING (pdf)
• 06-11-2019 To Save The Science Poster, Researchers Want To Kill It And Start Over NPR
• 08-12-2018 That New Hire Needs Your Help The Chronicle of Higher Education