Southeastern Louisiana University

Find out who the "effective" teachers are in the department and ask if you could attend some of their classes.

If you want feedback from students, ask specific questions; instead of "Do you have any feedback?".  Ask "Are we meeting the objectives?" or, "List three things that are going well in this class, and three things you’d change if you could."  (I often ask this last question and have students jot down the answers on the + and – side of small index cards, so it’s anonymous, but I get a sense of how the course is going after about 6 weeks or so when there is still time to make things better.)

Don’t sweat the little stuff, and that includes hearing isolated complaints from individual students…..you can’t please everyone all of the time, so listen to the majority, not the minority opinion.  That means when someone says your question is ambiguous, you should ask for a show of hands and clarify to the whole class only if it proves to be a major issue.  Ask the minority to stay after class or come in during office hours so you can address their issues without taking up everyone’s time in class, or skewing the discussion.

If you can, avoid excessive class size (without teaching assistants), hectic teaching schedules and over-preparation of lecture and teaching materials.

Have someone from outside the department do peer evaluation of your teaching and get feedback from them.

Concentrate on writing grants and writing manuscripts, not necessarily in that order.

Keep your academic work focused; avoid too many uncorrelated research pursuits; become thematic.

Keep your nose to the keyboard and write, write, write.

Keep your manuscript in the mail, not the desk.

Use whatever resources are available to advance your research, within the bounds of law, ethics, and courtesy.

Research and learn all you can about grant applications immediately.

Talk to other faculty members and establish whether there is any potential for collaborative research. Volunteering to give a seminar is one way to introduce other people to your areas of expertise.

Set explicit priorities early in your career.  Tenure assessment comes sooner than most people expect. Don’t lose focus on your goals. Prioritize.

Get international recognition by attending conferences and publishing in international journals.

Review other people’s dossiers (i.e. successful ones!).

Documentation.

Create a tenure and promotion file immediately.

Save letters for thanks, supportive memos etc.

Document your contributions as you go, highlighting efforts made to improve your teaching.

Create a “tenure and promotion” file immediately.  Keep duplicate copies of all relevant materials --- your CV, annual reports, publications, teaching evaluations, etc.

Document any sexual (and/or other forms) of harassment if you experience them.  You may have to educate your colleagues on this one.

Save letters of thanks, supportive memos, etc., for your dossier or dossiers (to cover teaching, research, and service).   You may not have to use this material, but at least you’ll have it should the need arise.  Copy particularly noteworthy items to the Head, as they are received, for inclusion in your departmental file.

Document your contributions as you go, highlighting efforts made to improve your teaching (e.g., indicate course changes you’ve made and why, what you expected to happen, what did happen, etc.).

If you are having a difficult time figuring out what’s happening in your department, or in the wider system, find help….the mentoring program is there for you.

Choose a good, interested mentor and begin to build a good working relationship with him/her.  Reach out to your mentors; we all were new at one time and would have loved some guidance and a sounding board.

Seek the advice of your mentors before volunteering for every committee you think interesting.

Interact with your colleagues; get familiar with their work and inform them of yours (these may be valuable liaisons and support).

Avoid excessive committee and administrative work early in your career.

DO serve on university committees; it is probably the best way, aside from the New Faculty Forum, to meet colleagues from a wide variety of disciplines from across campus.  Do try, however, to avoid being talked into becoming the chair of any committee.

You will be a more balanced person, and a better scholar, if you remember the importance of your family and a life outside academe.

Don’t forget to take the time to enjoy yourself….BC is a spectacular environment to explore.

Maintain perspective on your life as a university teacher and researcher.  Take regular breaks from your work, share time with your family or friends, take up some form of physical exercise, go for a walk, listen to music, etc.  Above all, maintain your sense of humor.

Avoid taking on more than you can handle.

Avoid trying to change the world in one day.

Avoid getting too depressed if things do not work out…just look around you, then seek out your colleagues and talk to them.

Avoid criticizing publicly or privately.

Don’t get overwhelmed…..others have been new faculty before you and have survived.  You don’t have to be a perfect teacher the first year.   Nor do you have to publish 10 times (though it can’t hurt); just show up, try to remember why you are there, listen to the students and your colleagues, and follow your feelings.

Keep on smiling because others have made it…….and you will, too!