Findings, Challenges, and Recommendations for Teaching in Academia

Susan Rodger, Duke University

Patricia Joseph, Slippery Rock University

Joyce Currie Little, Towson University

Suzanne Westbrook, Univ of Arizona

rodger@cs.duke.edu

Thursday, Oct 2, 2008

2:45pm-3:45pm

Challenges:Family/Teaching Innovation

Susan Rodger, Duke University

• About my Teaching Position

• Challenge of Family/Work

• Challenge of Teaching

About My Teaching Position

• Background– Purdue University, PhD CS, 1989

parallel algorithms– Assistant Professor, Rensselaer

1989-1994, tenure-track– Then job offer – Duke University

• “Assistant Prof. of Practice” 1994-97• “Assoc. Prof. of the Practice” 1997-08• “Prof. of the Practice” 2008-?

Professor of the Practice Track

• Focus on Education in Discipline– PhD preferred or Prof. Experience

• Regular Rank Faculty – non-tenure

• Permanent Contract position– 3 to 10 year contracts, renewable

• Promotable – CS education– Grants, papers, visibility

Duke CS PoPs vs Tenured

• teach 2 courses/semester vs 1

• Focus on Ugrad curriculum

• Cover Intro courses plus others

• Supervise Ugrad research– Can also supervise MS and PhD

• Advising

• Attend Faculty meetings

• Salary similar, no “sabatical”

• Write Grants/papers – in CS Educ

PoP History at Duke• PoP track added in 1991

• For 2008-09 - 4 PoPs in CS– Arts and Sciences

• 526 tenure/tenure-track• 82 PoPs

– School of Engineering• 95 tenure/tenure-track• 8 PoPs

– School of Environment• 43 tenure/tenure-track• 4 PoPs

Challenge of Family/Work

Spouse/Mother of two boys

Challenges with Family/Work

• Virtual Prof (bedrest) 1996, 1999

• Maternity Leave – 1997, 2000

• ¾ Time for 5 years - 2000-2005

• “Leave” – Fall 2004 – write book

Challenges with Family/Work• Get Help

– Cleaning, Yard, Babysitters– Use online resources

• Sittercity.com – babysitters • Manic Mommies – podcast• Order kids clothes, gifts online• Use rating services – kids books, games

– Parent’s Choice Awards– Common Sense Media

– Family time - Focus on Your Likes• Our Family cooks together – fresh food• Family hikes

Challenges with Family/Work

• To get want you want – By all means “Ask”– Then “Ask again”– Keep asking – be persistent

• Examples– Leaves– ¾ time for temp period

Challenges of Teaching

• PhDs not trained to teach.

• How do you learn to teach or improve your teaching?

• How do you stay innovative in your teaching?

Teaching – Getting Started

• Use online resources

• Find similar courses – use and modify– Continue to refine every offering

Engage Students

• Reading quizzes online – Blackboard

• Dial a Picture

• Workshop teaching format– Short lecture– Students work a problem – 5 min to

20 min – Discuss– Repeat

Engage Students (cont)

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Engage Students (cont)

Be a Robot

Engage Students (Cont)

• Students working in pairs

• Workshop format

• Prof and UTAs provide support

Where to get Ideas? SIGCSE• SIGCSE is the computer science

education conference

• Over 1200 people

• Papers, panels, special session, workshops, birds of a feather, posters

Other Resources

• Education conferences – SIGCSE, FIE, ITiCSE, ASEE, CCSC

• Education journals

• Campus resource center on teaching?– Duke – Center for Teaching

Challenges for Teaching in Academia

Patricia A. Joseph

Slippery Rock University of PA

patricia.joseph@sru.edu

Who is Patricia Joseph?

• Tenured Assistant Professor

• Represented by a Labor Union

• State-Owned University

• Single & Content

My Story

• 1st Tenure-Track Woman in department

• 1st Information Systems person in a CS department

• B.S. Ed., M.A. English, M.S. Information Science, etc.

• Career as public school teacher

• Do not have a Ph.D.

My Experience

What I wish that someone

had told me…

Types of Institutions

• Large Research

• Undergraduate

• 2-Year & Community Colleges

Types of Positions

• Temporary or Adjunct

• Contractual or Limited Term

• Teaching Professor

• University of California system

“potential for security of employment”

Opportunities

• Interviewing for the Position

• Understanding Union Contracts

• Negotiating Salary & RankOffice & Hardware/SoftwareTravel BudgetStudent Help

Challenges

• Finding a Mentor—either in your department or elsewhere at your institution

• Being Aware of Politics in your department and in your college

http://cs.southwestern.edu/CEOHP/

Details

• Qualifications

• Pay Scales

• Typical Benefits

• Requirements in Contract vs. Requirements for Tenure

The Reality

It’s still a “chilly climate” for women in academe” … Be aware of it so that you won’t be blind-sided.

http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/chillyclimate.html

http://www.bernicesandler.com

THANK YOU!

Joyce Currie Little, ProfessorComputer & Information Sciences

Towson University

San Diego State, grad ass’t + , THEN Goucher College, CC Dir, Instr; THEN Community College of Baltimore, &

during: Chamberlayne Junior College; THEN

Towson University, since 1981 (Founding Department Chair 1984)

TEACHING IN ACADEMIAWHAT’S GOOD * WHAT’S BAD

• WHAT A JOY - LOVE IT!• CONTINUING TO

LEARN!• KEEPING CURRENT• SCHOLARLY

COLLEAGUES• EAGER STUDENTS• HELPING NEXT

GENERATION• FLEXIBLE

SCHEDULING• A DECENT LIVING

• GRADING PAPERS• KEEPING UP-TO-DATE• NOT-SO-EAGER

STUDENTS• TOO BUSY - MANY

CONTINUING DUTIES• UNPREDICTABLE

DEMANDS• GENERATIONAL

CHALLENGES, BOTH STUDENTS/FACULTY

• A DECENT LIVING

PROBLEMS FOR WOMEN ?WHAT? HOW ??

• CONFLICTING DEMANDS FOR TIME

• NOT ALWAYS WELCOMED BY COLLEAGUES

• ESTABLISHING REPUTATIONS

• JUGGLING THE VARIETY OF DEMANDS

• HAVE LOTS OF PERSISTENCE

• SHOW YOUR CAPABILITIES

• BE HELPFUL• EARN TRUST• EXPECT

EQUALITY THROUGHOUT

• LEARN TIME MANAGEMENT

Data can Help !

• Demographics, by field, by gender, by rank, by salary

• Number of eligible qualified graduates by discipline

• Number of those entering industry

• Number left who are interested

• Number who support equity rights

• Number who encourage others

• Number serving as mentors

Trends and Influences

• Corporate leanings in academia• Need for flexibility for management• Tendency to move to contractual

workforce in the professoriate• Move to decrease faculty

governance rights• Move to eliminate tenure • Decrease in “permanent” faculty• The shift to “professors of the

practice”

Recommendations

• Educate new entering faculty about the “professoriate”

• Mentor new entering faculty (both tenure-track & contractual) to help move them toward tenure

• Advocate higher percentage of tenured faculty

• Encourage rights and responsibilities (both) of tenured faculty

• Work for change in rigidity of policies

POLICY LEVEL HELP: THE AAUP

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS:

POLICY DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS

(THE “RED BOOK”)• 1940 STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND TENURE, WITH 1970 INTERPRETIVE

COMMENTS

AAUP, CONTINUED

• 1940 STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

• STATEMENT ON PRINCIPLES ON FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACADEMIC WORK

• THE STATUS OF PART-TIME FACULTY• ON FULL-TIME NON-TENURE TRACK

APPOINTMENTS • CONTINGENT APPOINTMENTS AND THE

ACADEMIC PROFESSION• INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR

LEGAL DAMANDS ON FACULTY• STATEMENT OF CORPORATE FUNDING

OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH

PLACES THAT HELP

• ASSOCIATION FOR UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS (AAUP)

• NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, & COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE

• COMMISSION ON PROFESSIONALS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• BY DISCIPLINE: EDUCATOR GROUPS – ACM SIGCSE, MAA, ETC

• BY DISCIPLINE: WOMEN COLLEAGUES THE WORLD OVER

• YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE LUCKY!• YOUR DAD AND OTHER DAD’S

Challenges: Considerations in Choosing a Teaching-Focused Position

Suzanne Westbrook

Senior Lecturer and Associate Head

University of Arizona (Tucson!)

sw@cs.arizona.edu

Challenge: Choosing the Right Teaching-Focused Position

• About my position• Are teaching faculty

valued?• What indicates

value?• Opportunities • Things to consider• Recommendations

to Education Leaders

About My Teaching Position

• Background– University of Southwestern

Louisiana, (now University of Louisiana-Lafayette) PhD in CS, 1998, research in multiparadigm languages

– Northern Arizona University• Lecturer 1993-1998• Associate Professor 1998-1999

– University of Arizona – 1999-now• Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate

Department Head

Senior Lecturer position at UA

• Non-tenure track – focus on undergraduate education

• PhD preferred

• Three year renewable contracts (I’m starting my 4th one)

• No research expectations, but is appreciated (CS Education Res)

• Teach two courses/semester (TT faculty teach one)

• No sabbatical!

Associate Department Head

• Primarily over Undergrad program

• No additional salary, but one course relief per semester

• Work with faculty, staff, dept head on variety of issues (course scheduling, faculty assignments, student problems, etc.)

• Run the undergrad TA program

• More committees, represent department in college and univ.

Are Teaching-Focused Faculty “Valued”?

• What indicates “value”?– Recognized for contributions

(teaching, service, research)– Rewarded for contributions– Opportunities for advancement– Opportunities for professional

development (travel and workshops)– Atmosphere in department

What are the Opportunities?

• Is CS education valued both within and outside the department?– Department view of CS education

research – does it help with promotion opportunities?

– Department committees– Department leadership roles– College/University committees– Relationships with industry and

community

Does a Teaching Focused Position Fit You?

• How does this type position fit with your career goals?– Do you know your career goals? – Research interests– Need for status (respect)– Advancement– Mobility– Family

Recommendations to Education Leaders

• Regard CS education research as “real” CS research

• Include CS teaching-focused faculty even at large institutions

• Work to get CS included as a core discipline in high schools -> will need CS high school teachers -> will lead to more emphasis on CS teaching faculty at universities and CS education research!

Questions?

Susan Rodger, Duke University

Patricia Joseph, Slippery Rock University

Joyce Currie Little, Towson University

Suzanne Westbrook, Univ of Arizona

rodger@cs.duke.edu

References

• K12: Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA): http://www.csta.acm.org/

Resources

Computing Educators Oral History Project.

http://cs.southwestern.edu/CEOHP/

“The Classroom Climate: A Chilly One for Women?”

http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/chillyclimate.html

“Women Faculty at Work . . .”http://www.bernicesandler.com/id29.htm

REFERENCES

• Association for University Professors (AAUP). "Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession." AAUP Redbook. Washington, DC. (Since 1940)

(see http://www.aaup.org)

References, Cont’d• Commission on

Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST). Salaries of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians: A Summary of

Salary Surveys. Washington DC., 2008.

Available at http://www.cpst.org.

References, Cont’d

• National Academy Press. To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering. Washington DC., 2006.

• Nelson, Cary, "Across the Great Divide," Academe. American Association for University Professors. September-October 2008.

References, Cont’d

• Plater, William M. “The Twenty-First-Century Professoriate.” Academe. American Association for University Professors. July-August 2008.

References, Cont’d

• Sandler, Bernice Resnick. “Women Faculty at Work in the Classroom, or, Why It Still Hurts To Be a Woman in Labor.” Available at http://www.bernicesandler.com/id29.htm.

REFERENCES, CONT’D

• Trower, Cathy A. “Amending Higher Education's Constitution." Academe. American Association for University Professors. September-October 2008.