USING DATA FOR PRACTICESOF INSTITUITONAL

TRANSFORMATION

Mary Frank FoxCo-Principal Investigator

Georgia Tech – NSF ADVANCE Initiative

Session on “Using Climate Data”ADVANCE Principal Investigators Meeting

May 2006

I. The Georgia Tech (GT) ADVANCE Initiative takes an integrated institutional approach to organizational factors that support positive outcomes—and best

practices—among faculty in academic science and engineering.

A.The GT ADVANCE Research Program is tied to this approach.

B. Research findings help inform and structure practices to support the sustained participation, performance, and advancement of faculty.

GT ADVANCE Research Reports on-line:

<http://www.advance.gatech.edu/measure>

II. Some Key Findings of the GT ADVANCE Research Program – and ways they have been used for positive practices.

A.The Nature of the Tenure and Promotion Process: the Process of Evaluation is Key to Advancement.

1. Finding:1. Finding: Faculty report that processes of evaluation are “moderately clear” – and between 2002 and 2005 they are notably clearer in certain units.

A. Clarity of Evaluation Q7. Reported Clarity of Criteria for Tenure and Promotion, by Year and Gender

Overall Men Women1

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* = time diff. sig. at <0.05

Computing Engineering Sciences Ivan Allen1

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Overall-02 Overall-05 Men-02 Men-05 Women-02 Women-05

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** = time diff. sig. at <0.01

Figure 1. Reported Clarity of Criteria for Tenure and Promotion, by Gender and Year, and by College.

3. Practices:

• GT Promotion and Tenure Advancement Committee (PTAC) –and development of best practices

• Awareness of Decisions in Evaluation of Promotion and Decision Making (ADEPT) interactive computer instrument Available online at:  http://www.adept.gatech.edu

• Career coaching sessions

• College-level initiatives for clarity and communication of standards

2. Research indicates that: equity in evaluation is supported by clear and open processes of evaluation.

A. Clarity of Evaluation

Figure 2. Reported Importance of Factors for Decisions on Promotion and Salary, by Gender

1. Finding:1. Finding: Faculty report that “grants awarded” are the most important criterion for promotion.

B. Criteria for Advancement

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Overall Men Women

******

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***= gender diff. sig. at<.001

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3. Practices:

• ADVANCE Cross-college Grants Workshop with NSF Program Officer (2003)

• Grants Workshops, co-sponsored by Ivan Allen College and IAC ADVANCE Professor (2004-06)

• ADVANCE Presentation and discussion on “Interdisciplinary Grants” with Vice Provost for Research (2005-06)

B. Criteria for Advancement

C. Work Environments including: Frequency of Speaking about Research

1. Why this is important

Figure 3. Frequency of Speaking About Research with faculty in Unit, by Gender

1. Finding:1. Finding:

Women are less likely than men to speak with faculty daily about their research.

C. Speaking about Research

3. Practice:

• Finding Highlighted at GT ADVANCE Conferences and discussed/addressed in break-out groups among faculty and administrators (including chairs)

C. Speaking about Research

Figure 4. Perceived Extent of Increased Attention of GT Administrators to Faculty Advancement, by Gender.

Greatly increased

Moderately

Slightly

Not increased at Alloverall men women

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Overall Men Women

***= gender diff. sig. at<.001

D. Attention to Faculty Advancement

Figure 5. Perceived Extent of Increased Attention of GT Administrators to Faculty Advancement, by Gender and College.

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Moderately

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Greatly increased

Moderately

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College of Computing College of Engineering

Ivan Allen CollegeCollege of Sciences

****

*

Overall Men Women***= gender diff. sig. at<.001

**= gender diff. sig. at<.01 *= gender diff. sig. at<.05

III. Conclusions

2. Findings from the Georgia Tech ADVANCE Research Program suggest that positive transformation can be supported through diverse means/practices, including:

Clarity and openness of evaluation Climates in departments - including access to

exchange about research Supportive work-family arrangements

1. Just as organization is structured, so it can continue to be positively re-structured to support participation and performance of faculty.