A Faculty-Development Workshop for Junior Faculty in the Sciences and Engineering

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal will fund a series of workshops to help computer science junior faculty learn to become more effective educators and researchers. Junior faculty often encounter difficulties in balancing their investment of time and energy among teaching, research, fundraising, and service. As a result, initially promising junior faculty may leave academia, exacerbating the national shortage of faculty in computer science, or remain and perform sub-optimally in their academic roles. These problems are particular pressing for members of underrepresented groups in computing, who often lack role models and mentors who can identify with their experiences and help guide them through the steps of building a successful academic career. The workshops will use a fictionalized case-study to spark discussion of effective strategies for dealing with specific challenges such as so-called "imposter syndrome" and building a portfolio of accomplishments to support winning tenure - that is, a permanent university position. (At most universities, junior faculty who do not win tenure must leave their positions.) The workshops will be valuable both for junior faculty and more senior faculty who are involved in the process of making decisions on tenure. Benefits of the workshops include better preparing junior faculty for tenure, especially members of underrepresented groups; helping faculty serving on tenure committees to make unbiased decisions; and increasing the diversity of tenured faculty in computer science. Three faculty development workshops, each at a major computer science conference, will be supported by this proposal. The workshops provides junior faculty with a better understanding of the potential challenges and pitfalls they may encounter in a tenure track position, and strategies for effectively navigating the tenure process. It also helps senior faculty to be more aware of challenges that disproportionately impact members of groups underrepresented in computer science. The workshops will begin with the reading of a short play about a fictional tenure case. Previous presentations of the play at two previous science conferences sparked excellent discussions and feedback, demonstrating its effectiveness as a educational medium. The will be followed by a day-long series of discussions and panels on topics such as publishing, power imbalance, imposter syndrome, and dealing with hostile colleagues. After the conclusion of the workshops, a guide will be prepared that will enable the workshop to be easily replicated in whole or in part. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.