|
Research Boot Camp As with any new job, academics face a new climate and demands of their time. This is compounded by specific expectations that can either break or make their career. In order to accomplish longevity in academia, an academic must structure his/her time in order to fulfill all aspects of scholarship. However, how does a new faculty member juggle assimilation, teaching loads, service commitments, and draft publications? Answer: with some coaching. In Spring 2009 the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning launched a pilot project, the Research Boot Camp (RBC), to encourage and increase faculty productivity. This boot camp provides an intensive, focused, distraction-free, supervised writing time to junior faculty during their first 2 years. Held six times per semester for a total of 12 hours, junior faculty members are placed among their peers to design and report on their chosen research project. Each session begins with 30-minute discussions of their progress, followed by two hours of uninterrupted research time. Brain foods (blueberries, peanut butter, hummus, trail mix) are offered to participants while they work. Faculty members who register for the RBC are making a commitment to the program. If participants cannot attend at least five of the six sessions, they are strongly encouraged to postpone their involvement until their schedules permit. Prior to beginning the RBC, they are asked to fill out individual work plans, both to outline their research and to serve as an assessment tool after completion. Faculty members are asked to identify their research methods, object of study, research instruments, stage of research, and anticipated dissemination methods. In addition, they are asked to submit a two-paragraph description of the project they wish to work on throughout the RBC and their research output goal. Currently there are 15 participants, eight of which are STEM faculty. The overall goal is to create a supportive network of scholars to enhance productivity and decrease solitude. An anticipated outcome is a reduction in faculty attrition during their first few years at Marshall. Dr. Tina Cartwright, an Assistant Professor in the School of Education and a participant in the boot camps, had this to say: “The CATL research boot camp has presented an incredible opportunity to share the challenges and the milestones of faculty research with our colleagues. Too often, our research is done alone and behind closed doors fostering feelings of isolation and frustration. Coming together with accountability has ignited my own desire to get things accomplished and be productive.”
249 |
