Shh! Protecting Faculty Time With Near Silent Events

Transcript

1. SHH! Protecting Faculty Time with Near-Silent Events JOSEPH MURPHY & ASHLEY BUTLER, KENYON COLLEGE NOVEMBER 18, 2023
2. The Problem • Faculty are busy and their jobs are stressful. • The “banking model” of faculty development may make this worse as much as better. • How can we guide faculty members to new ideas without seeming to impose on their time?
3. Origins • Much of our work in this area was started/inspired by Jan Thomas during her time as Associate Provost at Kenyon. • Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Karla A. Erickson, and Jan Thomas on post-tenure thriving and professional pathways (Journal of Higher Education, 2019; Peer Review, 2019). • Faculty identity post-tenure is a complex interplay of career satisfaction and institutional fit. • Faculty development as a form of both guidance and reward.
4. Writing Groups
5. Writing Groups – The History What are they? ◦ Regular, weekly time to write quietly among colleagues ◦ What they are not: workshop/critique space Started in Spring 2019 ◦ Coordinating available spaces around campus Currently: ◦ Our space! ◦ Google Form Sign Ups ◦ We offer 7 groups per week during the semester and 4 during the summer ◦ Semester groups last 1.5 hours, summer groups last 3 hours ◦ Hybrid format
6. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Spring 2019 Fall 2019 Spring 2020 Fall 2020 Spring 2021 Fall 2021 Spring 2022 Fall 2022 Spring 2023 Fall 2023 Semester Writing Group Participation Over Time 1 Group 2 Groups 3 Groups 4+ Groups Cancelled due to COVID-19
7. 0 5 10 15 20 25 Summer 2019 Summer 2020 Summer 2021 Summer 2022 Summer 2023 Summer Writing Group Participation Over Time 1 Group 2 Groups 3 Groups 4 Groups
8. Breakdown in Departmental Participation in Writing Groups Humanities Natural Sciences Social Sciences Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Studies Staff Spring, Summer, Fall 2023 Humanities Natural Sciences Social Sciences Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Studies Staff (Spring, Summer, Fall 2019) 93 total participants 89 total participants
9. Writing Group Impressions On average, during the semester, we have around unique 32 participants signing up for about 48 group spots altogether (several sign up for multiple groups) Altogether, we’ve had a grand total of 355 participants sign up and our groups have totaled 537 participants A little over 1/3 of participants sign up for multiple groups (37.33%) Folks on sabbaticals/leave often sign up for multiple groups Many folks sign up for the same group times every semester Most popular for early and mid career faculty and visiting faculty
10. Our Take Aways: Space and hospitality go a long way
11. Our Take Aways: Space and hospitality go a long way Quickly became a part of faculty routines
12. Our Take Aways: Space and hospitality go a long way Quickly became a part of faculty routines Celebrations and incentives help to make people feel appreciated for the work they’ve done
13. Semester to Summer
14. Semester to Summer Planning What is it? ◦ Gently guided work time to help faculty plan for a productive and restorative summer Started in 2017 and 2018 by then-Associate Provost Jan Thomas ◦ Heavily inspired by the work of Kerry Ann Rockquemore and National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity Adopted and Revised for 2022 and 2023 by CIP ◦ Averaging 8 participants per time we’ve held it Run time: 3 hours
15. Structure 1. Reflections ◦ Things learned last year ◦ Obstacles overcome in the last year ◦ People or resources who supported me in a meaningful way 2. Summer Goal Setting ◦ 3 professional goals ◦ 3 personal goals ◦ Tasks that need to be taken off your plate ◦ Tasks you never seem to have time for 3. Action Items and Task Mapping ◦ Choose one goal ◦ Break goal up into milestones ◦ Break milestones down into action items/tasks ◦ ADD TASKS TO CALENDAR! 4. Anticipating Obstacles ◦ What obstacles might get in your way? ◦ What strategies do you have to get around barriers and obstacles?
16. Finalize List •Add to staff meeting agenda •Preliminary discussion (May 25) •Additional Discussion (June 1) •Finalize List and room requests (June 8) •Assign Dates (June 8) Arrange Logistics •Double check rooms/tech (by June 10) •Schedule rooms (June 15) •Create Google Form and add anyone who needs to be able to access it (June 17) •Add to Internal Calendar and invite facilitator (June 17) •Solicit/Write Email Copy (June 17) •Customize Google Form Response Spreadsheet to sort responses (June 20) Market •Add to campus calendar (June 22) •Write and pre-schedule email marketing (June 22) Deliver •Add reminders to calendar about checking RSVPs and sending out invitations (July 1) •Send out reminder emails the morning of the session (preschedule this year or delegate?) •Coordinate with facilitator to make sure everything is good to go (Before each session) Task Mapping: Example Coordinating the CIP’s Tech Tuesday Learning Series Download a template
17. Our Take Aways: Faculty love the space, time, and quiet to focus on their summer planning Faculty sometimes realize they’ve already said “yes” to too many things Faculty desire for a planning session in January ◦ Currently partnering with the Director of the Office of Sponsored Faculty Projects to add scholarly development angle and integrate some long-term planning into the short-term planning
18. Silent Book Club
19. Silent Book Club, AKA “Faculty Book Spa” What is it? ◦ Choose a book ◦ Choose a lunch ◦ Show up weekly to eat and read in silence among peers ◦ Write a bookstore-style review for CIP Little [Free] Library Idea inspired from public library programming and an informal Kenyon group in the early days of COVID We have good luck getting faculty to traditional book clubs in summer but less traction during the semester ◦ Lower length readings are more popular during the semester ◦ Model: Natural Science Reading Club ◦ Their secret: DO THE READING AT THE MEETING.
20. Silent Book Club Reception 2 Semesters so far Spring 2023 ◦ 12 participants total ◦ Two sessions (4 weeks each) ◦ People from session 1 asked to be a part of session 2 so they could finish their books ◦ People from session 2 asked if we could sponsor more dates Fall 2023 ◦ 7 participants ◦ One session (8 weeks) ◦ Still ended up adding 3 sessions Future ◦ Model after writing groups (semester-long)? ◦ Continue offering lunch for every session? Humanities, 5 Natural Sciences, 9 Social Sciences, 3 Fine Arts, 1 Staff, 1 Disciplinary Distribution of Silent Reading Group Participants Over Time
21. Our Take Aways: Helps to have a list of books to help people choose ◦ https://www.librarything.co m/catalog/KenyonCIP
22. Our Take Aways: Helps to have a list of books to help people choose ◦ https://www.librarything.co m/catalog/KenyonCIP “Book Spa” ◦ Relaxed faculty environment ◦ Space and Hospitality
23. Our Take Aways: Helps to have a list of books to help people choose ◦ https://www.librarything.co m/catalog/KenyonCIP “Book Spa” ◦ Relaxed faculty environment ◦ Space and Hospitality A little more talking than reading sometimes
24. Questions? MURPHYJM@KENYON.EDU & BUTLER1@KENYON.EDU