University Faculties: Unprepared Practitioners of a Highly Skilled Profession

University faculty* members face a broad range of challenges over the course of their careers. Laursen and Rocque (2009) identify career stages at which they need to acquire different skill sets to meet those challenges: early career (teaching, advising, research, negotiation, and time management skills); mid-career (leadership and administration, collaboration, and outreach skills), and later career (the skill to identify and evaluate possible changes in career direction).

For which of those challenges are new and experienced faculty members systematically prepared? Throughout most of the history of higher education, the answer has been “none.” In the past half-century, faculty development* programs have become available on many campuses, but unfortunately many faculty members are still expected to learn how to do everything their job requires by trial and error. Although there is much to be said for experiential learning, it is not terribly efficient. Studies by Boice (2000) show that for 95% of new faculty members it takes four to five years of trial and error to become fully productive in research and effective in teaching – and in teaching, the ones making the errors (the instructors) are not the ones paying for them (their students). Boice also found, however, that the other 5% – the “quick starters” – are effective in their first one to two years, and the actions that distinguish quick starters from their colleagues can be identified and taught. That is to say, a good faculty development program can cut several years off the normal faculty learning curve.