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Tenure and Promotion Review as a Lever for Institutional Change

Abstract

This paper addresses the following claim(s):
"The claims that we make through this presentation are supported by existing literature and through experience with the UMass Boston model. There is also a research effort within the BSP that is examining more specifically and rigorously the capacities and barriers to these institutional changes. Researchers from the Education Development Center (EDC) have collected and transcribed interviews with junior and senior faculty, and administrators at all levels within the university. Their analysis from collected data will be completed in late spring, 2010, and we do not report on that in this presentation. Below, we offer claims based on our experience with driving reform at UMass Boston during the past five years. These claims are, in part, informing the analysis of the EDC study.
  • It takes three years to change an individual faculty member's teaching practice.
  • Cultural change occurs informally among peer faculty members, but is enhanced when opportunities and experiences for engagement in K-12 research and outreach activities are made available.
  • Faculty members are generally open to include high-quality educational activities in the reward system if they understand the impacts of these activities.


  • Administrators' support eases the inclusion of science education activities in tenure and promotion files.
  • Examples of successful inclusion of science education activities in tenure and promotion files helps further inclusion of these activities in files.
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