PREPARING FUTURE FACULTY PROGRAM

                         DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

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Symposium on Model Programs for Training the New Psychology Professoriate  [doc] [pdf]

Program Director : Victor Benassi

Professor of Psychology

Professor of College Teaching

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

Phone : (603) 862-3290

Fax : (603) 862-4741

Electronic Mail : vab@cisunix.unh.edu

Psychology Department Coordinators of PFF Program

Ken Fuld, Professor of Psychology and Department Chairperson

Peter Fernald, Professor of Psychology

Victoria Banyard, Associate Professor of Psychology

Victor Benassi, Professor of Psychology

Background on the UNH Program

Overview

Graduate Students’ Experiences Related to Teaching, Research, and Service Teaching

Graduate Student Research

Undergraduate Student Reserach

Service

Faculty Mentors, Advisors, and Role Models

Interactions of PFF Cluster Partner Institutions

Integrating the Department of Psychology PFF Program with other UNH Faculty Development Programs

Dissemination Activities

Recruitment

Conclusion

Partner Departments, Institutions, Department Representatives, Email Addresses

Members of Cluster Steering Committee

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Department of Psychology Ph.D. program was started in the mid-1960s with support from the National Science Foundation and the University of New Hampshire. The goal of the program from the start has been to prepare Ph.D. level psychologists who secure faculty positions. The department’s curriculum was designed to provide graduate students with a strong general background in psychology, opportunity to study with faculty in a specialty area, in-depth coursework in statistics and research methods, and a solid grounding in history and theory of psychology. The centerpiece of the program during the past 30 plus years has been the formal background students receive in the area of college teaching and other faculty roles.

The experience that UNH Psychology graduate students receive is designed to foster their development as psychologists and as faculty members. Benassi and Fernald (1993; Teaching of Psychology, 20, 149-155) described the program as it was constituted in the early 1990s. The program currently has the same basic elements, but also reflects trends that have developed through the national preparing future faculty (PFF) initiative. In the years ahead, the department anticipates continuing to develop the program in ways that reflect emerging PFF practice and building on what has been learned over the last 30 years. The next generation of our program will respond to those changes and, indeed, play an important role in shaping the preparation of future faculty in psychology.

The department’s Ph.D. program creates a broad set of opportunities in conjunction with other University of New Hampshire programs— the UNH Program in College Teaching and the UNH Preparing Future Faculty Program. The department’s program is currently supported by permanent University funds, by a grant from American Psychological Association, and by a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) dissemination grant to the University’s Teaching Excellence Program and the Graduate School.

In addition to coursework and research, doctoral students participate in a variety of experiences designed to prepare them for the full-range of faculty roles. These experiences vary depending on the students’ position in the program. First-year doctoral students participate in a graduate proseminar and teaching and research assistant experience. Second-year doctoral students participate in teaching and research assistant experience, coursework in the UNH Summer Institute on College Teaching, preparation for teaching in their third year, and visitations to other colleges and universities (e.g., Dartmouth College, Howard University, Keene State College, St. Anselm College). Third-year doctoral students participate in a two-semester Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology, coursework in the Summer Institute on College Teaching, visitations to other colleges and universities, and they take part 1 of the specialty exam (designed to prepare graduate students for teaching a course during fourth year in their specialty area). Finally, fourth- and fifth-year doctoral students participate in teaching in their specialty area, visitations to other colleges and universities, preparation for the job search, and they take part 2 of the specialty exam (designed to prepare graduate students for conducting their doctoral dissertation).

Graduates of the program have been successful in securing academic positions. Many of them have taken positions at liberal arts colleges and comprehensive universities. Some graduates have secured positions at research universities after completing a postdoctoral research fellowship.

Our department’s efforts in the area of future faculty development predate the national PFF initiative. Nevertheless, it may be useful to describe the UNH program in relation to the elements that the developers (the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools) proposed as the core features of PFF programs (http://www.preparing-faculty.org/PFFWeb.Contents.htm#about).  First, “the PFF program addresses the full scope of faculty roles and responsibilities that include teaching, research, and service, emphasizing how the expectations for these responsibilities are often quite different in different campus settings.” Second, doctoral students who participate in a PFF program “should have multiple mentors and receive reflective feedback not only for their research activities but also for their teaching and service activities.” Third, the program emphasizes “the cluster: an anchor, doctoral degree-granting institution or department collaborating with various partner institutions or departments.” In the sections below, we describe the UNH PFF program in relation to these core features. In addition, we describe the ways in which the Psychology program is integrated with other faculty and future faculty development initiatives at UNH. We end the paper with brief descriptions of program dissemination and graduate student recruitment efforts that are underway.

Preparing to Teach a Psychology Course (GRAD 980). During the late spring of their second year in the program and over the summer, graduate students who are about to teach introductory psychology work with the next teacher of Psyc 991 (see below) in order to prepare for teaching the introductory course. For the first time in 2002, students enrolled in a course (GRAD 980) and earned credit for the work they do. In GRAD 980, several critical topics and tasks that must be addressed early in the course preparation process provide the substance of GRAD 980: the role and function of the introductory psychology course; principles of test construction and grading practices; classroom teaching methods; selection of textbooks and other materials for the introductory psychology course; preparation of a complete course syllabus; preparation of several teaching modules that cover sections of the introductory course (http://www.unh.edu/pff/seminar/courseorg/teachunits.htm).

In summer of 2002, GRAD 980 was made available to doctoral students from universities other than UNH. The course, taught on a pilot basis by Professor James Korn of Saint Louis University, was successful and will now become part of the UNH Summer Institute on College Teaching curriculum. A copy of the course syllabus may be found at http://www.unh.edu/pff/links/GRAD980Syll02.pdf.

Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology. The department offers a Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology each fall (Psyc 991) and spring (Psyc 992) semester. Professors Victoria Banyard, Victor Benassi, Kenneth Fuld, and Peter Fernald each teach one of the courses on a regular basis. This seminar and practicum provides third-year teaching doctoral students with an academic foundation for teaching psychology. Concurrent with the seminar, students teach one section of Introductory Psychology during the fall and spring semesters.  The seminar includes coverage of theories and research related to teaching and learning. It also covers topics such as testing, grading, student evaluations of teachers, classroom assessment methods, academic citizenship, cognitive development of college students, and psychological theories of pedagogy.  In addition, students receive group and individual supervision of their teaching of Introductory Psychology. The Psyc 991-992 instructor observes doctoral students in a classroom setting on multiple occasions during a semester while they are teaching and students are videotaped while teaching. They review the tape with the Psyc 991-992 teacher.

Over the past several years, we have been strengthening three areas of this course (technology and teaching; classroom assessment; gender issues in teaching). Professor Fuld introduced, in collaboration with Professor Victoria Banyard, an updated unit on using technology in college teaching (http://www.unh.edu/farview). Most of our teaching graduate students have received training in the use of Blackboard (http://www.blackboard.com) and now use this tool in their teaching. In Psyc 992, Professor Fernald integrated Pat Cross and Tom Angelo's classroom assessment and research approach (e.g., Classroom Assessment Techniques, 1993, Jossey-Bass) and included a new unit on gender issues in college teaching. Professor Victoria Banyard developed and taught a semester-long graduate course dealing with gender issues in teaching and learning. This course, offered through the UNH Program in College Teaching, was taken by a variety of students, including several involved in Psychology’s PFF program.

Teaching Courses in Specialty Areas. The department implemented a new policy in 2001 on specialty examinations. Under this new policy, students complete two specialty requirements. The first requirement is an exam that is geared toward preparing students to teach a survey course in their specialty area. The second requirement focuses on more in-depth study in students’ areas of research specialization. After successfully completing the first requirement students are eligible to teach a lower-division course in their specialty area.

During their fourth and fifth years of graduate study, Psychology doctoral students teach a survey course in their specialty area (e.g., social psychology, cognition, psychobiology, development) and often an introductory course in statistics. (They have already completed three or more graduate courses in quantitative and research methods.) Whereas only the seminar/practicum teacher supervises teaching during the third year, doctoral students’ research mentors are expected to assist in overseeing the teaching of specialty courses. Prior to teaching a specialty course, doctoral students are required to submit their syllabus to faculty in that area in addition to one of the Psyc 991-992 teachers. Faculty provide advice and feedback on the content, structure, and requirements of the course.

Coursework in Summer Institute on College Teaching. The UNH Summer Institute on College Teaching (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/pff_institute.html) includes the following courses: Teaching with Writing; Cognition, Teaching, and Learning; Classroom Research and Assessment; Academic Citizenship; College Students and the Undergraduate Culture. Psychology doctoral students may enroll in any of these courses. Most of the doctoral students in the department work toward earning either a cognate or a master’s degree in college teaching in conjunction with securing the PhD degree (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/pff_academic.html). See details below.

Psychology doctoral students are expected to work on research from the beginning of their graduate studies. The nature and level of involvement varies with students’ prior background, interests, and seniority in the graduate program. Graduate students continue to be productive, as evidenced by presentations at research conferences and by publications.  An earlier survey conducted within the department indicated that the modal student graduated with two publications to her or his credit (Benassi & Fernald, 1993).

Over the past decade, many of the department’s doctoral students have worked, in collaboration with their research advisors, with undergraduate psychology majors who seek to acquire first-hand research experience. In such cases, a contract is prepared and provided to the department chairperson for review and approval. The undergraduate student must also sign the contract. This type of experience has been beneficial to our graduate students and helpful during the job search, as many hiring departments seek candidates who are able to immediately involve students in their research program.

Psychology doctoral students are routinely involved in service activities for the department (e.g., hiring committee), Graduate School (e.g., Graduate Student Organization), and University (e.g., Women’s Commission). Faculty advisors encourage graduate students to become involved in one or more service activities. Informal surveys of program graduates have indicated that their prior experience with service activities as graduate students has served them well both during the job interview process and on the job.

Graduate Proseminar (Psyc 901-902). First-year doctoral students in the department take a two-semester proseminar, taught most recently by Professor Peter Fernald. The proseminar provides an important first orientation to psychology doctoral students on such issues as research and professional ethics and on identifying and working with a faculty mentor. The seminar focuses on the following areas: forming an identity as a psychologist (begin to establish an identity as a professional/academic psychologist); meeting department faculty (learn about faculty members' scholarly interests and their perspectives on both the science of psychology and graduate education); establishing relationships with faculty (develop a collegial "we”, rather than "us/them", perspective regarding faculty); developing first-year talk (prepare a high quality end-of-the-year research presentation). The proseminar includes presentations by Psychology faculty, staff of the Graduate School, the Director of the Teaching Excellence Program, the Psychology Department's administrative coordinator, and advanced graduate students. A PFF Project Coordinator provides detailed information on the department and University-wide efforts in faculty development.

Interactions with Faculty from other Institutions. The department’s PFF leaders have been building relationships with faculty at PFF cluster partner institutions by arranging visits to their campuses so that our doctoral students meet faculty from places different from UNH and determine where areas of mutual interest and background exist (see details below).

Job Search. The preliminary stages of the process begin during students’ third year of graduate study, when the teacher of Psy 991 and faculty advisors assist them in preparing a curriculum vitae and the beginnings of a portfolio. During the year that a student begins the job search, his/her faculty advisor and faculty who are responsible for the overall PFF effort in the department offer advise and assistance on identifying job openings, preparing cover letters, and finalizing the portfolio. As the process continues, students develop both research and teaching oriented presentations. These presentations are critiqued by faculty and other students. As students prepare for job interviews, they are provided with appropriate background material on the type of institution they will be visiting [e.g., G. W. Wilson. (1992). Good start: A guide for new faculty in liberal arts colleges, Bolton, MA: Anker].

Staff of the UNH Teaching Excellence Program recently prepared a set of guidelines for PFF students to use when developing a teaching portfolio. All students are required to develop a teaching portfolio in Psyc 992, the guidelines for which are located at http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/portfolio.pdf.

Annual Department-wide Meeting. The Psychology PFF Project coordinators lead a department-wide meeting during the fall semester of all doctoral students and faculty, which deals with the department’s PFF initiative. We update everyone on all aspects of the department’s and University’s programs as well as the national PFF initiative. In addition, discussion focuses on ways in which faculty could encourage and support students’ involvement in PFF activities.

Inviting Former Graduate Students to UNH. We have begun a program that will bring former doctoral students (now faculty members) back to campus for short visits. During their visits, these former students will meet with doctoral students and faculty in formal and informal settings to talk about their experiences on the job market, their current roles as faculty members, and their retrospective review of their time as a graduate student in our department.

The Campus Visits program has been developed during the period of funding provided by APA. The department has sponsored visits to Howard University, St. Anselm College, the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, Keene State College, and Dartmouth College. UNH doctoral students benefit from campus visits in a variety of ways and develop an understanding of the cultures, missions, and traditions of different types of institutions. By the time they have visited several campuses, our graduate students have formed impressions about several very different types of institutions. For example, our students have been impressed with the way that faculty at St. Anselm College involve undergraduate students in research projects. Our students develop a strong sense of the mission of the UNH Manchester campus, with its focus on adult non-traditional learners. They see what life might be like working at an urban, diverse, research university during their visit to Howard University. At Keene State College, our students are impressed by the faculty’s commitment to the college’s mission as an undergraduate liberal arts state institution. Students learn from faculty how important it is to select a place of employment that fits their professional and personal goals. At Dartmouth College, our PFF students are exposed to academic life at an institution that is both a liberal arts college and, in effect, a research university with strong doctoral programs in selected areas (including Psychology).

Graduate students in the Psychology doctoral program are urged to avail themselves of programs and resources the University offers in the faculty development area— University-wide PFF program, Program in College Teaching, Summer Institute on College Teaching, and Teaching Excellence Program. Most Psychology students work toward earning the Cognate in College Teaching (a minor granted in conjunction with the conferral of the Ph.D. degree), while a smaller percentage work toward earning a separate Master’s in College Teaching (a non-thesis degree that is also granted in conjunction with conferral of the Ph.D. degree) (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/PFF/pff_academic.html). Students earn academic credit toward the Cognate and the Master’s by taking courses in the UNH Summer Institute on College Teaching (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/pff_institute.html). Psychology faculty (Professors Banyard, Benassi, Fuld, and O’Brien) have taught in the College Teaching Program as has a faculty member from a PFF cluster campus (Professor Gary Goldstein, UNH Manchester). UNH sponsors a University-wide PFF Program (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/) and Psychology doctoral students are encouraged to participate in program activities such as the PFF Breakfast series (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/pff_events.html#breakfast).  The Director of the UNH Teaching Excellence Program (http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/index.html) provides direct support to PFF students, including those in Psychology, in a variety of ways—for example, by serving on teaching committees (a component of the Cognate and Master’s programs) and helping students to understand their teaching evaluations.

The Education Directorate of the American Psychological Association (APA) oversees and provides national leadership for The Preparing Future Faculty Program in Psychology (http://www.apa.org/ed/pff.html). APA received support from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). In turn, APA selected four programs to develop and disseminate their PFF in Psychology programs. As part of its commitment, UNH PFF faculty leaders—both faculty and doctoral students—have been actively involved a variety of ways to disseminate approaches that other doctoral granting psychology programs could adapt to meet the needs of their doctoral students who seek to develop a career in academe. Some examples of dissemination activities include presentations at the annual APA convention, participation in other national and regional meetings, meeting with faculty from other psychology doctoral programs to discuss the PFF initiative and UNH’s efforts in that area.

The UNH Department of Psychology is committed to recruiting, admitting, and enrolling students with strong academic records who seek to develop a career as a research psychologist within a college or university setting. The department has undertaken an initiative to increase both the size and diversity of our graduate admissions applicant pool. A PowerPoint slide presentation shows the areas the department highlights in its recruitment efforts: http://www.unh.edu/pff/images/Recruitment.pps.

The UNH Psychology PFF program has a firm departmental, college, and university footing and a steady funding stream. This consistent commitment and support are essential to the program’s success. For those who seek to develop a PFF program within their department, our advice is to begin on a small scale—e.g., a proseminar like the one we describe in this paper; a course on college teaching geared toward assisting teaching doctoral students; an informal PFF breakfast series that exposes doctoral students to faculty roles, responsibilities, and the job search (http://www.gradschool.unh.edu/pff/pff_events.html#breakfast). Based on initial successes, it will be necessary to garner support from key members of the department and from your school/college and graduate deans. The graduate dean will likely be knowledgeable about PFF and, if your university has a university-wide PFF program, it will probably be administered through the graduate school. Finally, we advise that you take advantage of the experience and expertise of the PFF leaders at the four universities that APA supports as model programs (http://www.apa.org/ed/pffmodel.html) and Dr. Paul Nelson of the APA Education Directorate. As the landscape of doctoral education continues to change (see http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/CID/index.htm), we suspect that traditional programs on preparing doctoral students primarily as scholars/researchers will be viewed increasingly as offering necessary but insufficient preparation for a productive faculty career. Brian Coppola, in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education (August 9, 2002, B16) piece succinctly made the point: The “infrastructure for scholarly development must be broadened to give students the skills for teaching and service as well [as those to do research.] Professors of the future should arrive on campus as capable of carrying out the full obligations of being faculty members as they are of performing disciplinary research today.”

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