Findings, Challenges, and
Recommendations for
Teaching in Academia
Susan Rodger, Duke University
Patricia Joseph, Slippery Rock University
Joyce Currie Little, Towson University
Suzanne Westbrook, Univ of Arizona
rodger@cs.duke.edu
Thursday, Oct 2, 2008
2:45pm-3:45pm
Challenges:
Family/Teaching Innovation
Susan Rodger, Duke University
• About my Teaching
Position
• Challenge of
Family/Work
• Challenge of
Teaching
About My Teaching Position
• Background
– Purdue University, PhD CS, 1989
parallel algorithms
– Assistant Professor, Rensselaer
1989-1994, tenure-track
– Then job offer – Duke University
• “Assistant Prof. of Practice” 1994-97
• “Assoc. Prof. of the Practice” 1997-08
• “Prof. of the Practice” 2008-?
Professor of the Practice Track
• Focus on Education in Discipline
– PhD preferred or Prof. Experience
• Regular Rank Faculty – non-tenure
• Permanent Contract position
– 3 to 10 year contracts, renewable
• Promotable – CS education
– Grants, papers, visibility
Duke CS PoPs vs Tenured
•
•
•
•
teach 2 courses/semester vs 1
Focus on Ugrad curriculum
Cover Intro courses plus others
Supervise Ugrad research
– Can also supervise MS and PhD
•
•
•
•
Advising
Attend Faculty meetings
Salary similar, no “sabatical”
Write Grants/papers – in CS Educ
PoP History at Duke
• PoP track added in 1991
• For 2008-09 - 4 PoPs in CS
– Arts and Sciences
• 526 tenure/tenure-track
• 82 PoPs
– School of Engineering
• 95 tenure/tenure-track
• 8 PoPs
– School of Environment
• 43 tenure/tenure-track
• 4 PoPs
Challenge of Family/Work
Spouse/Mother of two boys
Challenges with Family/Work
• Virtual Prof (bedrest)
1996, 1999
• Maternity Leave –
1997, 2000
• ¾ Time for 5 years 2000-2005
• “Leave” – Fall 2004 –
write book
Challenges with Family/Work
• Get Help
– Cleaning, Yard, Babysitters
– Use online resources
•
•
•
•
Sittercity.com – babysitters
Manic Mommies – podcast
Order kids clothes, gifts online
Use rating services – kids books, games
– Parent’s Choice Awards
– Common Sense Media
– Family time - Focus on Your Likes
• Our Family cooks together – fresh food
• Family hikes
Challenges with Family/Work
• To get want you want
– By all means “Ask”
– Then “Ask again”
– Keep asking – be persistent
• Examples
– Leaves
– ¾ time for temp period
Challenges of Teaching
• PhDs not trained to teach. 
• How do you learn to teach or
improve your teaching?
• How do you stay innovative in your
teaching?
Teaching – Getting Started
• Use online resources
• Find similar courses – use and
modify
– Continue to refine every offering
Engage Students
• Reading quizzes online –
Blackboard
• Dial a Picture
• Workshop teaching format
– Short lecture
– Students work a problem – 5 min to
20 min
– Discuss
– Repeat
Engage Students (cont)
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Engage Students (cont)
Be a Robot
Engage Students (Cont)
• Students working in pairs
• Workshop format
• Prof and UTAs provide support
Where to get Ideas? SIGCSE
• SIGCSE is the computer science
education conference
• Over 1200 people
• Papers, panels, special session,
workshops, birds of a feather,
posters
Other Resources
• Education conferences – SIGCSE,
FIE, ITiCSE, ASEE, CCSC
• Education journals
• Campus resource center on
teaching?
– Duke – Center for Teaching
Challenges for Teaching in
Academia
Patricia A. Joseph
Slippery Rock University of PA
patricia.joseph@sru.edu
Who is Patricia Joseph?
• Tenured
Assistant
Professor
• Represented by
a Labor Union
• State-Owned
University
• Single & Content
My Story
• 1st Tenure-Track Woman
in department
• 1st Information Systems person in
a CS department
• B.S. Ed., M.A. English, M.S.
Information Science, etc.
• Career as public school teacher
• Do not have a Ph.D.
My Experience
What I wish that someone
had told me…
Types of Institutions
• Large Research
• Undergraduate
• 2-Year & Community Colleges
Types of Positions
• Temporary or Adjunct
• Contractual or Limited Term
• Teaching Professor
• University of California system
“potential for security of employment”
Opportunities
• Interviewing for the Position
• Understanding Union Contracts
• Negotiating
Salary & Rank
Office & Hardware/Software
Travel Budget
Student Help
Challenges
• Finding a Mentor—either in your
department or elsewhere at your
institution
• Being Aware of Politics in your
department and in your college
http://cs.southwestern.edu/CEOHP/
Details
•
•
•
•
Qualifications
Pay Scales
Typical Benefits
Requirements in Contract vs.
Requirements for Tenure
The Reality
It’s still a “chilly climate” for
women in academe” …
Be aware of it so that you
won’t be blind-sided.
http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/chilly
climate.html
http://www.bernicesandler.com
THANK YOU!
Joyce Currie Little, Professor
Computer & Information Sciences
Towson University
San Diego State, grad ass’t + , THEN Goucher College,
CC Dir, Instr; THEN Community College of Baltimore, &
during: Chamberlayne Junior College; THEN
Towson University, since 1981 (Founding Department
Chair 1984)
TEACHING IN ACADEMIA
WHAT’S GOOD * WHAT’S BAD
• WHAT A JOY - LOVE IT!
• CONTINUING TO
LEARN!
• KEEPING CURRENT
• SCHOLARLY
COLLEAGUES
• EAGER STUDENTS
• HELPING NEXT
GENERATION
• FLEXIBLE
SCHEDULING
• A DECENT LIVING
• GRADING PAPERS
• KEEPING UP-TO-DATE
• NOT-SO-EAGER
STUDENTS
• TOO BUSY - MANY
CONTINUING DUTIES
• UNPREDICTABLE
DEMANDS
• GENERATIONAL
CHALLENGES, BOTH
STUDENTS/FACULTY
• A DECENT LIVING
PROBLEMS FOR WOMEN ?
WHAT?
HOW ??
• CONFLICTING
DEMANDS FOR
TIME
• NOT ALWAYS
WELCOMED BY
COLLEAGUES
• ESTABLISHING
REPUTATIONS
• JUGGLING THE
VARIETY OF
DEMANDS
• HAVE LOTS OF
PERSISTENCE
• SHOW YOUR
CAPABILITIES
• BE HELPFUL
• EARN TRUST
• EXPECT
EQUALITY
THROUGHOUT
• LEARN TIME
MANAGEMENT
Data can Help !
• Demographics, by field, by gender,
by rank, by salary
• Number of eligible qualified
graduates by discipline
• Number of those entering industry
• Number left who are interested
• Number who support equity rights
• Number who encourage others
• Number serving as mentors
Trends and Influences
• Corporate leanings in academia
• Need for flexibility for management
• Tendency to move to contractual
workforce in the professoriate
• Move to decrease faculty
governance rights
• Move to eliminate tenure
• Decrease in “permanent” faculty
• The shift to “professors of the
practice”
Recommendations
• Educate new entering faculty about the
“professoriate”
• Mentor new entering faculty (both
tenure-track & contractual) to help
move them toward tenure
• Advocate higher percentage of tenured
faculty
• Encourage rights and responsibilities
(both) of tenured faculty
• Work for change in rigidity of policies
POLICY LEVEL HELP:
THE AAUP
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR
UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS:
POLICY DOCUMENTS AND
REPORTS
(THE “RED BOOK”)
• 1940 STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND
TENURE, WITH 1970 INTERPRETIVE
COMMENTS
AAUP, CONTINUED
• 1940 STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT OF
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
• STATEMENT ON PRINCIPLES ON FAMILY
RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACADEMIC WORK
• THE STATUS OF PART-TIME FACULTY
• ON FULL-TIME NON-TENURE TRACK
APPOINTMENTS
• CONTINGENT APPOINTMENTS AND THE
ACADEMIC PROFESSION
• INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
LEGAL DAMANDS ON FACULTY
• STATEMENT OF CORPORATE FUNDING
OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH
PLACES THAT HELP
• ASSOCIATION FOR UNIVERSITY
PROFESSORS (AAUP)
• NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, &
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE,
ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
• COMMISSION ON PROFESSIONALS IN
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
• BY DISCIPLINE: EDUCATOR GROUPS –
ACM SIGCSE, MAA, ETC
• BY DISCIPLINE: WOMEN COLLEAGUES
THE WORLD OVER
• YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU ARE LUCKY!
• YOUR DAD AND OTHER DAD’S
Challenges:
Considerations in Choosing a
Teaching-Focused Position
Suzanne Westbrook
Senior Lecturer and Associate Head
University of Arizona (Tucson!)
sw@cs.arizona.edu
Challenge: Choosing the Right
Teaching-Focused Position
• About my position
• Are teaching faculty
valued?
• What indicates
value?
• Opportunities
• Things to consider
• Recommendations
to Education
Leaders
About My Teaching Position
• Background
– University of Southwestern
Louisiana, (now University of
Louisiana-Lafayette) PhD in CS,
1998, research in multiparadigm
languages
– Northern Arizona University
• Lecturer 1993-1998
• Associate Professor 1998-1999
– University of Arizona – 1999-now
• Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate
Department Head
Senior Lecturer position at UA
• Non-tenure track – focus on
undergraduate education
• PhD preferred
• Three year renewable contracts
(I’m starting my 4th one)
• No research expectations, but is
appreciated (CS Education Res)
• Teach two courses/semester (TT
faculty teach one)
• No sabbatical!
Associate Department Head
• Primarily over Undergrad program
• No additional salary, but one
course relief per semester
• Work with faculty, staff, dept head
on variety of issues (course
scheduling, faculty assignments,
student problems, etc.)
• Run the undergrad TA program
• More committees, represent
department in college and univ.
Are Teaching-Focused Faculty
“Valued”?
• What indicates “value”?
– Recognized for contributions
(teaching, service, research)
– Rewarded for contributions
– Opportunities for advancement
– Opportunities for professional
development (travel and workshops)
– Atmosphere in department
What are the Opportunities?
• Is CS education valued both within
and outside the department?
– Department view of CS education
research – does it help with
promotion opportunities?
– Department committees
– Department leadership roles
– College/University committees
– Relationships with industry and
community
Does a Teaching Focused
Position Fit You?
• How does this type position fit with
your career goals?
– Do you know your career goals? 
– Research interests
– Need for status (respect)
– Advancement
– Mobility
– Family
Recommendations to Education
Leaders
• Regard CS education research as
“real” CS research
• Include CS teaching-focused
faculty even at large institutions
• Work to get CS included as a core
discipline in high schools -> will
need CS high school teachers ->
will lead to more emphasis on CS
teaching faculty at universities and
CS education research!
Questions?
Susan Rodger, Duke University
Patricia Joseph, Slippery Rock University
Joyce Currie Little, Towson University
Suzanne Westbrook, Univ of Arizona
rodger@cs.duke.edu
References
• K12: Computer Science Teachers
Association (CSTA):
http://www.csta.acm.org/
Resources
Computing Educators Oral History
Project.
http://cs.southwestern.edu/CEOHP/
“The Classroom Climate: A Chilly One
for Women?”
http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/chillyclima
te.html
“Women Faculty at Work . . .”
http://www.bernicesandler.com/id29.htm
REFERENCES
• Association for University
Professors (AAUP). "Contingent
Appointments and the Academic
Profession." AAUP Redbook.
Washington, DC. (Since 1940)
(see http://www.aaup.org)
References, Cont’d
• Commission on
Professionals in Science and
Technology (CPST). Salaries
of Scientists, Engineers and
Technicians: A Summary of
Salary Surveys.
Washington DC., 2008.
Available at
http://www.cpst.org.
References, Cont’d
• National Academy Press. To
Recruit and Advance: Women
Students and Faculty in Science
and Engineering. Washington
DC., 2006.
• Nelson, Cary, "Across the Great
Divide," Academe. American
Association for University
Professors. September-October
2008.
References, Cont’d
• Plater, William M. “The
Twenty-First-Century
Professoriate.” Academe.
American Association for
University Professors. JulyAugust 2008.
References, Cont’d
• Sandler, Bernice Resnick.
“Women Faculty at Work in the
Classroom, or, Why It Still
Hurts To Be a Woman in
Labor.” Available at
http://www.bernicesandler.com
/id29.htm.
REFERENCES, CONT’D
• Trower, Cathy A. “Amending
Higher Education's
Constitution." Academe.
American Association for
University Professors.
September-October 2008.