career development workshop for early career researchers
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Career Development Workshop for Early Career Researchers: Surviving your first five years
25th Annual ANZAM ConferenceDecember 8, 2011
Professor Nigel Healey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College of Business, Law and Social Sciences
Nottingham Trent University
Overview?
• Why become an academic? (lit. review)
• What to expect in your first academic post (methodology)
• Surviving your first five years (field work)
• How to get promoted (analysis)
• Conclusions (conclusions)
Why become an academic?
1. Because you sleepwalk – from talented, perpetual student to junior academic
2. Because you choose to be an academic– Excitement of curiosity-driven research (“academic freedom”)– Vocational call of teaching– Opportunity to work in a diverse intellectual milieu– Chance to join a global community of scholars (academic vs
soccer)
Why not become an academic?
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
Millions
Estimates for global demand for higher education
Really, why not become an academic?
What to expect in your first academic post (1)
• As a new PhD, you are hired for your research potential
• You will have to teach (…the courses incumbents don’t want to teach)
• Preparation for teaching– Tutorials and seminars as a postgraduate student– Possibly some formal teacher training– Possibly …nothing
• Expect to be overwhelmed – you have crossed to the dark side from elite student to worker bee
Monash guide for new academic staff
• How can I manage? – Email / computer needs – Office, keys, telephone – Day to day information – Course / unit materials – Teaching policies, including assessment and support materials – Printing and photocopying – Disposing of confidential material – Online & off campus teaching – Equipment in teaching rooms – Resources in my office – Readings for my course – Research activities – Employment related matters
Deakin general information for new academic staff
• A-Z index for staff • Acronyms • Deakin computer and broadband sc
hemes for staff
• Deakin Studies Online help guides • Key dates • Principles of teaching and learning • Staff benefits information • Research supervisor training progra
m
• Supporting students • Teaching and Learning plans • Teaching tips
• Academic probation - procedure • Academic promotions • Career development • Faculty academic mentoring progra
m
• Graduate Certificate of Higher Education
• Induction and Orientation • Managing units • Mentoring Partnership Program • Online teaching environment (Deaki
n Studies Online)
• Academic professional development
What to expect in your first academic post (2)
• Research– Your goal (dream) is to convert your doctoral research into A*
journal articles– Your five year mission is to build a sustainable research agenda
and make publishing a habit– Find a work pattern that works for you – everyone is different– Protect your designated research time (a new challenge after life
as a research student)
What to expect in your first academic post (3)
• Teaching– Your goal is to learn the craft and (in time) develop and teach the
courses that most engage you– Accept your lot as a new faculty member – all experiences are
opportunities for development!– Be disciplined in time management – teaching can take over your
life and it is only part of your job– Use professional development opportunities to improve your
teaching – but remember time management– Treat students as you used to want to be treated (Professors: “I
don’t have to do that any more”)
What to expect in your first academic post (4)
• Administration (aka service)– Many universities use a 40:40:20 model (R:T:A)– Some use teaching remission to make admin more enticing– Avoid taking on heavy admin roles in your early years
• “ I’d love to, but I have all this prep and three papers from my PhD under revise and resubmit”
• “I think this is a role I’d love to do when I am up for promotion to Associate Prof., like Sean and Becky are”
– Resist diversion from your research and teaching priorities while making everyone think you are really collegial (make up on the social side)
Surviving your first five years
• Key tips– Find a supportive peer group of other boot campers at your
university – you have more in common with a new psych lecturer than a management professor
– Find a mentor– Take up running or weights – addictive and obsessive and offsets
hours slumped over a PC– If you have any friends left from before grad school, nurture them– Think carefully before picking another academic as your life
partner – Note: it gets harder not to as you get older
Getting promoted
• Most promotion schemes reflect 40:40:20 model– Need demonstrable evidence of research output – ie, that you have
converted your PhD into a sustainable and productive research agenda
– Need to show evidence of teaching capability (eg, student survey results, peer review)
– Need to show evidence of willingness to gradually build up your university service – Warning: being a “good egg” in the service area will not compensate for weakness in research and teaching
Conclusions
• Hardly anyone regrets becoming an academic (although “these are the good old days”)
• But universities are ancient and their HRM/HRD practices not much better …although improving
• “How hard can Russian be, it’s spoken by 150m peasants?”
nigel.healey@ntu.ac.uk
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