Developing civil engineering faculty

Abstract

There is a wide variety of credentials and experience among civil engineering faculty in the United States. Instructors in the classroom may range from teaching assistants or adjunct faculty with a master's degree to full professors. Full-time faculty members in accredited civil engineering programs usually have doctoral degrees as well as teaching and research experience. At many schools, faculty development is dominated by committee service and research with tenure being the ultimate goal. Other universities, including some without graduate programs, have a much heavier emphasis on developing excellence in teaching. The United States Air Force Academy is a four-year undergraduate institution without a traditional tenure system, but with a comprehensive faculty development program. Instructors in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Air Force Academy may begin teaching with only a master's degree. However, they benefit from a variety of faculty development opportunities designed to improve their skills. These include their own professional experience, new instructor orientation and training, required faculty development presentations during their first semester of teaching and unique, hands-on teaching experiences. Other facets of this faculty development program include regular feedback sessions with the department chair, interaction with a new visiting professor every year, attendance at professional conferences, a strong emphasis on professional registration and working experience early in the teaching career. Feedback to instructors includes peer classroom visits and student course critiques. This paper examines the total faculty development program with the intent of provoking discussion and sharing good ideas for faculty development.