Changes in the nature of faculty work in engineering during the first three years

Abstract

The literature frames the socialization process of new faculty members as if they face an identical set of challenges in each of their pre-tenure years, regardless of discipline. This research uses a longitudinal research design and interview data to determine if there are differences by year in the experiences of a cohort pre-tenure faculty in engineering at a research-intensive university. Two major shifts in priorities occurred within the three years: a shift from an emphasis on securing external funding to managing a research team and multiple sources of funding; and secondly, a shift from concern about the ambiguity of tenure expectations to growing confidence about expectations attributed largely to clear feedback about performance. Research findings presented here suggest that new faculty will benefit from professional development opportunities that address such issues as conflict, interpersonal communication, and essentials of supervision in a team and laboratory setting. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.