Remaining Innovative as a Faculty Member After Tenure

Slightly before or after achieving tenure, most faculty think that they've reached the end of their innovation journey and their teaching can solely focus on the best practices that they've developed throughout the last few years. Wrong! I challenge each of you to keep thinking, being creative, and reaching students in your classroom.

Whenever I reach the end of my current innovation point, I have to look for innovators in the academic industry. Usually this search occurs online (fast, easy, and FREE). However, after joining the AACU's Liberal Education and America's Promise in the state of Texas, I just have to look at the innovative social media posts from colleagues in the state and in other LEAP States.

If you are wondering about LEAP States initiative, I am including their links below...
LEAP Wisconsin Innovation Hub - https://www.uwp.edu/facultyandstaff/innovationhub/

LEAP California Innovation Hub - http://www.calfaccollab.org/

LEAP Indiana Innovation Hub - https://sites.google.com/iu.edu/leap-indiana/

LEAP Texas - http://leaptx.org/

LEAP Utah - http://ufc.ou.usu.edu/

So, I charge you to remain innovative, keep thinking, being creative, and reach students in your classroom. Use these free resources and learn how you can improve your teaching techniques without leaving your home (or campus).

In addition to the innovative techniques from LEAP Texas (and the other LEAP States), here are "10 Ways that Faculty Can Remain Innovative After Tenure".

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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10 Ways Faculty Can Remain Innovative After Tenure

After achieving tenure, most faculty members think that they are finished! However, the work REALLY begins when you receive tenure. To help tenured faculty members with remain innovative, here are "10 Ways Faculty Can Remain Innovative After Tenure".

1 - Mentor a Tenure-Track Colleague
Mentoring is very important and it can help you remain informed about the newest research in your discipline. Also, your tenure-track colleagues have the most energy and you have the most experience - MAKE IT WORK!

2 - Dedicate a Specific Amount of Time Each Week to Research Something New
It is important to remain excited and informed about your field of study! Take time to research something new and to find out the most recent research in your field! Share with your tenure-track colleague(s)!

3 - Make Friends with the Librarians!
The librarians order books and they can let you know when a book, resource, or a database that is relevant for your discipline arrives at the library.

4 - Join a University Committee
Committees are time consuming, but they can also help you connect with your faculty and student affairs colleagues on campus. Through these committees, your experience can impact the outcome of the committee and can impact university decisions. In addition, through this committees, you can help your students and colleagues gain opportunities and partnerships on campus.

5 - Write Grants to Expand Your Research
When you write a grant, you can include additional travel funding, request course releases, and receive operations/maintenance funding for your project. Include a tenure track faculty member and students on the proposal as well!

6 - Write a Book Contributing to Your Discipline
The after-tenure journey is a great time to write a book (or two) to share your knowledge with others. Depending on your personal goals, you can partner with a publisher (potentially less money) or participate in a Amazon publishing agreement (potentially more money).

7 - Create Your Own Research Institute/Leave Your Legacy
When you create a research institute or initiative on your campus, you are leaving your legacy. Remember to include other faculty and undergraduate/graduate students on the proposal. Also, the research institute can keep you accountable for your research.

8 - Participate in a Study Abroad Experience with Other Faculty and StudentsStudy abroad experiences can definitely impact student and faculty success. Also, these experience can help you renew your motivation for your research and your field of study!

9 - Work with Undergraduate ResearchersWhen you form your own team of undergraduate researchers, you gain a group of eager students who are excited about learning more about you and your research. Find some mutual research interests and set up a research plan for these groups of students. There are many publication outlets for these eager researchers (and you)!

10 - Remember to Document Your Progress on Your CV and Social MediaYou never know when you will need to pull a list of your current (and past) projects. Remember to document these important projects on your curriculum vita and on your social media outlets.

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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Yes, Fellow Faculty Member - Equity IS Important for Your Students!

Over the past year, EQUITY has become THE of the most important word to me as a professor and as an administrator. As an avid reader of the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Education Advisory Board daily briefs, it has been a constant word that appears in each issue and/or email.

As higher educators, should be dedicated to equitable practices in the classroom, and in our programming, and in our services. Student success is impacted by access, retention, and progression. In addition to admitting students to higher education, we should also be focused on helping each student (as much as we can) progress to graduation.

Here's the best thing, AACU and NIOLA partnered together to sponsor sessions on transparent assignments. The presenter, Mary-Ann Winkelmes from UNLV did an exceptional job presenting easy ways that faculty can make assignments transparent for their students.

Part 2 - The Workshop Continues!

Part 3 - The Workshop Continues!

Part 4 - An Introduction to the Charettes!

Part 5 - Questions and Answers from the Session

Part 6 - Here's the Wrap Up Session

I look forward to almost ANYTHING that is hosted by AACU and NIOLA. They are two amazing organizations and they care about spreading best practices focused on teaching, research, and diversity/equity!

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!


Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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Learning about High Impact Educational Practices WITHOUT Leaving Home? Yes, Please!

I am excited anytime I can learn more about teaching and reaching students in my online and internship courses! However, it is difficult to travel to teaching and learning conferences when we have a wealth of committee assignments on campus, As a result, I watch a lot...like A LOT of YouTube videos to learn step-by-step instructions for utilizing software and how to incorporate a new concept in my classes. 

YouTube has been an incredible help for me and the Liberal Education and America's Promise initiative continues to provide amazing resources for faculty without requiring individuals to purchase a airplane ticket to attend a conference.

Recently, SUNY sponsored a Applied Learning Conference during Nov 2016 and their videos were uploaded on Dr. Susan Albertine's YouTube page.
By the way, please like Dr. Albertine's Facebook page. She is exceptional and I know that you will love her videos!

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!


Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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Each Faculty Member Should Know About the Degree Qualifications Profile! Do You?

Over the past year, I've been fortunate to serve a LEAP Texas Faculty Fellow. This has truly been one of the best experiences in higher education that I have had in a long time. Our LEAP Texas groups was selected to present at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment's Charrette experience. 

All five of the LEAP Texas Fellows collaborated together to form a collection of five similar assignments focused on the first-year seminar (our common link). During the charrette, we shared these assignments and received feedback focused on our assignment design. We incorporated this feedback and then we resubmitted our assignment for the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) library.

Check out my submission to the assignment library - Incorporating the Diversity of Academic Disciplines in a College-Wide First-Year Seminar Course to Address University Problems

When you have a chance, please check out the DQP library. It is very extensive and it definitely helps all faculty (new and seasoned) create assignments focused on the following DQP proficiencies:

Analytic inquiry

Broad and Integrative Knowledge

Communicative fluency

Ethical reasoning

Quantitative fluency

Use of information resources

Applied and Collaborative Learning

Civic and Global Learning

Engaging diverse perspectives

Intellectual Skills

Specialized Knowledge

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Searching for a Long-Term Academic Relationship (LTAR)

Relationships change, friendships evolve, and values are reaffirmed. The past sentence defines my life for the past six years. When I began my academic career, I had a core group  of academic friends at the institution. However, when lives changed and mindsets evolved, our academic lives drifted apart.

Thinking Back to the Sorority Days

I have to remember that this was a similar experience that I encountered with some of my sorority sisters after college. We had a lot in common when we saw each other each day and were completing college together, but when we began our career paths we discovered how different we truly were.

Focusing on Today

So, the differences. Yes, they are definitely evident now. I am no longer on the tenure track, I am almost an associate professor and my academic value systems changed from a faculty research focus to a student research focus. Everything that I do now focuses on helping our students navigate college while integrating high impact educational practices from their first-year to their senior year. 

Thinking Beyond Your Department

Just because you share an academic discipline and work on project together does not guarantee a long-term academic relationship (LTAR). A LTAR is strengthened when we participate in those high-impact relationship building activities like study abroad, text messages sent to encourage one another, a spontaneous coffee/tea invitation for a 30 minute walk around campus, and a telephone call just to let the other academic know that you are thinking of them.

Encourage Others by Thinking Positively

My past academic relationships have been VERY transactional and research and project-based. Now, I can say that these relationships are based on common experiences (away from the university) and shared (encouraging) conversations. We also encourage one another by discouraging any negative conversations about other people. These conversations can taint your views of others and the time that you spend gossiping can be allocated to conversations about family or classroom innovation ideas.

I am much happier since I realized that relationships in my 30s need to be long-lasting and based on common experiences and common mindsets, not purely transactional. Sometimes you just have to let friendships wither away, this can make you open to new (and better friendships).

Have a great day and keep thinking positively! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Did I Hold It Together During the Graduation Ceremony? You Decide!

Last night was one of the best experiences that I've had in academia. I've worked at the same university for the past ten years and by far, this has been my proudest moment so far.

The Tarleton State University Communication Studies Department celebrated its first two communication studies graduates at the master's level. Mr. Winston Dawson and Ms. Becca Long have always been trend setters for their peers, but last night they proved that they mastered their academic discipline. 

When Becca asked me to "hood" in the December graduation ceremony a few weeks ago, I was so excited to add this important event to my calendar! I told her that I would not miss it for the world!

Becca
I've known Becca for the past six (almost seven) years! She was one of the first undergraduate students involved with the Texas Social Media Research Institute (@TSMRI) and we have been proud of her since that point. We also keep up with all of our graduates and their career progression!

Winston
I met Winston six years ago and he is the funniest person that I know. He always has a smile on his face and he impacts all individuals around him! He actually attended my secret baby shower planned by the first class of @TSMRI interns. I've always admired him for attending and supporting my journey as a parent. 

Traivohn, Torri, and Lizzie
We also had three undergraduate students accomplish the first part of their academic journey as well. These students have been some of the most creative and most motivational students I've ever encountered. I immediately think of these students when I think about the student learning outcomes from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). These students served as trendsetters for their peers and I was excited to see them cross the stage!

I also told them that they had to keep in contact with me through our Friday check-in meetings on Twitter group messages. I have a recurring meeting in my schedule to remind me to initiate the communication if I do not hear from them.

This experience marks the end of their bachelor's level or master's level graduate journey, but it does not represent the end of their academic journey! I look forward to hearing about their next accomplishments!

Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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4 Easy Ways to Incorporate Research in University Courses!

While planning for the upcoming semester, I incorporate a large assignment on my syllabus. This large assignment was an important assignment for the undergraduate students as well as the graduate students in my courses in the Communication Studies Department at Tarleton State University. 

When Periscope became a new technology utilized by many companies last summer, I decided to incorporate the technology in my course to expose the graduate students to a potential technology that can be implemented for a company or organization.

Step 1 - Creating the Assignment

Then, I created the following assignment description on my syllabus:

Group Research Paper - Topic: Internal Communication and Businesses/Corporations/Organizations and Public Social Media Spaces

Brief Description – This semester’s research study will focus on internal communication occurring in public social media spaces among organizations (companies, associations, corporations, non-profit orgs., etc.) and their employees/members.

A - Each component of this paper will be due on specific dates (as indicated on the syllabus calendar).

B - Each group member (groups of 3-4 individuals) is required to significantly contribute to the production of the paper. Each group member is responsible for contributing significant comments on the Google Document each week to sections for which their name is not assigned. Group members who do not contribute each week will receive a grade reduction for that particular week.

C - Please remember to submit questions by 4pm on Friday. Questions submitted after 4pm will not be answered until Monday morning.
Each component of this paper will be due on specific dates (as indicated on the syllabus calendar). 

D - At the end of the semester, each group will submit their research paper to a scholarly research journal and conference.

The Dilemma

Sometimes, students have a difficult time selecting companies or organizations that coincide with the requirements of the assignment. This is a dilemma for me, because I am function as the consultant for the research groups and I like to provide options. 

The Solution

On a whim, I decided to provide the lists of the top Texas companies, universities, colleges, state agencies, etc. to the graduate student groups to see if they would be interested in utilizing these lists as the selected organizations for their research study. They did! Each group selected a different list and it was a great combination between my undergraduate student researchers and my graduate student researchers!

2 - The Structure

Each week, the assignment focused on a different aspect of the research paper:

RESEARCH PAPER	Total:150
Part 1 – Purpose Statement, Problem Statement, Research Questions (10%)	15
Part 2 - Review of the Literature (15%)	22.5
Part 3 - Theoretical Framework (10%)	15
Part 4 – Research Methodology/Survey (15%)	22.5
Part 5 – Results (15%)	22.5
Part 6 - Conclusion & Implications (15%)	22.5
Part 7 – Suggestions for Further Research (10%)	15
Final Submiss. – Abstract & Journal Submission/Letter (5%)	7.5
Final Submiss. – References (5%)	7.5

3 - The Foundation

The students ROCKED their presentations and I was very proud of their progress and their research. The student presented their research on Periscope. In fact, we had a night of research presentations at Periscope.

4 - So, what? Implications...

The presentations were uploaded on YouTube and the students also plan to submit their research for publication as a well. More to come! If you know of a great publication outlet for social media research, please let me know!.

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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Research Paper Pick of the Week - Social Network Analysis as a Method to Assess Collaboration

I am truly becoming a higher education professional who LOVES assessment. For those of you who have been following my blog for a long time, you know that I love social media research as well. 

This paper from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment is definitely one of my favorites. Social Network Analysis as a Method to Assess Collaboration by Christa van Staden is an interesting paper focused on social networks and faculty assessment. 

The paper focuses on an international context, but the information is definitely applicable for institutions in the United States as well. 

Enjoy the paper! 

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
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