New Faculty Orientation Program

Fall 2009 Schedule

Session One

Welcome and Orientation

Friday, August 28, 2009
GBB 123, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Please join President Dennison, the Vice Presidents, and the Academic Officers for a welcome to The University of Montana! At this introductory meeting, we will discuss the New Faculty Orientation Program and provide you with a packet of resources about your new academic home. You will also learn a little bit about faculty development, our programs for student success, research opportunities, and the University Faculty Association.

This introductory session will be followed by a reception at 4:00 p.m. in the GBB Gianchetta Piazza.

Session Two

Academic Resources for Teaching and Research

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
MLIB 283, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Part I:  Are you interested in teaching an online or blended course? If so, please join Robert Squires and Mary Engstrom for an overview of how the Instructional Design & Development team supports faculty and departments with the design and development of online courses and programs.

Part II:  Library faculty will describe collaborative services available at the Mansfield Library to support your students' academic success: designing research-friendly assignments, integrating information literacy instruction into your curriculum, and augmenting reading requirements with electronic and traditional reserves. Your professional research needs will also be addressed through the discussion of collection development, interlibrary loan, and access to electronic database resources and bibliographic management software.

Session Three

Classroom Teaching - Incorporating Effective Writing Assignments

Friday, October 2, 2009
Undergraduate Advising Center (EL 269), 2:10 to 4:30 p.m.

Kelly Webster, Director of The Writing Center and Dr. Kate Ryan, Director of Composition will discuss strategies for incorporating informal, non-graded writing-to-learn activities into any course; crafting effective writing asignments that invite students to produce the writing we expect; scaffolding assignments in order to ensure a writing process that results in a more successful product; and offering students useful and prioritized feedback at various stages during the writing process.

TGIF to follow at the Davidson Honors College.

Session Four

"Advising is Teaching" Workshop

Friday, November 6, 2009
DHC 120, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

"Effective retention programs have come to understand that academic advising is at the very core of successful institutional efforts to educate and retain students." (Tinto, 1987). Recognizing the importance of advising and professionalizing the counseling and teaching that make up advising are crucial to building student success. Faculty are key members of the UM partnerships that launch students on their academic journey of discovery here and support students in academic difficulty. Sharon O'Hare (Interim Director of the Office for Student Success) will lead a workshop that addresses both UM-specific requirements for students and the elements of quality advising.

TGIF to follow at the Davidson Honors College.

Session Five

Promotion and Tenure:  Teaching, Research, and Service

Friday, November 20, 2009
DHC 120, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The promotion and tenure processes can be a daunting experience if you don't start preparation early. Please join the Provost and staff in this session to discuss promotion and tenure policies, procedures, and expectations. You will be provided with timelines as well as examples of the types of information that need to be documented for inclusion in your promotion and tenure dossier(s).

TGIF to follow at the Davidson Honors College.

Session Six

Reflections on the First Semester (Teaching, Research, and Service)

Friday, December 4, 2009
CE 204, 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

Join your new colleagues and outstanding, experienced faculty at UM for a discussion of what went right with your teaching, research, and service endeavors, and what you might want to do differently in future semesters.