One Busy Day! A Critical Analysis of New Faculty Orientation Programs

New faculty orientation programs can serve as an important introduction to an academic community. They can create expectations, provide exposure to technical assistance, and welcome faculty members to new communities. The current study explored new faculty orientation programs, cataloging their activities to identify the most common practices in research-centered universities. Findings revealed a strong reliance on one-day programs that often host a variety of speakers from different offices, yet they rarely were found to have any sort of outcomes based approach to their design. To be effective, these programs should possibly incorporate longer activities that might last an entire semester or academic year. Further, these programs might include virtual as well as in-person opportunities to learn about the institution, the students they serve, and the offices and other tools that the institution provides to help faculty be successful. Further study on the effectiveness of different models is also recommended.

From Orientation to Onboarding: A Survey-Based Departmental Improvement Program for New Radiation Oncology Faculty Physicians

PURPOSE: To evaluate physician-reported assessments of an established faculty orientation program for new radiation oncology physicians at a large academic center and to prospectively analyze the effects of an onboarding improvement program based on those assessments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous survey was designed and distributed to physicians new to the department who received onboarding orientation between 2013 and 2017. Survey questions addressed the comprehensiveness, effectiveness, and utility of various orientation activities. On the basis of the survey results, an improved onboarding program was designed and implemented for nine new faculty members between May 2018 and November 2018. A post-intervention survey querying topics similar to those in the pre-intervention survey was distributed to the new faculty members. Descriptive statistics were generated to compare the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups. RESULTS: The overall rate of survey completion was 85% (17 of 20). The intervention program markedly improved physician assessment of comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the onboarding process. Physicians strongly and consistently identified mentor shadowing, on-the-job training, and other faculty mentorship activities as the most important components of an effective onboarding experience. CONCLUSION: An enhanced, tailored, person-oriented, formal onboarding improvement program significantly increased physician assessment scores of comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the faculty onboarding process. This model can serve as a framework for increasing physician preparedness, encouraging early physician mentorship, and ensuring a universal standard of quality across large practices.

From the Halls of Harvard to the Age of the Networker

Professional development in U.S. higher education was operationalized with sabbatical leaves for 150 years but has rapidly evolved through five ages since then – from conference attendance during the Age of the Scholar (1950s-60s) to the centrality of centers of teaching and learning in today's Age of the Networker (2000s-2010s). It continues to be influenced by everchanging professoriate and student populations, beginning with the introduction of the GI Bill and in the mid-20th century to the modern dependence of contingent faculty. Over the years, tenure lines have decreased, more students work full time, lawmakers and other stakeholders are more critical of colleges and universities, and students are less prepared academically but are more savvy with social justice. Faculty developers must carefully consider all of these matters when planning for the old standbys (e.g., new faculty orientation, navigating course management systems) and looking to what is needed for the future (e.g., accessible design, self-care, legislative mandates).