Technological University Faculty ICT Barriers during the Pandemic

Во время пандемии коронавируса преподаватели столкнулись с необходимостью быстро перевести весь образовательный процесс в онлайн-формат. Университеты испытывали трудности с быстрой организацией и унификацией данного процесса для преподавательского состава. Готовность преподавателей к проведению онлайн-занятий существенно различалась, и в условиях самоизоляции они испытывали трудности в получении технической поддержки или консультаций относительно решения возникающих проблем. Данное исследование было нацелено на выявление ИКТ-барьеров, с которыми преподаватели столкнулись в ходе пандемии. Для решения этой задачи авторами был проведен опрос преподавателей Казанского национального исследовательского технологического университета на основе анкеты, включавшей утверждения относительно трудностей, с которыми преподаватели столкнулись в ходе онлайн-коммуникации с обучающимися с начала пандемии. Отношение к тридцати трем барьерам оценивалось на основе коэффициента углового преобразования Фишера с учетом должности, ученой степени преподавателей, стажа работы, возраста, пола и преподаваемых дисциплин. During the coronavirus pandemic, faculty members were faced with the need to suddenly transfer the entire educational process to an online format. Universities found it difficult to quickly organize and unify this process for their educators. The latter’s readiness to conduct online classes varied, and in conditions of self-isolation it was difficult for them to get technical support or consultations on how to solve emerging problems. The current study aims to identify the ICT barriers that educators faced after the outbreak of the pandemic and their preferences of the various online tools they used during this period. To achieve these objectives, the authors surveyed faculty members at the Kazan National Research Technological University. A questionnaire was developed including statements concerning difficulties faculty members had experienced in their online-communication with learners since the beginning of the pandemic. Attitudes towards thirty-three barriers were evaluated depending on respondents’ faculty position, scientific degree, teaching experience, age, gender, and group of taught disciplines.

The Stressful State of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellow Job Search Process

Introduction: The workforce of Pediatric Hematology Oncology (PHO) has been evolving over the last decade. Recently, fellowship application volume has declined, with almost half of the programs at least partly unfilled during the previous MATCH. A perceived paucity of PHO jobs for graduating fellows may exacerbate this declining interest in the field. By surveying fellows, fellowship program directors, and PHO division chiefs, this study aims to investigate PHO fellows' preparation for, and experience with, the search for an initial faculty position. Methods: After pilot testing with faculty and fellows, all PHO division chiefs and program directors from 115 programs (N=222) were invited to complete the survey and to disseminate the instrument to their fellows. The survey included questions on demographics, job search preparation, job search experiences including barriers and helpful tools, and consequences for well-being such as stress and anxiety. Results: Some programs chose not to participate, evidenced by representation from 35 states, and many states with multiple fellowship programs only had one response from program leadership. A total of 166 individuals responded to all questions, representing approximately 24% response rate. Of the participants 83 were fellows and 83 were program leaders including fellowship program directors and division chiefs. Nearly 82% (n=136/166) of all respondents believe that PHO fellows are struggling to find a job that aligns with their goals. Program leaders identified common barriers influencing fellows' job search including geographic constraints (N=60/83, 73%) followed by only a few jobs available (N=51/83, 61%), clinical focus constraints (N=43/83, 52%), and few positions being posted (N=41/83, 49%). Fellows who have started the job search process commonly reported geographic constraints as a barrier (N=26/46, 57%), followed by partner employment opportunities (N=17/46, 37%), and their own clinical interests (N=15, 33%). Of 42 open-ended responses written by fellows, almost half (N=18/42, 43%) cited limited number of jobs available, and 21% (N=9/42) cited difficulties related to job postings. Almost half of fellows (47%, n=37/79) reported a lack of formal education on the job search process, as opposed to less than 10% of leadership (n=8/83) who agreed. When offered, education most commonly involved strategies for CV building (37%, n=31/83) and less frequently focused on the rest of the job process including negotiation, job talking, interviewing, and writing cover letters. Nearly all (N=79/83, 95%) of program leaders believe that fellows are somewhat/extremely stressed about the job search process. 75% (n=59/79) of fellows self-reported feeling somewhat/extremely stressed due to the job search process. Nearly 20% (n=15/79) of fellows self-reported severe anxiety over the job search process, and another 25% (n=21/79) reported moderate anxiety. Conclusions: This study highlights numerous shortcomings in the job search process among PHO fellows. A majority perceive difficulty securing a job which aligns with one's goals. While geography was the most cited barrier, finding a position with the optimal clinical focus was also problematic, a finding especially worrisome given the increasing popularity of additional 4 th year fellowship training in PHO. Other commonly recognized challenges surround the number of positions available as well as how those positions are publicized. Importantly, the job search may negatively impact wellness. Fellows' reports of stress and anxiety surrounding the job search, also acknowledged by program leaders should prompt change. Next steps include follow up studies including qualitative interviews to better understand the fellows' experiences, development of educational programs to prepare fellows for the job search process, enhanced career counseling, as well as improved support programs focused on the relevant stressors. Educational interventions to help prepare CVs, cover letters, and practice interviewing or negotiation may be able to help alleviate some of the stress fellows experience while undergoing the job search process. These data represent a need to further understand the PHO workforce to determine why fellows and leadership sense difficulty in securing a position that aligns with one's goals, as well as whether these perceptions represent the realities of the current workforce. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The power of peer networking for improving STEM faculty job applications: a successful pilot program

In order to successfully obtain a faculty position, postdoctoral fellows or postdocs, must submit an application which requires considerable time and effort to produce. These job applications are often reviewed by mentors and colleagues, but rarely are postdocs offered the opportunity to solicit feedback multiple times from reviewers with the same breadth of expertise often found on an academic search committee. To address this gap, this manuscript describes an international peer reviewing program for small groups of postdocs with a broad range of expertise to reciprocally and iteratively provide feedback to each other on their application materials. Over 145 postdocs have participated, often multiple times, over three years. A survey of participants in this program revealed that nearly all participants would recommend participation in such a program to other faculty applicants. Furthermore, this program was more likely to attract participants who struggled to find mentoring and support elsewhere, either because they changed fields or because of their identity as a woman or member of an underrepresented population in STEM. Participation in programs like this one could provide early career academics like postdocs with a diverse and supportive community of peer mentors during the difficult search for a faculty position. Such psychosocial support and encouragement has been shown to prevent attrition of individuals from these populations and programs like this one target the largest leak in the pipeline, that of postdoc to faculty. Implementation of similar peer-reviewing programs by universities or professional scientific societies could provide a valuable mechanism of support and increased chances of success for early-career academics in their search for independence.

Experiencing the shift: How postsecondary contract and continuing faculty moved to online course delivery

The shift to online learning that occurred in March of 2020, created an unprecedented period of intense work for faculty and sessional instructors at the post-secondary level. This shift necessitated courses be adapted under short timelines, new technology be integrated into course design and teaching strategies and assessment methods be adapted for an online environment (Van Nuland et al., 2020). This study examines how sessional instructors, referred to in this chapter as contract faculty, and continuing full-time faculty members delivering the same online courses experienced this shift. While the demands of a continuing faculty position call for balancing of teaching, research and service responsibilities, contract instructors have their own unique stressors (Karram Stephenson et al., 2020). Contract faculty lack job security, are paid by the course and often receive their teaching assignments with short notice. By examining their perspectives on delivering the same courses online, we learn that the shift to online teaching resulted in additional work in order to adapt courses to the online environment, with faculty describing the challenges of balancing the additional work with other responsibilities of their position. Concerns of participants focused on a perceived inability to develop relationships with students in an online environment.

Trans-Himalayan science in mid-twentieth century China and India: Birbal Sahni, Hsü Jen, and a Pan-Asian paleobotany

This paper uses the decade-long collaboration between the Indian paleobotanist Birbal Sahni (1891–1949) and his Chinese doctoral student Hsü Jen (Xu Ren 徐仁, 1910–1992) to offer a connected history of mid-twentieth century scientific activity in China and India. Possibly the first Chinese scientist to earn a PhD from an Indian university (Lucknow, 1946), Hsü was certainly the first to be appointed to a faculty position in India. Sahni and Hsü's attempts to build Asian networks of scientific activity, characterized by the circulation of experts, scientific knowledge, and specimens, provide the grounds for considering a practice of Pan-Asianism. Such a formulation adds to existing work on the Pan-Asianist articulations of intellectual and political figures and urges for an expansion of how we understand scientific activity across China and India from the 1930s to the 1960s. In so doing, the paper makes two historiographical interventions. In the first instance, the collaboration presents an opportunity to move beyond the two dominant frames through which histories of science in China and India are studied: the nation state and Non-West/West binaries. Second, a focus on science widens the scope of China–India history, a field dominated by research on cultural, intellectual, and diplomatic topics.

Obtaining a faculty position in STEM at a research-intensive institution

Progressing from postdoctoral training to a STEM faculty appointment at a Research Intensive Institution (RII) is a daunting transition, and may be especially challenging to those who have followed a less-than-conventional path or whose peers have lost interest in academic careers. This article describes how to prepare for and progress through the application process for institutions in the USA, which takes approximately 1 year, including what to expect at each step and recommendations for a successful transition. The odds of success for any individual application are low, making good preparation and careful planning the more important, as does managing expectations to avoid becoming discouraged early in the process. The rewards of landing the faculty appointment at an institution that matches your professional and personal needs and for which you are best suited more than exceeds the effort required to attain it.

Obtaining a faculty position at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI)

Scientists who hope to obtain a faculty position at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) need a distinct skill set and outlook on their future teaching and research career. To obtain a position at a PUI, candidates should 1) design a strategy for obtaining a faculty position that suits each individual’s career goals and aspirations, 2) prepare for the application process, on-campus interview, and contract negotiations, and 3) plan a strategy for the probationary period leading up to tenure and promotion. Given the different types of PUIs, candidates need to consider whether they seek a position that consists of all or mostly all teaching, or both teaching and research. Candidates should educate themselves on the expectations at PUI’s, including current thought, practice, and aspirations for science pedagogy, and gain teaching experience prior to seeking a suitable position. If the candidate’s goal is a position with both teaching and research, it is important to discuss with the current research mentor what projects the candidate can take with them to their new position. The candidate should also consider what types of projects will be successful with undergraduate student researchers in a PUI research environment. Importantly, candidates should clearly demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion in their teaching, research, and outreach, and application materials should demonstrate this. On interviews, candidates should be knowledgeable about the mission, values, and resources of the institution and how the candidate will contribute to that mission. Once hired, new faculty should discuss a formal or informal mentoring plan during the probationary period that includes peer evaluations on a regular basis, and maintain communication with the department chair or designated mentor regarding teaching, research, and service activities.