Training and Development for Faculty New to Teaching and Academia

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Air Force Academy has been recognized across the institution for their outstanding work in preparing new and less experienced instructors to be successful teachers. The department makes an intentional investment over the summer to orient and prepare new faculty members prior to their first instructional class with students. This strategy of integrating new faculty into the institution and of developing a classroom training environment has paid dividends with instructors having greater success during their first semester of teaching. New faculty members are given the opportunity to understand their role in the larger institutional outcomes, to learn best practices and techniques, and to practice teach with their peers and mentors, allowing for refinement, before their first class. The department’s faculty development strategy has been recognized by the Dean and shared with other departments as an exemplary approach to preparing faculty to teach. Written and presented from the perspective of a new faculty member in 2016, this paper provides an overview of the new faculty development and orientation in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Air Force Academy and recommends key strategies for implementation at other institutions.