Examination of Faculty Development in the Departments of Civil & Mechanical Engineering and Geography & Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy

Jes Barron; Andrew Ross Pfluger; Kathryn K Pegues; Thomas Bazemore

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Conference: 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual On line
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Start Date: June 22, 2020
End Date: June 26, 2021
Conference Session: Innovative Development for Various Faculty Lines
Tagged Divisions: Environmental Engineering and Faculty Development Division
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--34609
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/34609
Download Count: 397

Paper Authors

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Jes Barron U.S. Military Academy

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Jes Barron is an Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from West Point (2009), a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma State University (2015), and a Master of Science degree in Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering from Colorado School of Mines (2018). He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas. His research interests include underground construction, tunnel engineering, engineering mechanics, engineering education, productivity, and creativity.

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Andrew Ross Pfluger U.S. Military Academy orcid.org/0000-0001-6960-2075

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Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Pfluger, U.S. Army, is an Assistant Professor and Academy Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from USMA, a M.S. and Engineer Degree in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He is a licensed PE in the state of Delaware.

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Kathryn K Pegues United States Military Academy

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Lieutenant Colonel Kathryn Pegues, U.S. Army, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics from from USMA, a M.S. in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University.

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Thomas Bazemore

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Abstract

This study is submitted as part of a special joint panel session between the Environmental Engineering Division and the Faculty Development Division on innovative development for tenured/tenure-track faculty and professional faculty. This study presents findings from an institutional-level evaluation of professional faculty development practices. The United States Military Academy (i.e., West Point)’s unique faculty composition consists of professional military faculty, permanent military faculty, and civilian faculty is known as the “blend of excellence”. The majority of West Point faculty (~55%) are military officers serving for a two-to-three-year period. These military faculty are professional faculty members serving in a capacity similar to adjunct faculty or non-tenured teaching faculty at other universities. Each type of faculty member brings unique skills and talents to the faculty team that contribute to the overall development of West Point’s undergraduates who serve as military officers upon graduation. In spring 2019, West Point faculty members were asked to share their thoughts and perspectives on the faculty development of junior civilian (defined as instructors or assistant professors) and rotating military faculty. Areas queried included developmental approaches and best practices, developmental areas (e.g., research, teaching), and defined developmental outcomes. This study subsets responses from two departments, Civil & Mechanical Engineering and Geography & Environmental Engineering, providing a focused examination of faculty development methods applicable and beneficial to civil and environmental engineering programs that have adjunct and/or non-tenure track faculty. Response rates were similar for each department (24% and 34%). The study identified three major findings that are generally applicable to all universities: (1) institutions can benefit from discussion and shared understanding regarding the definition and intent of faculty development; (2) our faculty prefer to handle development of more junior faculty at the department-level while leveraging university-level resources; (3) several distinct practices were most beneficial to professional faculty development, to include: a structured on-boarding program, unstructured mentorship throughout the academic year, and classroom observation with feedback. While West Point is somewhat unique in mission and faculty composition, the finding from this study can be beneficial to all institutions with non-tenure track professional faculty.

Citation
Format

Barron, J., & Pfluger, A. R., & Pegues, K. K., & Bazemore, T. (2020, June), Examination of Faculty Development in the Departments of Civil & Mechanical Engineering and Geography & Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--34609

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This study is submitted as part of a special joint panel session between the Environmental Engineering Division and the Faculty Development Division on innovative development for tenured/tenure-track faculty and professional faculty. This study presents findings from an institutional-level evaluation of professional faculty development practices. The United States Military Academy (i.e., West Point)’s unique faculty composition consists of professional military faculty, permanent military faculty, and civilian faculty is known as the “blend of excellence”. The majority of West Point faculty (~55%) are military officers serving for a two-to-three-year period. These military faculty are professional faculty members serving in a capacity similar to adjunct faculty or non-tenured teaching faculty at other universities. Each type of faculty member brings unique skills and talents to the faculty team that contribute to the overall development of West Point’s undergraduates who serve as military officers upon graduation. In spring 2019, West Point faculty members were asked to share their thoughts and perspectives on the faculty development of junior civilian (defined as instructors or assistant professors) and rotating military faculty. Areas queried included developmental approaches and best practices, developmental areas (e.g., research, teaching), and defined developmental
outcomes. This study subsets responses from two departments, Civil &amp;amp; Mechanical Engineering and Geography &amp;amp; Environmental Engineering, providing a focused examination of faculty development methods applicable and beneficial to civil and environmental engineering programs that have adjunct and/or non-tenure track faculty. Response rates were similar for each department (24% and 34%). The study identified three major findings that are generally applicable to all universities: (1) institutions can benefit from discussion and shared understanding regarding the definition and intent of faculty development; (2) our faculty prefer to handle development of more junior faculty at the department-level while leveraging university-level resources; (3) several distinct practices were most beneficial to professional faculty development, to include: a structured on-boarding program, unstructured mentorship throughout the academic year, and classroom observation with feedback. While West Point is somewhat unique in mission and faculty composition, the finding from this study can be beneficial to all institutions with non-tenure track professional faculty.
AU  - Jes Barron
AU  - Andrew Ross Pfluger
AU  - Kathryn K Pegues
AU  - Thomas Bazemore
CY  - Virtual On line 
DA  - 2020/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Examination of Faculty Development in the Departments of Civil & Mechanical Engineering and Geography & Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/34609
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--34609
ER  -