EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
EDUCATE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.
Back to the Wild
2016
Supporting Faculty Is What We Do.
Faculty Affairs
About Us:
The mission of Faculty Affairs is to support faculty in understanding the whole, contemporary student beyond the classroom and leveraging that understanding toward effective and equitable content delivery and instructional practice. In support of this mission, Faculty Affairs is responsible for advancing the UAGC faculty body’s capacity to contribute to the planning and execution of strategic institutional initiatives by supporting faculty excellence both in and out of the classroom. A key to this advancement is One Faculty, an institution-wide initiative to create a unified faculty body wherein full-time and associate (adjunct) faculty are equally knowledgeable about, engaged in, and contribute to institutional work. As a key mechanism of its implementation, Faculty Affairs supports One Faculty by offering faculty development and engagement opportunities focused on aligning instructional best practices, course development, and student support with institutional goals.
Faculty Affairs supports our faculty through engagement and development.
Faculty engagement is responsible for building the One UAGC Faculty vision by connecting the faculty with the institution and with each other through support resources and engagement opportunities that leverage the continuous learning materials the faculty development team produces. The faculty engagement team fulfills this responsibility through 1) just-in-time faculty support; 2) course feedback ; 3) monthly faculty office hours; 4) monthly faculty newsletters; 5) managing the weekly faculty news digest; 6) managing The UAGC Chronicle; 7) leading the production of the annual TLC.
Faculty development is responsible for research and strategy behind and the creation of materials for institutional-level faculty development (e.g., Annual Faculty Curriculum, Faculty Community of Practice, Curriculum Development Workshop, New Faculty Experience) and for onboarding all new faculty by facilitating the New Faculty Experience (NFE) (i.e., coaching new faculty through the 2-week experience).
Our Work
New Faculty
New Faculty Experience (NFE)
The Faculty Affairs offers a comprehensive onboarding and curriculum for new faculty called the New Faculty Experience (NFE). Faculty Affairs facilitates the onboarding curriculum, working one-on-one with each new faculty member, providing daily feedback, and collaborating with Human Resources and Program Chairs to provide a smooth transition to teaching at UAGC. This innovative two-week program is designed to ensure that faculty are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to provide students with an excellent educational experience, feel competent and confident in the live classroom, understand UAGC initiatives, while also addressing teaching methods and classroom management techniques. Current new faculty can view additional details on the NFE intranet page. Prospective faculty can apply here.
Current Faculty
Faculty Affairs Intranet
Our intranet is used as a centralized virtual repository designed to connect faculty to UAGC Human Resources, the Faculty Portal and various classroom resources and professional development opportunities. In addition to these resources, each Academic Affairs and Student Affairs department is represented on the site to inform faculty of their mission and to support faculty in the classroom. The site also hosts a university-wide event calendar, and all University communications are archived on this site. Current employees can visit the Faculty Affairs intranet here.
Annual Faculty Curriculum
Each year, Faculty Affairs is responsible for research, strategy, and the creation of materials for institutional-level faculty development.
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AY 23/24 Curriculum: Leveraging a Philosophy of Teaching - This curriculum centers learning, engagement, and community building opportunities on a key, central theme. This central theme is the connections between the theories that inform both course development and course facilitation and, therefore, can drive improvements in feedback practices.
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AY 22/23 Curriculum: Culture of Care - The Culture of Care prizes academic challenge, holistic learning and personal development, and unconditional support for UAGC students—anchored in an ethic of care and accountability. In practice, the concepts of unconditional support, care, and accountability ask faculty to enhance the individualized attention they offer students in the classroom. The curriculum outlined the characteristics of the UAGC student body, among them the large percentage of “at-promise” students at UAGC, and the subsequent institutional research that led to the student-focused initiative. The curriculum also provided faculty with revised course requirements, instructional strategies, and institutional resources that support student success and the Culture of Care.
Course Feedback
Feedback from the Faculty Affairs team is designed to open a conversation with each faculty member and provide a holistic overview of instructive feedback practices. It provides valuable opportunities for us to turn our experiences into learning and growth. Faculty Affairs is eager to discuss your teaching experiences via the Course Feedback process to facilitate these learning opportunities. Learn more here.
Office Hours
UAGC Faculty continue to express their desire to connect with fellow colleagues. These monthly office hours are intended to provide that connection! In these sessions, Faculty Affairs focus on supporting faculty, discussing instructional best practices, and continue conversations from that month’s Community of Practice session, all while connecting faculty with colleagues who teach the same courses and programs or in the same department. These sessions frequently feature representatives from UAGC departments which enhances faculty’s understanding of the university structure and systems. Learn more here.
Community of Practice
Community of Practice provides faculty and staff one space to learn, discuss, and collaborate on topics related to pedagogy, instruction, and university initiatives to support the creation and maintenance of One Faculty wherein full-time and associate faculty are equally knowledgeable about, engaged in, and prepared to contribute to institutional work. The Community of Practice engages in community research and discussion that contributes to the development of best practices that uphold the UAGC mission and instructional philosophy, champions the faculty voice and shares it across the institution, and supports the proliferation of instructional best practices. These sessions support UAGC faculty’s diverse perspectives and validate how these perspectives and lived experiences contribute to the ongoing development and tradition of critical thought; problem-solving; and ethical, attentive instruction. Current faculty and staff can learn more here.
FacultyHelp
FacultyHelp is a repository of frequently asked questions that is available to UAGC faculty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Find answers to your questions on FacultyHelp.
Faculty Communication Digest
The Faculty Communication Digest is a weekly faculty-facing newsletter that includes information on professional development opportunities for faculty, the latest updates, and information faculty can share with students in weekly announcements. Current faculty can visit the Faculty Communication Digest archive to view all the latest news and events.
Faculty Recognition
Faculty Affairs works to recognize all UAGC faculty by applying the same Culture of Care we ask our faculty to apply to UAGC students. Our aim is to increase associate faculty engagement and morale, which in turn is shown to improve retention, increase productivity, reduce burnout, and rekindle a connection to UAGC (Gallup, 2013). This endeavor is aligned with the One UAGC Faculty initiative, which aims to ensure faculty feel included in the UAGC mission. Have you been recognized for achievement in your field, published, or presented your work? Please share with us!
Higher Education Community
Annual Faculty Curriculum
Each year, Faculty Affairs is responsible for research, strategy, and the creation of materials for institutional-level faculty development.
Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC)
Faculty Affairs sponsors this three-day annual community of learning virtual event each November. It facilitates collaborative discussion of issues pertaining to online learning: diversity, equity, inclusion, instructional practices, learning technology, and institutional policies that support the contemporary learner. TLC connects, educates, and inspires faculty, staff, researchers, and students by offering a platform for them to share their work. This is a free conference, and we encourage you to learn more and register.
The UAGC Chronicle
The UAGC Chronicle supports the entire academic community’s contribution to the UAGC mission of providing a community of caring and guidance for adult online learners. Therefore, our publication promotes content that addresses the theoretical underpinnings and practical execution of this mission: academic research on instructional best practices, curricular innovation, and student support strategies; examples and resources that foster a community of practice; news of the progress of institutional student success initiatives; professional development opportunities; and – most importantly – the stories and successes of the people who shape our university. View the latest publication.
Course Development Workshop
Faculty Affairs hosts a continual Course Development Workshop series. The workshops aim to help all UAGC faculty understand the purpose and process of course development as it relates to the four critical student goals through cross-team collaboration with subject matter experts, faculty perspectives on facilitation, and robust discussion within the UAGC faculty community.
Faculty Affairs Goals
Faculty Affairs works to provide engagement and development opportunities that allow faculty to feel that they belong at UAGC, have a place to reflect and improve their teaching practice and contribute to student success. Faculty Affairs measures the effectiveness of its offerings with the goal of improving the faculty’s impact on our students.
Faculty Engagement
We measure how our faculty are engaging with Faculty Affairs.
Faculty Belonging
We measure faculty sentiment related to feeling empowered to make decisions, feel valued, and have the support they need.
Engage in Discourse on Teaching Practices
We measure faculty participation in the programming we offer.
Faculty Contribute to Critical Student Goals
Stay up to date with upcoming presentations and professional development opportunities.
Big Picture
We measure the impact Faculty Affairs work has on the institution.
View our Annual Reports
Connect with Us.