The Essential College Professor is about the "e;how"e; and "e;why"e; of being a faculty member today. Based on the author's series of highly successful faculty development workshops, each chapter deals concisely with the most important information college professors need at their fingertips when confronted by a particular challenge or faced with an exciting opportunity. Written both as a comprehensive guide to an academic career and as a ready reference to be consulted whenever needed, The Essential College Professor emphasizes proven solutions over untested theories and stresses what faculty members have to know now in order to be successful in their careers. Each chapter is concluded by a short exercise that faculty members can perform to help them, for instance, completely revise a course by restructuring the syllabus and course materials, bring new life to a research project by reframing it as a book proposal or grant application, and so on.

The Essential College Professor is about the "how" and "why"of being a faculty member today. Based on the author's series ofhighly successful faculty development workshops, each chapter dealsconcisely with the most important information college professorsneed at their fingertips when confronted by a particular challengeor faced with an exciting opportunity. Written both as acomprehensive guide to an academic career and as a ready referenceto be consulted whenever needed, The Essential College Professoremphasizes proven solutions over untested theories and stresseswhat faculty members have to know now in order to be successful intheir careers.Each chapter is concluded by a short exercise that faculty memberscan perform to help them, for instance, completely revise a courseby restructuring the syllabus and course materials, bring new lifeto a research project by reframing it as a book proposal or grantapplication, and so on.

The Author ixIntroduction xiPart I: The College Professor's Career1. Applying for a Faculty Position 12. Interviewing for a Faculty Position 143. What Kind of Professor Are You? 284. Career Planning for College Professors 385. The Tenure and Promotion Process 476. Special Challenges for Junior Faculty 577. Special Challenges for Midcareer Faculty 678. Special Challenges for Senior Faculty 759. Taking the Next Step in Your Career 82Part II: The College Professor as Teacher10. Assessing Student Learning 8711. Writing an Effective Course Syllabus 10212. Developing Creative Course Materials 11413. Teaching Small Classes 12414. Teaching Large Classes 13115. Teaching One-on-One 14116. Teaching with Technology 14817. Reducing Grade Anxiety 15718. Promoting Student Engagement 16619. Addressing Academic Misconduct 17820. Maintaining Appropriate Faculty-Student Relations 18621. Dealing with Student Problems and Problem Students 19822. Taking the Next Step in Your Teaching 208Part III: The College Professor as Scholar23. Writing a Grant Proposal 22024. Writing a Book Proposal 23225. Overcoming Research Block 24026. Balancing Scholarship with Other Duties 25127. Seeking and Providing Peer Support for Scholarship 25928. Alternative Forms of Scholarship 26729. Taking the Next Step in Your Scholarship 278Part IV: The College Professor as Citizen30. Service Reconsidered 28931. Creating an Effective Curriculum Vitae 29932. Seeking Leadership Positions 31433. Serving on Committees 32434. Serving as an Academic Advisor 33435. Serving as a Mentor 34436. Handling Conflict with a Supervisor 35537. Handling Conflict with Colleagues 36538. The Faculty Member as Fundraiser 37439. Exploring the Possibility of Administrative Work 38240. Taking the Next Step in Your Service 397Epilogue: A Checklist for the Essential College Professor 405