New Faculty Teaching Academy @ Vanderbilt

The Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education's New Faculty Teaching Academy @ Vanderbilt program (NFTA@V) is designed to provide comprehensive support to new tenure-track faculty members as they embark on their professional journeys.

NFTA@V aims to:

  • broaden pedagogical knowledge,
  • enhance teaching acumen, and
  • foster a vibrant culture prioritizing student and personal success.

In addition to increased pedagogical knowledge and classroom confidence, successful program completion yields a certificate that can be used in their teaching tenure portfolio, indicating investment toward effective learning and educational practices.

Program Details

Over the academic year, new tenure-track faculty engage in a structured set of professional development activities sequenced to develop and refine their teaching skills, support the individual needs of faculty and foster community. Example activities include:

  • Welcome Dinner

    September 21, 2023 | 5 - 6pm CT

    To begin the NFTA@V program, the Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education (AdvancED) invites all new tenure track faculty to join us for a welcome dinner where there will be opportunities to learn about the goals and approaches of the program, meet the Senior Staff and, most importantly, one another.

  • Individual Consultations

    NFTA@V faculty will have opportunities to meet regularly with AdvancED teaching consultants to reflect on their teaching. The first consultation provides an opportunity to design a customized development plan, including discussions around course design, classroom observations, student evaluations, mid-semester Small Group Analyses, teaching statements, or other teaching-related topics. A complete list of consulting services is available here.

  • Classroom Observations

    Participating faculty will visit the classrooms of senior faculty and academy colleagues to observe them teach, meeting afterward to discuss their teaching approaches and choices. These visits are not intended to critique the host’s teaching but instead offer opportunities for the NFTA@V faculty to reflect on their teaching practice.

  • Dinner Discussions

    Faculty will meet over dinner four times a year (twice each semester) to share experiences with more senior faculty mentors on subjects including learning processes, student-centered course design, assessment, classroom management, how to teach for successful reappointment and tenure, connecting research to teaching, and developing academic leadership.

  • Workshops and Seminars

    Throughout the year, AdvancED offers an array of workshops and seminars exploring essential dimensions of the scholarship on teaching ranging from High-Impact-Practices to assessment approaches and classroom inclusion, belonging, access, and equity.

    Workshops and seminars are opportunities for more in-depth learning about specific topics and often involve practical work to (re)design a course or course elements that faculty will teach in the near future.

  • Reflection Dinner

    At the end of the year, faculty have a chance to reflect on their growth as teachers with AdvancED staff and colleagues.

Together these events require a time commitment of approximately 30 hours, including time for preparation. These activities are designed to help new faculty learn to make more effective and efficient use of their time designing courses, planning lessons, and reflecting and writing about their teaching as they pursue tenure and professional success. 

Certificate Requirements

The NFTA@V Certificate in Foundational Teaching Practices is voluntary and aims to assist and support new tenure-track faculty in becoming effective educators who wish to gain a more intentional, deeper, more active approach to teaching and learning in higher education. The certificate focuses on learning and applying researched best teaching practices in their classrooms and methods of developing and documenting materials for their reappointment and tenure teaching portfolio.

Certificate requirements include:

  • Attending at least three Dinner Discussions
  • Participating in a senior peer observation
  • Participating in an academy peer teaching observation
  • Two individual consultations
  • Attending two workshops/communities of practice

Eligibility

All new Vanderbilt University tenure-track faculty are eligible for the NFTA@V.

Resources

The faculty gateway provides links to resources, offices, and services that support Vanderbilt faculty.

Questions?

email: advanced-teaching-learning@vanderbilt.edu

call: 615-322-7290