Advice for New Faculty Members

Advice for New Faculty Members
by Robert Boice

Advice for New Faculty Members
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Book Summary Information

Author: Robert Boice
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-01-31
ISBN: 0205281591
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Book Reviews of Advice for New Faculty Members

Book Review: Best guide for new faculty
Summary: 5 Stars

As a first year Assistant Professor, I felt simultaneous joy and dread about my new job. Incredible freedom, a significant amount of pressure, and uncertainty about the best day-by-day approach for acquiring tenure all combined to leave me feeling like a person running through an unfamiliar burning museum in the middle of the night. Boice's book provided the structure for my precious hours at a time when the sheer number of possibilities was overwhelming. In fact, the goal of the book is to provide methods for getting more done on a regular basis.

Before reading Boice's book, a normal day would see me working 6-10 hours on a single task such as class preparation, research, or writing. By the end of the day I may have made progress, but not as much progress as one would expect, and I would often end the day feeling that I was slipping behind in my schedule for all of my other tasks. Having read the book, I now structure my day with several Brief Regular Sessions, making short progress in many if not all of my projects each day. All of my projects stay fresh in my mind and I find that my subconscious often provides insights between sessions. I find that now I make faster, higher quality progress and have a bright outlook on all of my projects...and thus on my potential for tenure.

Boice also stresses starting projects before one feels ready, then stopping before one feels finished, both techniques that I find make new projects easy to start and then continue. Preparing a new class seemed daunting, but doing just 5-15 minutes of preparation is easy and that time added up until I was no longer daunted.

The book is structured into teaching, research, and service, but all three of the sections use similar techniques for similar benefit. I found the research section the most engaging and useful and wish it had been the first section, though I do plan on re-reading the book as time permits. Unfortunately, the book can be a difficult read; it repeats concepts, moves slowly, and can be dry at times. As such it is perfect for occasional reading and I have had great success at reading one page per day (note the brief regular sessions).

I vigorously recommend this book for any new professor or graduate student planning to get a tenure track job. In addition, Boice provides 10 pages of references to back up his research and claims in the book if further reading is desired.

Summary of Advice for New Faculty Members

Advice for New Faculty Members: Nihil Nimus is a unique and essential guide to the start of a successful academic career. As its title suggests (nothing in excess), it advocates moderation in ways of working, based on the single-most reliable difference between new faculty who thrive and those who struggle. By following its practical, easy-to-use rules, novice faculty can learn to teach with the highest levels of student approval, involvement, and comprehension, with only modest preparation times and a greater reliance on spontaneity and student participation. Similarly, new faculty can use its rule-based practices to write with ease, increasing productivity, creativity, and publishability through brief, daily sessions of focused and relaxed work. And they can socialize more successfully by learning about often-misunderstood aspects of academic culture, including mentoring. Each rule in Advice for New Faculty Members has been tested on hundreds of new faculty and proven effective over the long run -- even in attaining permanent appointment. It is the first guidebook to move beyond anecdotes and surmises for its directives, based on the author's extensive experience and solid research in the areas of staff and faculty development. For new teachers.

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