Reshaping the narrative on faculty time and motivations

Abstract

Often lost in discussions about what students are doing and learning while in college are the critical roles that faculty play in students' learning and development. Relying on results from a large-scale, multi-institution study of thousands of faculty members, participants will examine how faculty spend their time on scholarly activities and how this time allocation relates to good teaching practices. Additionally, participants will discuss why faculty might be allocating their time in different ways, focusing particularly on faculty motivations and what institutions could do to support current trends or reshape the narratives about faculty productivity at their institutions. Connecting faculty time allocation to good teaching practices and motivations for teaching and doing research will provide participants with practical solutions and forewarn potential challenges for maintaining or changing current narratives about faculty work and postsecondary educational spaces.