Promoting student success: What new faculty need to know

Abstract

Starting a new position is exhilarating. The key challenge is to make the strange familiar as soon as possible. There are new policies to learn, new colleagues to get to know, and new surroundings to adapt to. All these aspects and more need to be understood and managed well in order to focus on the primary task at hand--teaching and learning. Of all that is new, to what should you attend first if you are committed to creating the conditions under which students learn best? How can you use your institution's resources to help your students take advantage of opportunities to deepen their learning? The suggestions offered here are based on an in-depth examination of 20 diverse four-year colleges and universities that have higher-than-predicted graduation rates and demonstrated through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that they have effective policies and practices for working with students of differing abilities and aspirations. Consider adapting some of their approaches to assist new faculty at your institution.