Academic Affairs Support

Center for Teaching Effectiveness

New Faculty Investment Program


New Faculty Investment Program 2023-2024
Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Fall 2023

Goal: Provide new tenure-track faculty with the information and training need to integrate into Texas A&M-Kingsville and to achieve tenure as effective instructors and researchers

Meetings: The sessions are scheduled on Fridays, from noon to 1:45 p.m. in the Javelina Dining Hall Room 201 (small conference room upstairs). For questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Brian Robinson, Assistant Director at brian.robinson@tamuk.edu

Schedule

Aug. 25 - Welcome and Overview of the NFIP

The session introduces the Fall program and the 2023-2024 NFIP participants and the Center for Teaching Effectiveness.

Sept. 1 - Who Are Our Students? How Can We Further Their Success?

This session will contextualize teaching students at a historically Hispanic, first-generation, and rural-serving institution. 

Sept. 8 - Values, Goals, and Methods of Instruction

This session will be a structured dialogue exploring differing views on the values, goals, and methods of undergraduate instruction. The objectives are to help faculty articulate their own views on these topics, as well as understand reasons for differing views held by others. 

Sept. 15 - Health, Wellness, Counseling, and Disability Resources

This session will focus on resources available to students and faculty for health, wellness, counseling, and disability resources. This includes how to handle disability accommodations for students from the Disability Resource Center. 

Sept. 22 - Student Resources: Writing Center, Tutoring, and Library

The university provides many different resources to help students outside your classrooms. This session will focus on some of these in order for new faculty to be able to direct students to the help they need. 

Sept. 29 - Introduction to ACUE 

New faculty in NFIP will participate in a six-week ACUE micro-credential training course. This session will introduce them to ACUE in general and how the course will run in the coming weeks. 

Oct. 6 - Rise of the Machines: AI and the New Instructional Landscape

With the recent introduction of ChatGPT and other generative AIs, a new set of challenges for university instructors has arisen. This session will focus on ways to respond to those challenges, as well as new pedagogical opportunities that AI also presents. 

Oct. 13 - Technology for Teaching

The university provides a wide array of technology for faculty and students to use. This session will provide an overview of these technology resources faculty can use in the teaching, what students have access to, and opportunities for further training on available technology. 

Oct. 20 - Research: Progressing to Tenure

This session will focus on strategies for staying research-active while teaching.

Oct. 27 - Sponsored Programs and Grant Opportunities 

This session will introduce some of TAMUK's internal and external award opportunities to facilitate research and teaching. The session will also address research compliance, the process to identify grants, and pre-award protocols at TAMUK.

Nov. 3 - Faculty Senate and Service Opportunities

This session will focus on the Faculty Senate at A&M-Kingsville and on service opportunities on campus. We will be joined by the current Faculty Senate President.

Nov. 10 - Pedagogical Methods

This session will focus on various methods of undergraduate instruction, including peer-to-peer instruction, projects, flipped classrooms, and effective ways to lecture. 

Nov. 17 - Annual Reports and Progressing to Tenure

This session will introduce the annual report process, including the timing and format of submission and best practices in faculty activity reporting. Also, representatives from each college will provide information on college-specific promotion and tenure portfolio process. 

Spring 2024

The Spring term will focus on three activities: (1) peer classroom observation, (2) teaching or research/grants working groups, and (3) a final poster presentation.