Providing faculty with supportive environments aimed at continuous development can lead to the integration of best pedagogical and assessment practices in the classroom, lab and practicum setting. A more coordinated approach to faculty on-boarding can increase satisfaction. Research supports that good faculty on-boarding pays off (Ashford, 2017). The need to recruit and retain faculty is becoming more essential as the nursing faculty shortage progresses (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). The purpose of this presentation will focus on how one institution has implemented a formal faculty on-boarding process to enhance the first year faculty experience.
Methods:
Understanding missed opportunities and applying current evidence into practice affords opportunities for designing effective faculty support programs such as an organized approach to faculty on-boarding (Higher Ed Talent, 2018). Evidence provides a structure for the development of content, including the incorporation of mission and vision of the institution, the faculty role in the institution and a variety of teaching/learning resources focused on engaging students in the process of learning (Byers, 2017 and Flaherty, 2016). Three self-paced, on-boarding courses were created in the institution's learning management system which were aligned with the college, the faculty role at the college and general competencies of the academic educator role as outlined by the National League of Nursing. These courses focused on presenting current best practices in creating teaching and learning environments.
The development of an assessment tool was necessary to validate the effectiveness of the experience on faculty confidence in their role. This Self-Assessment Inventory’s content was validated by expert educators. The tool was used to collect pre and post data related to self-confidence in a variety of areas of the faculty role. The benchmark was set to look at improvement when comparing pre and post assessment data after completing the formal on-boarding process using numbers and percentages displayed with graphs and tables.
Results:
Faculty self-confidence in the academic educator role was increased. Faculty retention, with the faculty who completed the formal on-boarding process was improved.
Conclusion:
Novice nurse educators often struggle with the expectations during the first year in academia. Properly supporting the first year experience is vital for retaining faculty, achieving expected student outcomes, and providing an opportunity for professional development.