Morgan & Claypool: Books for Faculty Members

This book is intended as a basic primer on college-level teaching and learning for a new faculty member of engineering and applied science. New faculty members in other disciplines will find much of the information applicable to their area of expertise as well. First and foremost, this book is about learning and teaching. However, it also provides helpful information on related topics such as mentorship, student challenges, graduate students, tenure, and promotion and accreditation. This book is also intended as a reference for seasoned professionals. It is a good reference for those mentoring the next generation of college educators.

The Engineering Design Challenge addresses teaching engineering design and presents design projects for first-year students and interdisciplinary design ventures. The organization of the University of Wyoming first-year Introduction to Engineering program is presented with an emphasis on the first-year design challenges. These challenges are presented in a format readily incorporated in other first-year programs. The interdisciplinary design courses address the institutional constraints and present organizational approaches that resolve these issues. Student results are summarized and briefly assessed. A series of short intellectual problems are included to initiate discussion and understanding of design issues. Sample syllabi, research paper requirements, and oral presentation evaluation sheets are included.

While written for Master’s and PhD students, this book is still an excellent reference for junior faculty members who need to formulate their ideas and research results into high-quality articles, and publish them in highly competitive journals and conferences. It also outlines ways for faculty to supervise graduate students so that they can establish themselves quickly in their research careers. This is all done in a step-by-step manner with specific and concrete examples from the authors’ first-hand research experience.

The experience of an untenured faculty member is highly dependent on the quality of the mentoring they receive. Often, mentees do not know their own needs, what questions to ask, and what topics they should discuss with a mentor. This book provides a guide to the mentoring process for untenured faculty. Perspectives are provided and questions posed on topics ranging from establishing scholarly expertise and developing professional networks to personal health and balancing responsibilities. The questions posed are not intended for the mentee to answer in isolation, rather a junior faculty member should approach these questions throughout their untenured years with the help of their mentors.