The assistant professor supervisor is part of the practical collegial input to supporting the academic and professional development of an assistant professor. Assistant professor supervisor has a special role in supporting the assistant professor's development of research-based teaching competences, particularly in relation to their mandatory participation in the university pedagogical programme.
Assistant professor supervisor may have additional tasks and roles, such as providing guidance on research activities and career-related questions, as well as facilitating the integration of the assistant professor into the workplace. The specific roles and tasks of individual assistant professor supervisor will vary, depending on local practices.
Assistant professor supervisor serves as a collegial supervisor or mentor, whom the assistant professor can consult for inspiration, guidance, and advice, primarily in connection with the university pedagogical programme but also beyond. This effort is part of the overall practical collegial supervision, which involves multiple parties and provides informal support to assistant professors in the following four areas:
The extent to which the designated assistant professor supervisor is involved in these four areas and how the guidance tasks are distributed between assistant professor supervisor and other colleagues and leaders may vary. This should be part of initial encounters to clarify assistant professor supervisor’s role and tasks.
Assistant professor supervisor’s role is particularly tied to the university pedagogical programme, with the aim of providing pedagogical guidance in relation to the assistant professor's teaching and pedagogical development tasks during the programme. assistant professor supervisor can assist in developing the teaching competences of the assistant professor by:
Initially helping the assistant professor develop a suitable plan for teaching and student supervision activities and examination.
Purpose: The assistant professor will gain experience with various forms of university teaching practices.
Offering supervision and feedback on content/curriculum, didactic considerations, planning, and execution of teaching, preferably based on observations of the teaching. Purpose: The assistant professor will develop teaching competences based on their own desires and needs.
Providing pedagogical guidance and support during the university pedagogical programme.
Purpose: The assistant professor will be supported in expanding own pedagogical repertoire with new theoretically grounded pedagogical and didactic models and tools
Assistant professor supervisor may also conclude the pedagogical supervision process with a written pedagogical evaluation statement that describes the assistant professor’s teaching competences. This can be useful to include in the final written assessment of the assistant professor's teaching qualifications, which, according to the current regulation, should be issued no later than 3 months before the end of the employment period. Additionally, it can serve as valuable documentation of the assistant professor’s teaching competences in view of future appointments.
Both the designated assistant professor supervisor and the collegial environment are important resources for the development of the assistant professor’s teaching practice and ability to collaborate with colleagues on common teaching tasks.
Below you will find suggestions for support tools that can be useful in the practical collegial supervision of assistant professors during the university pedagogical programme, as well as the assistant professor's employment as a whole.
The practical collegial supervision of the assistant professor's research and development activities will be context- and situation dependent. In this regard, assistant professor supervisor can be helpful
Identifying the assistant professor's need for support regarding research plans, publication strategies, as well as opportunities for project and grant applications.
Acting as a sparring partner in matters concerning the assistant professor's research and development, as well as their participation in internal and external research environments.
Mobilizing the collegial network to involve the assistant professor in relevant research and development activities.
The assistant professor job category includes assistant professors, tenure-track positions, teaching assistant professors, as well as other research staff, and postdocs with teaching obligations, and common for all is that they have time-limited appointments. There are no guarantees of permanent employment, even when the assistant professor meets the institutional expectations, and there is generally a widespread awareness of the challenges associated with this uncertainty.
According to current regulations, the university must:
"highlight the career perspectives for scientific staff, especially those in time-limited positions. This is done, among other things, through ongoing discussions of career paths within and outside the university for each employee" (Retsinformation, 2019, p.3).
Practical collegial supervision, including the head of department and assistant professor supervisor, can support the assistant professor by communicating clearly and precisely the quantitative and qualitative requirements and expectations that the department may have for the successful completion of the assistant professorship in order to become eligible for a lecturer position. In addition, colleagues and assistant professor supervisor can provide advice and guidance for a potential application for a lecturer position.
Assistant professors, assistant professor supervisor, and other colleagues are mutually expected to find appropriate forms of interaction and collaboration. In relation to the integration of the assistant professor in the workplace, assistant professor supervisor can be helpful with:
Introducing assistant professors, especially those who are new in the environment, to the department and providing information about practical matters and relevant activities. They can also provide guidance and orientation regarding issues that generally affect assistant professors' academic development opportunities (research and teaching) and discuss various work-related issues that can be of concern.
Encouraging other colleagues to be attentive and curious about what the assistant professor might be able to contribute to the workplace, and what they might need.
Taking the initiative for dialogue and joint activities.
Encouraging the assistant professor and colleagues to discuss challenges and exchange tips and tricks regarding teaching, student interaction, follow-up on course evaluations, etc.
AS assistant professor supervisor, you can make use of the following tools in your supervision:
Here, you will find a brief introduction to collegial supervision, in a narrow sense, i.e., as a particular dialogic technique to support and develop the practice and reflection abilities of the assistant professor.
You can choose between two types of collegial supervision, with each their template: (1) for direct collegial supervision, based on observation of the assistant professor’s teaching or student supervision; (2) for indirect collegial supervision, based on a developmental theme of the assistant professor’s own choice regarding teaching, supervision, examination, course and curriculum development, etc.
Please contact the editors at AU Educate if you have any questions about the content of the platform or if you need consultation on your teaching from one of the many skilled professionals at the Centre for Educational Development.
The material is written by Dorina Gnaur, special consultant, Center for Educational Development and is based on the current regulation regarding the career structure for academic staff with research and teaching duties at universities, and reflects the findings from a recent study made by CED regarding local practices and expereinces with assistant professor supervision at Aarhus University.
| Phone number | Name, Job title, Email, Unit (Building, room) |
|---|---|
| +4520477127 |
Gnaur, Dorina,
Special Consultant,
dg@au.dk,
Centre for Educational Development - CED - Teaching Development
(1911, 429)
|
