Regularly updating goals
Revisit goals regularly
It is one thing to set goals, and another to actually use them to frame our academic work. The goals must be visible in a place that will serve as a continual reminder to guide all the decisions we make, from simple daily calendaring, to choosing which conferences to attend, and maintain determination to make progress on a regular basis. The goals must be used to be effective.
Set aside time to update research files
Accomplished faculty members often keep a set of files, each dedicated to a particular research question or project, that provide a physical place to put scraps of paper, copies of related articles, information on potential grants to support the work, and names of possible collaborators. They visit these files regularly to be sure they are making progress on each project, or reconsider whether the project is still a viable one to pursue. They calendar time each month to browse the files, update materials in them, or delete some and create others as needed. For example, new faculty members might schedule the last Friday of each month, or the first Monday of each month, and work in a 2-4 hour block to consider the progress being made. Make notes on the front flap of each file each time you visit it to track thoughts about the project, note any additions/deletions to the file, and remind yourself of where you were last time you visited the file. Careful tracking provides a quick reference to see which projects need attention, and which are making adequate progress.
Adjust goals annually
In addition to continually revisiting goals to guide daily, weekly, and academic year decisions, accomplished faculty members take the time each year to reconsider if initial goals are still appropriate. Calender blocks of time to revisit goals on your calendar each June, and use the end of semester slow down to reflect on whether you have accomplished what you had hoped during the previous academic year. This is a time to make a large update in each file, make hard decisions about which to move forward and which to move to the future, and follow up on any collaborators, grant monies, or other resources that increase momentum. Think about what conferences or publications may be the best place to share findings. Finally, search for relevant articles and other resources to stimulate thinking on the topic or question, placing them in the appropriate file for future reference.
Recommit to goals
Once accomplished faculty members have revised their goals, they order them in importance and according to approaching deadlines to use time effectively in the upcoming year. This recommitment encourages them to follow up on connections they have made, and focuses their time more effectively for the upcoming year. New faculty members will benefit from a similar revisiting of goals on a regularly scheduled basis.
Setting and Revising Research Goals
The Professional Plan for Faculty
University of Colorado
This policy statement on post tenure review of faculty outlines a process for setting and revisiting goals in the areas of teaching, research and service.
Planning your Research Agenda
New Faculty Institute, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
This website offers steps for setting, rethinking and revising a research agenda.
Faculty Research Interests
Baylor Business
This site offers vignettes of business faculty who describe their research interests and the process by which they revise them as their career progresses.
Faculty Research Profiles
College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
This site offers profiles searchable by topic of research agenda, and describes a process for revising them over a career.
