Setting goals
Successful faculty members set goals
Faculty members who consistently engage in research as part of their academic life set specific research goals from the outset of their academic careers. New faculty members will benefit from laying out goals from the time they enter graduate school, but most definitely when they begin their first faculty position. Without clear goals in both the short and long term, it is easy to postpone research objectives and get caught up in the teaching and service aspects of the academy. While these are both important dimensions of faculty life, it is often difficult for beginning faculty members to fit in research time, and therefore it is very important to set up goals from the outset.
Short term goals
Each academic year specific goals should be set. Some faculty members find it most effective to plan these short term goals around well known research conferences. These conferences are offered in the same time frame each year, and by attending sessions strategically, connecting with like minded researchers, and planning to present work in progress or research findings during the following year’s conference, new faculty members can frame their work, set deadlines, and have a specific goal and time frame year after year. Similarly, by seeking out respected publications in the field of study, and looking at their upcoming calls for papers, new faculty members can begin reading the journal to become familiar with the articles published, and time their write-ups to the deadlines for the journals. These short term goals are very helpful at moving research work to completion.
Long term goals
In addition to short term research goals, faculty members who are productive researchers set longer term goals, looking out to 5, 10 or even more years through the span of their career. While these long term goals are flexible, they help focus and guide researchers toward a broader and deeper set of research aspirations. With these goals faculty members think large and dream big, since they may serve to push their work to new levels of achievement. They strive for that prestigious conference at the national or even international level. They aim for that prestigious publication with a featured paper of their own as a highlight. They think about the next level of research questions that would follow from their earlier work, and build to a pattern of accomplishment that some of the top researchers in the field of study have achieved. They seek connections with the top researchers as they lay out this ambitious plan. Then as they make decisions early in their academic career, they revisit the goals, revise them, and use them as a guide to direct their work and decide next steps.
Importance of Setting Goals
Top Ten Things New Faculty Would Like to Hear From Colleagues
Soronelli, M.D., (2004). University of Massachusetts, number 22 in a series of selected excerpts from the National Teaching and Learning Forum Newsletter reproduced as part of a “Shared Mission Partnership. Post #566 – Tomorrow’s Professor Mailing List, Sponsored by the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning
In this post the author offers an antidote to the challenges of evaluation, isolation and overwork from her perspective along with that of hundreds of new and early career faculty members, their mentors, and their chairs.
An Integrated Approach to Evaluate Faculty Members’ Research Performance
Lyengar, R., et.al. (November, 2009). Academic Medicine, Vol. 84, Iss. 11, p. 1610-1616
This article discusses findings of a study about how the research performance of medical school faculty is assesed, learning that a four-quadrant metric allows for identification of the strongest and weakest performers.
Developing a Research Base
National Academy of Engineering
A weak research base has hampered technological literacy in the US, and this site outlines recommendations to improve that situation.
Preparing for Academic Job Interviews
Beuning, P. (2006). Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
This powerpoint outlines a number of critical things for young faculty members to accomplish, including setting research goals, and being prepared to share them in a job interview.
Setting Short and Long Term Goals
Faculty Success: Developing a Research and Publication Agenda
King, K. P. (2010). University of South Florida Scholar Commons.
Strategies for new faculty to build research agenda and set publication timeline.
Individual Development Plans for Postdoctoral Fellows
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)’s Science Policy Committee
This outline provides a planning process for professional development needs and career objectives, useful for communication between a postdoctoral researcher and a mentor.
Draft Goals
ELC Research and Testing Committee, English Language Center, Brigham Young University
This draft of goals offers one example of what short, middle, and long range goals may look like for researchers.
Setting the Agenda for Research on Cultural Competence in Health Care
Agency for Healthcare Research and Questions, US Department of Health and Human Services
This document examines how cultural competence affects health care delivery and health outcomes, and addresses the agenda for further research.
Building a Supportive, Effective Research Support Group in 5 Easy Steps
OnTrack Academic
This website outlines steps to create your own support group, but is a commercial site offering help to craft one. Use the tips, but we are not promoting the service.
