How do faculty developers orient their new faculty to the available university services, networking opportunities, and the requirements for teaching, research, and service? What examples exist to help faculty developers facilitate professional development opportunities in convenient and flexible learning environments? After the traditional…

This article explores how STEM subjects can enable students to learn about the key environmental issues that we face, using the National Association for Environmental Education's recent teacher handbooks about 'The Environmental Curriculum' and details of the Sustainable Development Goals to help do this through a mix of input and small-group…

Every higher education institution should have an employee handbook designed to meet its standards for employee conduct and ensure compliance with applicable employment laws. A well-crafted handbook will support the success of an institution's goals, save administrative time and reduce the risk of legal claims and liability. This brief article…

Tensions over faculty control of the fruits of their scholarship have been slowly building since the 1980s, but they have also intensified since late 2011. There have long been differences of opinion over ownership of patentable inventions, but over the last two years a number of universities have categorically asserted that they own these…

In response to external pressure for change, the subject university engaged in major restructuring activities during the mid to late 1990's. As predicted by organizational theory, faculty reacted to the restructuring in order to define the conditions and methods of their work and to legitimate their professional autonomy. Although this university…

Each year, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) receives many inquiries about the legal status of faculty handbooks. To respond to some common inquiries, the Association's legal office prepared this overview of faculty handbook decisions. It is arranged by state and includes decisions of which the Association is aware and that…

Providing instructor manuals for part-time faculty is not a new practice. Post-secondary institutions often produce manuals filled with everything from the college calendar to the procedure for obtaining a parking pass. However, in the age of stretched budgets and waning support from their institutions, developmental education programs are looking…

Aligning a school board policy manual with the faculty handbook would be an excellent application of systems thinking in support of school district mission and goals. This article talks about changing sound assessment practice in accordance with the school's proper policy. One obstacle to changing assessment practice is the prevailing belief that…

Today's school administrators face an increasing array of duties. Potentially one of the most serious responsibilities is student health services. It is estimated that 20% to 30% of all school-aged children in the U.S. have a health condition that may require monitoring. A survey of 60 new teachers in a medium-sized school district in California…

This faculty manual is intended to provide general information to faculty members regarding various policies of the Santa Barbara City College District. It begins with a list of the Board of Trustees, a statement from the College President, and a disclaimer. The manual is then followed by these sections: (1) Introduction to the College; (2)…

The article presents a number of case studies of high school faculty handbooks in order to ascertain broad areas of information and viewpoints expressed. Discusses approaches and emphases in preparing manuals, implications of alternative approaches, and the rationale of approaches to manual compilation. (Author/DB)

This handbook provides Valencia Community College (Florida) faculty members with up-to-date and useful information regarding college policies and procedures that enhance their effort. It presents general procedures, professional responsibilities and behavior, academic issues and procedures, curriculum, faculty personnel issues, and forms important…

On June 2, 1978, four faculty members at Florida Memorial College were informed that their appointments were not renewed. The standards for notice of nonreappointment at the college were changed but the action was not reported to the faculty. An investigation by the American Association of University Professors is reported. (MLW)

This project had three major goals: (1) To develop a handbook for high school teachers that shows how instruction and testing can work together to foster student learning; (2) To pilot test this handbook in the context of a staff development program for high school teachers; and (3) To prepare training manuals that would allow the staff…

Thomas A. Emmet, a special assistant to the president of Regis College and a leader of how-to seminars on handbooks, recommends organizing the material by dividing it into six chapters by topic. A model outline for the contents of a faculty handbook is presented. (MLW)