Call for Applications: DUSON Teaching Fellowship

November 6, 2019

The Institute for Educational Excellence is accepting applications for the 2020-2022 DUSON Teaching Fellowship, now through December 31. The primary purpose of the program is to assist faculty to develop the scholarship of teaching. The program also is designed to recognize the importance of teaching, advance the pedagogical expertise of faculty, and provide opportunities for faculty to continually develop that expertise in ways that will have a significant impact on the science and the practice of nursing education. For more information and to apply, please contact IEE Director Beth Phillips at beth.phillips@duke.edu.

BACKGROUND

The Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) is committed to excellence in education. The Teaching Fellowship, which is managed through the IEE, is a natural extension of the School’s commitment to excellence that provides time and support for selected faculty to expand their expertise as educators.

Our Fellowship is designed to provide DUSON faculty with dedicated time, as well as peer and financial support, to develop the expertise and skills needed to advance academic careers, enhance the value and visibility of teaching, develop the science of nursing education, serve as master teacher role models for faculty and graduate students who aspire to that role, and eventually gain national and international recognition for their expertise and the significance and impact of their work in nursing education. It is expected that DUSON’s Teaching Fellows will be a community of teacher/scholars whose work continually elevates the level of educational excellence that exists in our School and in each of the academic programs offered.

GOALS OF THE TEACHING FELLOWSHIP

For the individual faculty member selected as a Teaching Fellow, the program is designed to achieve the following goals:

Foster the ongoing development of scholarship skills to enhance her/his ability to contribute to the development of the science of nursing education.
Support efforts to develop as educational leaders and change agents within DUSON, Duke University, and the nursing profession.
Foster the ongoing development of pedagogical expertise to further enhance her/his skills as an educator/scholar.
Facilitate development of a career trajectory that enables her/his successful induction into the Academy of Nursing Education.

For the School of Nursing, the program is designed to achieve the following goals:

Create a community of “like-minded” educator/scholars dedicated to enriching the field of nursing education and advancing educational excellence.
Promote the scholarship of teaching as integral to the faculty role.
Elevate teaching as a respected activity that requires scholarly inquiry and pedagogical expertise.
Contribute to improving the quality of teaching, learning, evaluation, and curriculum design in nursing.
Expand the dialogue about teaching and learning among DUSON faculty and at the national level.
Build a framework that will define “excellence in teaching” at DUSON.
Create a cadre of faculty who will support the IEE in creating and meeting its goals, and lead in the preparation of DUSON’s applications for recognition as an NLN Center of Excellence in Nursing Education and/or other recognitions of educational excellence.

SELECTION OF FELLOWS

Any full-time faculty member – regardless of rank, promotion track or tenure status – who (a) will have completed a minimum of one year at DUSON and two (2) years full-time teaching by the start of the Fellowship, (b) has an interest in building her/his pedagogical expertise, and (c) envisions a career trajectory that includes significant scholarly work in nursing education may be nominated for a Fellowship. Faculty who are selected to receive the annual Distinguished Teaching Award from DUSON’s FGA are encouraged to apply for a Fellowship.

*Faculty who are considering applying for an IEE Teaching Fellowship are strongly encouraged to meet with the IEE Director to discuss their proposal and application before submitting a full application.
**Faculty who have formally received a Teaching Fellowship may reapply every three (3) years.

All nominees are required to complete the Fellowship application which includes the following:

A brief one-page summary statement of one’s individual teaching philosophy
Personal goals related to this fellowship for the development of pedagogical expertise and educational scholarship, with timelines and action steps for each
Description of teaching success (e.g., student evaluations, peer evaluations, alumni testimonials, awards for teaching, etc.)
Examples of teaching innovations created and implemented, with reflections on their outcomes
Reflections on how the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is integral to one’s practice as a teacher
Description of service activities (within DUSON or through professional organizations) or scholarly works that relate to teaching, learning, curriculum, faculty development, assessment/ evaluation of learning, etc.
A proposal regarding the project that addresses the following:
- Purpose
- Letter of support from current Division Chair for support and release time from teaching
- Letter of acknowledgement and commitment from another faculty inside or outside DUSON who has agreed to mentor the Fellow
- Specific activities to be completed during the Fellowship
- Timeline for completion of plan
- Resources needed to complete the activities
- Budget form with specific resources and costs needed
- Final “deliverable(s)” (e.g., comprehensive report to be presented to DUSON faculty, manuscript to be submitted to “X” journal for publication, preparation of a poster to be displayed at professional conferences, preparation of an application to “X” organization/ foundation to support a pedagogical research project, etc.)
Suggested teaching load reductions during the two-year Fellowship that would support completion of the proposed project (In consultation with your Division Chair and Program Director)
Signed agreement documenting willingness to devote the necessary time to Fellowship activities and completion of all “deliverables”

FELLOWSHIP PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS

Complete application packets for a 2020-2022 Fellowship must be submitted to the Director of DUSON’s Institute for Educational Excellence no later than December 31^st, 2019.

The Institute for Educational Excellence Advisory Board, appointed by the IEE Director, will review all applications and select one (1) – two (2) Fellow/s each academic year. Additional Fellows will be selected if funds are available.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the review process no later than January 31^st.

Each Fellowship will be in effect for two (2) years, from August through August.

Individuals selected for the Fellowship will receive a 15% reduction in teaching load for each of the two years of the Fellowship. Each applicant will propose (in the application) how she/he would like this reduction to be allocated, and when a Fellowship is awarded, details of the teaching load reduction will be planned collaboratively among the Fellow, her/his Program Director, her/his Division Chair, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Fellows will have the privilege of listing their designation as a Fellow in the “Honors” section of their Curriculum Vitae and use the title of DUSON Teaching Fellow on professional correspondence.

Individuals selected for the Fellowship will receive half of the $ 5,000 in their discretionary account at the start of the Fellowship. The remaining half ($2,500) will be given out at the start of year two.

Individuals selected for the Fellowship will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities during the year of their Fellowship:

Devote 30% of their time over the two-year appointment to their individual projects and other Fellowship activities
Meet monthly with the IEE Director, DUSON Teaching Fellow cohort, and other faculty/graduate students to discuss literature and insights about teaching and learning, educational issues, Fellowship experiences, pedagogical research ideas, etc.
Meet regularly (in person or via electronic/technological means) with the education leader who had agreed to serve as the mentor throughout the Fellowship
Meet individually with the IEE Director as needed to discuss progress with their individual projects
Attend and facilitate DUSON Teaching Conversations as able
Collaborate to plan the IEE’s annual national conference and participate in that conference
Provide interim reports of progress with their individual projects as requested by the IEE Director
Provide a final report of their individual projects no later than October 15^th after the second year of the Fellowship is completed
Disseminate their projects in public forums, in accord with the “deliverable(s)” noted in their applications (e.g., comprehensive report to be presented to DUSON faculty, manuscript to be submitted to “X” journal for publication, preparation of a poster to be displayed at professional conferences, preparation of an application to “X” organization/foundation to support a pedagogical research project, etc.)

Upon completion of the Fellowship, Teaching Fellows may be invited to serve on the IEE Advisory Board, whereby they will have the opportunity to participate in multiple aspects of the work of the IEE:

Aid in the selection of new Teaching Fellows
Be available to mentor new Fellows
Collaborate with the IEE Director to formulate and meet the goals of the Institute
Serve as preceptors for PhD and MSN Nursing Education specialty students
Sustain a program of scholarship related to nursing education that has significance and impact on advancing the field
Provide leadership within DUSON in fellowship area such as curriculum development, program evaluation, accreditation, faculty development, strategic planning, or other education-focused activities.