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Virology Education: Small Colleges with Unique Opportunities Dave Kushner

Virology Education: Small Colleges with Unique Opportunities Dave Kushner. Types of small colleges. Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) --> May include some Masters degree programs Small Liberal-Arts College (SLAC) --> Generally, only undergraduate students enrolled in institution.

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Virology Education: Small Colleges with Unique Opportunities Dave Kushner

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  1. Virology Education: Small Colleges with Unique Opportunities Dave Kushner

  2. Types of small colleges Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) --> May include some Masters degree programs Small Liberal-Arts College (SLAC) --> Generally, only undergraduate students enrolled in institution Main components of the job --> Teaching --> Research --> Service

  3. Teaching at a small liberal-arts college Most critical element of the job Interest in spending a LOT of time working closely with undergraduate students The job is as time-consuming and challenging as a Research I job, just with different day-to-day activities Need to teach at all levels -- Non-major and Intro through Upper-level courses Amount of teaching varies “2:2” load at some elite small colleges --> comes with higher research expectations “2:3” and “3:3” loads are common at small colleges “3:4” and “4:4” loads can exist at small colleges --> comes with lower research expectations “1” equates to 3 classroom hours per week (ca. 14 weeks/term) --> labs may or may not count --> A “3” generally equates to (at least) 126 teaching hours per term

  4. Teaching at a small liberal-arts college

  5. Teaching at a small liberal-arts college Capacity for teaching broadly is critical…Virology helps here! Microbiology (virology is a niche) Genetics Molecular Biology Cell Biology Biochemistry Immunology Virology RNA Biology Developmental Biology General/Intro Bio Bioethics etc.

  6. Research at a small liberal-arts college Safety! Projects that can be completed, with undergrads, with limited time/resources --> Need to communicate both of the above clearly in job application Must be willing to teach students everything Collaborations? Giving students small chunks of larger projects --> Consider time students will work with you --> 1, 2 or more semesters? Summer(s)?

  7. Service at a small liberal-arts college --> Important, but least critical element of job Departmental --> Academic advising is often considered teaching Divisional (within the natural sciences/mathematics) College-wide (many colleges have faculty involved in governance) Educational/Research community

  8. Getting the job -- what you can do now Research -- look for safe projects that are feasible at a small college --> Post-doctoral experience usually sought Teaching -- establish a teaching trajectory; multiple experiences over time --> laboratory TA/discussion section leader (help the course coordinator) --> guest lecturing (bacteriologists often avoid teaching virology in general microbio) --> try to teach at multiple levels (non-major, intro, majors, grad students) --> working with undergraduates in your research lab --> teach course at nearby small college (increased responsibility/effort vs. guest lect.) --> teaching Post-doc (before or after research post-doc) --> sabbatical replacement (before or after research post-doc) --> enroll in a (science) education (pedagogy) course Best to start teaching as soon as possible, but can start getting involved as a post-doc Search committees will look for evidence of teaching experiences and your enthusiasm for teaching/research with undergraduates

  9. Getting the job -- what to expect later Job ads are generally posted from early Aug. to Dec. prior to acad. yr. --> For sabbatical replacements, look in mid/late Spring prior to acad. yr. --> Science --> The Chronicle of Higher Education (www.chronicle.com) --> www.higheredjobs.com --> Prepare a teaching philosophy and statement of research plans ahead of time --> Create tailored cover letter once the job ad appears Fit is key (t-t jobs are very competitive, but virologists are unique) --> The department is looking for someone to fill a gap --> The department seeks someone to complement what they do/courses they offer --> MUST be able to teach what is asked for in the job ad --> in your application, be clear about how you, as a virologist, can do this --> what new courses could you add to current department offerings --> examine the college webpages to learn about the college/department The Academic Job Search Handbook (Heiberger and Vick, 3rd ed. 2001)

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