Preparing a Successful RPT Application

1. Preparing a Successful RPT Application Gail M. Dummer, KIN Suzanne Wilson, TE RPT Workshop

2. Hitting a Home Run:Submitting a Successful RPT Application • 1st base:do the work • 2nd base:write the RPT narrative & compile related evidence • 3rd base: proof-read, get feedback, and edit • Home run:successful RPT application RPT Workshop

3. Do the Work: Job Description • Know your job description • Load assignment • Specific responsibilities • Fulfill your job description • Do the work you were hired to do • Balance your actual contributions with your load assignment RPT Workshop

4. Do the Work: Research • Establish a trajectory of contribution and excellence in your line of research • Questions: • What counts as a data point? • How many data points are needed to establish a trajectory? Over how many years? • To what extent do multiple lines of research confuse the question of trajectory? RPT Workshop

5. Do the Work: Teaching • Establish a trajectory of increased quality of instruction • Develop a teaching philosophy and use it • Use effective pedagogical methods • Use educational technology effectively • Assess student learning and modify instruction appropriately • Follow the MSU Code of Teaching Responsibility RPT Workshop

6. Do the Work: Service • Nature of service contributions • University, professional, and community service • Local, regional, national, international • Quality of service • Contributions are valued by department, college, and university • Service is integrated with teaching and research • Evidence of impact RPT Workshop

7. Do the Work: Citizenship • Collegiality • Positive interactions with students, colleagues, and administrators • Effective ways of sharing different perspectives and developing consensus • Contributions • Value added to the department, college, and university • Contributions made within the parameters of institutional guidelines, policies, and procedures RPT Workshop

8. Do the Work: Reminders • Maintain a balance of research, teaching, and service contributions – make wise choices about uses of your time and resources • More is not always better – a few significant, frequently cited scholarly works may have more value than a greater number of less significant works • Always compile evidence of the effectiveness of your work RPT Workshop

9. Do the Work: Record-Keeping • Organize your CV with categories that correspond with categories from the RPT application form – then keep your CV up-to-date • Create file folders with evidence related to research, teaching, and service contributions so that information is at your fingertips when you need it • Prepare comprehensive reports of scholarly activity as part of departmental annual reviews – then use these documents as source material for your RPT application RPT Workshop

10. Writing the RPT Narrative • Describe your academic background and positions, starting with your Ph.D. degree • Describe your trajectory toward becoming a nationally or internationally respected scholar • Reveal your line of research • Provide evidence of past research productivity and funding – use reference citations – include journal reputation or impact factors • Describe current and future work related to your line of research • Provide an overview of your scholarly contributions • Describe the integration of your research, teaching, and service efforts • Describe any philosophies or perspectives that inform your work, especially your teaching philosophy • Explain how you are becoming increasingly effective in these roles RPT Workshop

11. Writing the RPT Narrative (continued) • Organize the narrative effectively • There is no one correct way • Consider using a small set of questions or substantive interests to organize the content as a means of presenting a coherent narrative • Consider a chronological organization of content • Write for a diverse set of reviewers • Reviewers represent different disciplines within and outside the College of Education • Don’t assume that reviewers know the relevance and significance of your work within your field – situate your work and explain your contributions RPT Workshop

12. Be persuasive Provide evidence (reference citations) Follow the directions (page limits, margins, font size, etc.) Use technology (e.g., digital photos, charts, tables) Be concise – avoid redundancy Most of all …….. Writing the RPT Narrative (continued) Start Early! Use your annual review narratives as a trial run for the RPT narrative RPT Workshop

13. Writing the RPT Narrative (continued) • Do not write your narrative in diary format – reviewers expect a narrative essay in which you skillfully describe your scholarly contributions and future • Do not provide lists of scholarly activities – reviewers expect analysis and synthesis • Do not describe every small detail of your scholarly activities – focus on the most important aspects of your work RPT Workshop

14. Writing the RPT Narrative (continued) Writing is a form of thinking. Use the RPT narrative (and your annual review narratives) as a way to reflect on your past contributions and make good decisions about your future work as a professor. RPT Workshop

15. Proof-read the narrative for: Content accuracy Internal consistency Compliance with instructions Spelling, grammar, etc. Get feedback from: Your mentor(s) Your toughest critics inside or outside the department A diverse group of colleagues Edit and revise the narrative Most of all …….. Proof-read, Get Feedback, and Edit Start Early! RPT Workshop

16. Compiling the RPT Evidence Files • Follow the instructions:http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/college/college-policy/tenure.htm • Choose evidence carefully • Be selective – present the work that makes the best case for your RPT application • Follow the instructions about the number of scholarly products to include • There are practical limitations in the amount of material that reviewers can read carefully • Consider presenting one chapter and table of contents from a book rather than the entire book • Explain your contribution to multi-authored works RPT Workshop

17. Compiling the RPT Evidence Files • Submit materials on a CD in pdf format • Label each file carefully using: (a) your name; (b) the content of the file; and (c) other identifiers required by the College of Education • Proof-read the CD to make certain that all requested materials are included and easily identified by reviewers • Consider a table of contents linking file names to content • Make sure all pages of double-sided copy are included • Make sure pages are scanned in page-number order • Ask your department chairperson or delegate to proof-read the CD to make certain that all added materials (e.g., chairperson’s evaluation, external letters) are included RPT Workshop

18. Final Advice • Ask questions – although preparation of the RPT narrative and evidence file is your responsibility, help is available • Start early – everything about the RPT process tends to take more time than you think! • Think ahead • If you are now seeking reappointment, think ahead to the requirements for tenure and promotion • If you are now seeking tenure and promotion, think ahead to the requirements for promotion to full professor RPT Workshop