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September Sense of the Faculty Supplemental Results

Prepared by Alicia Simmons
Associate Professor of Sociology
Elected from Social Sciences
on behalf of the Core Revision Committee

Overview

The Core Revision Committee (CRC) is pleased to share supplemental results from the September Sense of the Faculty Survey. This report documents where the importance of potential academic competences significantly^[1] varies across faculty rank and academic division. This analysis was not completed before the CRC’s early-October report^[2] because of time constraints.

Results Summary

• We asked faculty members “How important is it for every Colgate student to take a class that emphasizes [academic competency].” Colleagues rated the importance of 25 potential competencies. We organized the competencies into five quintiles, based on the percentage of faculty members asserting that it is “extremely important.”
• As a reminder, there are many competencies that enjoy substantial support among all faculty members, regardless of rank or division
  • Writing clearly and effectively (99% of faculty members believe this is very/extremely important)
  • Effective engagement with different backgrounds, identities, and viewpoints (82%)
  • Speaking clearly and effectively (84%)
  • Critical understanding of the past (87%)
  • Grappling with challenging texts (84%)
  • Process of science and nature of scientific knowledge (83%)
  • Placing current issues in historical perspectives (85%)
  • Understanding and using quantitative data and reasoning (77%)
  • Quantitative literacy (77%)
  • Understanding issues of power and inequality (71%)
  • Understanding the commonality of human problems through a global perspective (74%)
  • Understanding the impact of human activities on the climate and natural environment (71%)
  • Global/transnational awareness (74%)
  • Understanding the impact of science on society (76%)
• Differences by rank
  • Assistant professors are significantly more likely than others to assert that the following competencies are very/extremely important
    • Effective engagement with different backgrounds, identities, or viewpoints
    • Understanding and using qualitative data and reasoning
    • Understanding issues of power and inequality
    • Being involved in public and community affairs
    • Developing and sustaining a healthy lifestyle
  • Associate professors are significantly more likely than others to assert that arts practice is very/extremely important
• Differences by division
  • AHUM faculty are significantly more likely than others to assert that the following competencies are very/extremely important
    • Writing clearly and effectively
    • Critical understanding of the past
    • Grappling with challenging texts
    • Critical appreciation of the arts
    • Artistic practice
  • NASC faculty are
    • Significantly more likely to support understanding and using qualitative data and reasoning
    • Significantly less likely to support
      • Understanding issues of power and inequality
      • Understanding colonial and imperial structures and processes
      • Artistic practice
  • UNST faculty are significantly more likely than others to support global/transnational awareness
• The data are organized along the five quintiles of potential competencies.
  • First
    • Writing clearly and effectively
    • Effective engagement with different backgrounds, identities, or viewpoints
    • Speaking clearly and effectively
    • Critical understanding of the past
    • Grappling with challenging texts
  • Second
    • Process of science and nature of scientific knowledge
    • Placing current issues in historical perspectives
    • Understanding and using qualitative data and reasoning
    • Quantitative literacy
    • Understanding issues of power and inequality
  • Third
    • Understanding the commonality of human problems through a global perspective
    • Understanding the impact of human activities on the climate and environment
    • Global/transnational awareness
    • Understanding the impact of science on society
    • Critical appreciation of the arts
  • Fourth
    • Media literacy
    • Understanding colonial and imperial structures and processes
    • Library information literacy
    • Developing or clarifying a personal code of ethics
    • Engaging in environmentally sustainable actions
  • Fifth
    • Artistic practice
    • Being involved in public and community affairs
    • Scientific laboratory practice
    • Developing and sustaining a healthy lifestyle
    • Creating and distributing information via digital technologies