Faculty advise others on mid-career teaching retreat

A retreat held in 2018 for UWindsor mid-career faculty is the subject of a feature in the latest edition of University Affairs magazine.

Judy Bornais, executive director of the Office of Experiential Learning, and kinesiology professor Dave Andrews have written an article about the retreat, explaining why they organized it and what they learned.

“Associate professors are some of the unhappiest people in academe,” they write. They say institutions invest a great deal of time and resources on early career faculty, but little on professors with tenure.

In the article, Bornais and Andrews offer 17 tips for organizers of such retreats. The tips are categorized under the headings of creating a conducive environment, nurturing professional development, developing an organizational structure, and following up and maintaining connections.

“The retreat — created by mid-career faculty, for mid-career faculty — provided them with time to reflect on and rejuvenate their teaching practice,” Bornais and Andrews write.

“We felt this would not only benefit faculty as educators, but may also help them improve the culture of teaching and learning on campus by enhancing the learning experiences they provide to students.”

—Sarah Sacheli