Everyone has heard the phrase “publish or perish,” but we started to become concerned with the idea that perceived expectations to achieve tenure and promotion and actual expectations to achieve tenure and promotion may not be the same. Moreover, as a field, we have very little information about an important aspect of our jobs. This research is also meant to uncloak and demystify (as much as possible) the process of reappointment, tenure, and promotion.
Our primary question is
- what are the actual tenure expectations in technical and professional communication
To answer this question, we needed to see official university documents and then have follow-up conversations with faculty and administrators.
we currently have a piece in review on the research expectations found in those documents.
We are also finishing up another piece that looks at what digital means in research and scholarship.
On the horizon, with other collaborators, we’re examining the teaching and service components and what these documents say about evaluation and documentation.