Preparing a Successful RPT Application

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Preparing a Successful RPT Application

• Gail M. Dummer, KIN
• Suzanne Wilson, TE

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Hitting a Home RunSubmitting a Successful RPT
Application

• 1st basedo the work
• 2nd basewrite the RPT narrative compile
  related evidence
• 3rd base proof-read, get feedback, and edit
• Home runsuccessful RPT application

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
• Dont assume that reviewers know the relevance
  and significance of your work within your field
  situate your work and explain your contributions

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Writing the RPT Narrative (continued)

• 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 ..

Start Early!
Use your annual review narratives as a trial run
for the RPT narrative
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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

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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.
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Proof-read, Get Feedback, and Edit

• 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 ..

Start Early!
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Compiling the RPT Evidence Files

• Follow the instructionshttp//ed-web3.educ.msu.e
  du/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

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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., chairpersons evaluation,
  external letters) are included

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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