At McMaster University an Assistant Professor is a full-time, tenure-track, or special track faculty member, typically within their first six years of appointment. In this role, a faculty member may wish to work to enhance their teaching practice, build their mentorship capabilities, develop pedagogical research and more.
Depending on academic and professional goals, an Assistant Professor can explore a variety of supports and services offered through the MacPherson Institute in the pursuit of growth and development or career progression.
The recommendations below are based on supports and services offered by the MacPherson Institute and aligned with the existing criteria for tenure and promotion [link].
Growth and Development Pathway
This section is designed for Assistant Professors who want to develop their knowledge and skills in their current position. Resources in this section are aligned with the promotion criteria but offer learning and support opportunities geared to instructors who are looking to grow and develop as an instructor and do not require a deliverable for a career progression evaluation.
Each criterion includes linked programs, activities and supports that help grow and develop expertise as an instructor. Whether you’re interested in a particular topic in teaching and learning, looking to refine your teaching practice, or exploring mentorship through a research project, this area provides structured guidance to help you enhance your skills as an Assistant Professor.
Learning Catalogue: Range of resources focused on critical ideas and skills in teaching and learning
Learning to Teach Online: Building blocks to online course design and delivery
ADW: Redesign existing courses and evaluation
ISW: Explore new teaching practices
IJSAP: Reflective articles on your teaching practice
UDL Workshop: Introduction to UDL
Teaching Refinements: Guided student feedback on current course needs
Teaching Observations: Evaluation of one’s teaching practise and/or materials
Teaching Portfolio Reviews: Develop an active teaching portfolio
Writing Retreat: Mix of focused writing time and guided sessions preparing for SOTL articles
Writing Days: Opportunity for dedicated writing time. Opportunity to consult with MI staff and other instructors
CoA: Effective post secondary teaching training
Teaching and Learning Certificate of Completion Program: Effective post secondary teaching training
OER Grant: Develop or alter existing educational materials
H5P Workshop: Develop shared educational content, coures, assessments and evaluations
Ed Tech Stations: Wider range of licences and programs to create or edit course content and materials
Studio: Multi-media options for online or blended learning classes
IEC: Presenting your innovative teaching practice
Students as Partners Community Forum: Presenting your SaP project(s) findings
OER Grant: Adapting or altering existing OER’s
Retreats or Workshops: Peer cohort mentorship
SPP: SaP projects that engage the wider community or experiential learning opportunities
Career Progression Pathway
This section is designed for Assistant Professors who are preparing for promotion to the Associate Professor level. Resources in this section are aligned with the promotion criteria to help instructors meet each requirement with a tangible outcome or deliverable that can be used towards the career progression evaluation process.
Each criterion includes linked MacPherson Institute programs, activities, and supports that align with and strengthen your progress toward promotion. Whether you’re developing your teaching portfolio, advancing your scholarly work, or deepening your service and leadership contributions, this area provides structured guidance to help you plan, document, and demonstrate your achievements.
For promotion to Associate Professor of a teaching-stream candidate, the criteria include not only excellence in teaching and satisfactory performance of University duties, but also evidence of recognition external to the Department for the candidate’s teaching and/or teaching related contributions. Since performance of university duties will be evaluated within the university, external reviewers should consider the candidate’s recognition external to the department in the following areas of activity. A candidate should have significant external recognition in two or more areas, but not necessarily in all, in order to be worthy of promotion.
ISW: Refining teaching practice
IJSAP: Track record of prolonged improvement of teaching practices (innovation in the classroom and student-centred learning).
IJSAP: Reflective articles on one’s teaching practice overtime
SPP: Track record of continued teaching effectivness through course Improvements
CCPP: Course (re)design with a student-centered approach
Course (re) Design Workshop: General skills applied to all courses
Teaching Refinements: Guided student feedback on current course needs
Teaching Observations: Evaluation of one’s teaching practise and/or materials
DIY Feedback : Guided reflective look at current student feedback
OCUFA, Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards
ADW : Redesign of assessments and evaluation frameworks
3M National Teaching Award: Adoption of teaching innovations
OER Grant: Dissemination and adaptation of OER’s by other instructors
D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning: Record of innovation(s) in pedagogical approaches, teaching methods, course design, curriculum development and assessment methods
OCUFA, Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards: Course design, curriculum development, organization of teaching programs
3M National Teaching Award: Curriculum development
Teaching Observations: Evaluation of one’s teaching practise and/or materials
D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning: Record of innovations in curriculum development
IEC: International conferences focused on innnovation in teaching and learning
Students as Partners Community Forum: National dissemination of SaP research, innovations and initiatives
Spotlight on SOTL: Pedogogical research or teaching innovation recognition at the local level
LTL Meet the Minds: Dissemination of work at the university level
OER Grant: Creation of OER’s related to teaching or pedogogical improvements
IJSAP: International peer reviewed SaP journal
LTL: Mentorship to peer fellows
3M National Teaching Award: Educational leadership in the university
OCUFA Award: Workshops, research supports, creating educational materials or other resources
SPP: Experiential or community based research projects