2007-08 HERI faculty survey now available online Faculty were invited to participate in the 2007-08 Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) faculty survey during the 2008 spring semester. A total of 192 faculty replied to the survey for a response rate of 28 percent. The results of the survey are now posted to the web at http://www.und.edu/dept/datacol/heri08_announcement.htm The HERI faculty survey focuses on full-time faculty engaged in undergraduate teaching activities. In the report, responses from UND faculty are compared to responses from faculty at comparable public universities. Some noteworthy findings from the survey are: • Full-time undergraduate (FTUG) faculty at UND are in general more teaching-focused than research-oriented. They usually spend more time each week teaching or preparing for teaching than on any other activity listed on the survey. They tend to teach more courses than their national counterparts. • In terms of teaching and evaluation methods, a wide range of techniques have been used by faculty and four methods listed on the survey (class discussions, cooperative learning/small groups, using real-life problems, and competency-based grading) have been used by more than 50 percent of UND FTUG faculty. More female faculty report use of experiential learning or field studies in undergraduate classes both at UND (39 percent of females and 21 percent of males) and nationally (36 percent of females and 25 percent of males). Male faculty remain more likely to use extensive lecturing and female faculty continue to be more likely to use "student-centered" instructional methods. • Besides carrying out a large number of instructional activities, FTUG faculty also demonstrate substantial scholarly productivity. The majority of them have published over five articles and nearly two chapters over their professional lives. In the last two years, 72 percent of faculty report professional writings accepted for publication. • Overall, faculty express satisfaction with their career choice at UND. When asked if they were to begin their careers again, 86 percent of FTUG faculty would again choose to be a college professor, and 72 percent would again come to UND. If you have questions about the study, or would like a copy of the full report, please contact Sue Erickson at 777-2265. -- Carmen Williams, Director, Institutional Research, carmenwilliams@mail.und.nodak.edu, 7-2456