Creating spaces that strengthen faculty social networks around teaching and learning

Faculty interactions are common and inevitable in academic institutions. Workplace interactions and relationships play a key role in helping faculty members perform their roles effectively. The social circle acts as a support network, where faculty members interact on a range of topics, including teaching and learning. Healthy faculty interactions and relationships serve as the cornerstone for systemic capacity building, empowering system actors to achieve shared objectives and adapt to changing needs when necessary (Bain, Walker, & Chan, 2011; Stoll, 2009).

This presentation explores faculty interactions around teaching and learning, with an eye toward implications for how administration can support the development of robust faculty social networks. We conducted semi-structured interviews with five faculty members, asking about specific instances when they sought support from colleagues related to teaching and learning. The interview questions were based on the Five Capabilities Model of Capacity, which defines capacity through five components: (a) committing and engaging, (b) carrying out tasks, (c) relating and attracting support, (d) adapting and self-renewing, and (e) balancing diversity with coherence. (Baser et al., 2008).

The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative coding and thematic analysis with in-vivo and axial coding methods. Codes were refined, merged, and grouped into broader themes and categories. Results revealed three takeaways for STEM education administrators: (1) Creating shared spaces for both research and teaching strengthens faculty social networks by allowing for more hallway conversations about teaching and learning. (2) Mixing faculty roles (i.e., instructional and research faculty sharing a space) ensures that hallway conversations are varied in their topics, allowing faculty to leverage their social networks for professional growth in multiple areas. (3) Creating intentional time and space for informal faculty get-togethers encourages organic peer mentoring and strengthening of relationships.