An Interview with Dr. Rich

I decided to interview Dr. Peter Rich from Brigham Young University about his work as and preparation to become a professor. I have had long aspirations to teach and research at the university level as my profession. I’ve already had some experience teaching at the university level. Dr. Rich provided a lot of helpful insights that I had not known before from my experience working with full-time faculty. Below is a summary of what I learned from my interview with Dr. Rich, as well as a discussion of what this means for me in my preparation for my future profession.

Research

I first began by asking Dr. Rich what his day-to-day work involved. Research was one important responsibility. Most people interested in this profession know the saying “publish or perish,” but for Dr. Rich, publishing is more than just meeting the demands of the job. “It hit me why we write: it’s to disseminate... knowledge, so that we can actually build a knowledge base, and stop making the same stupid mistakes over and over.” He related his graduate experience, studying video annotation tools. A lot of the people working in this area presented at conferences, but didn’t publish much of their working, resulting in little dissemination of their findings to other people interested in that area of research. He also stated that these people “were spending all their money in development, but nobody was sharing what they were learning from development with each other.” He realized that publishing research could really simplify and enlighten the work of those researching and developing on a certain topic. “It changed, for me, that I have to write to survive to I write to communicate to build on this community.”

Dr. Rich became a professor because he wanted to research what he was interested in learning more about. He was very interested in design and development, but from past experience, he knew research was more important to him. Because of that, he focused more on research courses rather than taking studio development courses. “The more tools you have in your toolbox, the more you’ll be able to ask and answer your questions.” Natural inquisitiveness helps as well to being a good researcher.

Because research is important, Dr. Rich works hard to set aside time to research. “I have to set time aside for writing, and I have to honor that time.” There’s a lot of autonomy as a professor. He likes the autonomy, that he has a lot of choice over when he works, how he works, what he researches. He particularly likes that he can shift his schedule to meet family needs. At the same time, having that autonomy can be a challenge. “You’ve got to be self-motivated and self-organized.... No one is looking over my shoulder.”

Teaching

Teaching is obviously an important part of Dr. Rich’s work. He teaches a 2-2-1 yearly course load (two courses in the fall, two in the winter, and one in the spring or summer). This course load depends on the type of institution—whether it is a research or a teaching institution. A teaching institution teaches more courses and puts greater emphasis on student ratings. Research institutions teach but put more emphasis on publishing and obtaining funds. UVU, a teaching institution, considers teaching four courses a semester as a full-time workload. At other research institutions, a 2-3 course load is usually typical, with summer as off-time. Dr. Rich mentioned that a first year professor’s course load at a research institution is typically a 1-1 or 1-2, allowing for more time to establish oneself in the research.

Dr. Rich explained a concept that sometimes occurs at other research institutions, called “buy out your time.” While some faculty are assigned courses to teach, these faculty may take funding obtained through grants to hire instructors to teach their assigned courses so they can give more time to research. Some faculty teach very little, which is interesting to think about in light of the work of a university. While teaching is important, little of a university’s funds come from student tuition. Much of the money a university has access to comes from donations and grants for research.

Teaching and interacting with students is one of his favorite aspects of his work. Grading is an important part of this work, but it is one of the least favorite aspects of his work. Giving feedback and reading through student work is sometimes tedious and technical, and at other times invigorating and enjoyable. Dr. Rich says you have to be prepared to give a lot of feedback on writing and projects.

Service

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Rich spends a lot of time giving service to the university and to organizations in the field. Faculty members are asked to serve on all kinds of campus committees to help attend to the university’s needs. Serving on the IRB is a common one. Serving on dissertation and thesis committees is a major part of Dr. Rich’s work. “We chair usually between 8-12 students between masters and PhD, but then you are on another 20 or so committees.” This work involves giving a lot of feedback on student writing and projects. Once again, Dr. Rich emphasizes the need to like giving feedback on people’s papers, because that is a large part of what professors do. The university also values service given to the fields that faculty are a part of. This service is often given by serving as an officer for organizations in the field.

Dr. Rich particularly loves the collegiality present at BYU. He loves the atmosphere at BYU, and he loves his colleagues. In other departments at other schools, there can be a lot of politics and conflict. Here, he feels, there is more collegiality. Faculty members sometimes disagree with each other, but they can work with disagreements. At BYU, Dr. Rich says he also feels like he can “be me” and share what he thinks about gospel topics and how it relates to what he is teaching. Even the community around BYU, particularly the instructional designers, have been enjoyable to work with. Dr. Rich has invited instructional designers to provide projects and to serve as peer reviewers for students. These people have been very gracious and helpful. They have a high regard for BYU, which helps make for a successful and meaningful program.

Preparation

I asked Dr. Rich what advice he had to someone preparing to teach and research at the university level. For classes, Dr. Rich says that instructional design classes are very important. It is essential to know the basics of the field. At the same time, it is also important to take research courses. Writing, publishing, and participating in conferences are very important. Dr. Rich said, “Get in your mind now that you are going to do the article format dissertation – it will hugely benefit you.” Doing the article format dissertation will allow for more publications, and will be more practical.

When preparing for a dissertation, Dr. Rich said to not think in terms of single studies, but to establish a program of inquiry. The idea is that several studies can work towards developing this program of inquiry. People who focus on single studies have a bunch of great ideas and try to cram them all in to the single study. Their committee then recommends simplifying the project, and a lot of students walk away feeling that the committee ruined their project. Having a program of inquiry allows students to develop several single studies that can be simple and specific enough to be effective.

In regards to conferences, Dr. Rich recommends not just going to them, but serving in the organizations there. He served as a communications officer in an organization within AECT, and he got to know a lot of people on a deeper level because he served and worked with them. That is an experience that students can’t have who are just attending conferences. Getting involved really helps with networking, which in turn helps when applying for jobs.

Finally, Dr. Rich recommended getting involved in research projects with other professors. “Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you—step up.” Ask professors if you can do something to work with them on their projects. Sometimes they may have something to do, and other times they may not. But at least they know that you are interested, which can be helpful when they actually do have a project where they need help to complete it. “You’re in charge of yourself—get moving.”

Job Analysis

Job Analysis

I am reviewing job descriptions obtained from University of South Florida, University of New Hampshire, Worcester Polytech Institute, University of Illinois, and Purdue University in order to help me develop a plan to obtain employment as an assistant professor. Below, I report on the likely job tasks, working conditions, required skills, and average starting salary of the positions named in the job descriptions. After that, I will present where I am at and what I need to do to prepare myself to be a competitive candidate for similar positions after graduation.

Likely Job Tasks

From the job descriptions, the following were the recurring job tasks for an assistant professor:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses (face-to-face, online, and blended formats)
• Recruit and supervise graduate students
• Research
• Seek external funding
• Support undergraduate and graduate programs
• Support college initiatives
• Support the field

Working Conditions

Professors work in a very social environment. They interact daily with students, fellow faculty, and administrators. The work is quite variable: teaching, grading, lesson preparation, researching, advising, participating in committees. It is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. Some work may need to be done in the evening or on weekends. Professors can have a lot of autonomy. They may be quite constrained on time with all the responsibilities that must be met. Work can occur on campus, from home, or in the field depending on research, conference, and consultation needs.

It is quite likely that I may take a job in another state. The positions I am examining are located in Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Indiana. Many of the programs in the field of instructional psychology, technology, and design are located in the East and South United States (if I plan on staying in the United States). The likelihood of relocation is important to consider when preparing for a faculty appointment.

Required Skills

From the job descriptions, the following represent the prerequisites of candidates applying for the position of assistant professor:

• PhD in instructional technology and design or related field
• Have an established record of teaching, researching, and service preferred (many would like to see research and presentation record in relevant journals and conferences)
• Expertise in relevant theories and research methodologies (specific expertise sought from the job postings: human performance, K-16 education, engagement, educational assessment and policy, technology development and integration, and cognitive psychology
• Robust Technical Skills

Average Salary for Assistant Professor

Location	Salary	Cost of Living (compared to Provo, UT)
University of South Florida	$71,367	slightly higher
University of New Hampshire	$82,006	slightly higher
Worcester Polytech Institute, MA	$83,020	over twice as high
University of Illinois	$83,790	slightly higher
Purdue University, IN	$88,178	comparable

*Information obtained from glassdoor.com and cityrating.com

From the above analysis, it is evident that living in the Provo area is pretty nice. I was quite surprised to see the Purdue position as having a comparable cost of living but also having the highest average salary. Brigham Young University’s average salary was listed as about $77,000 for an associate professor. University of South Florida’s salary does not seem as competitive when compared to the starting salaries of the other universities. Perhaps it has a better health care package or something to offset the difference. This information, however, was not available on glassdoor.com. Obviously, when seeking employment, it will be important to take these factors into consideration when deciding which position to take and where to live.

Preparation

Strengths

Below are some of the experiences and skills I already have that will help me be prepared to be a competitive candidate for an assistant professor position in instructional psychology and technology:

• Experience teaching at the university level with three years of undergraduate teaching experience
• Great familiarity with the K12 system from experience working as a tutor and substitute teacher
• Ability to analyze and help improve writing from my writing education background, and tutoring and teaching experience in writing (which will be useful when mentoring students in their theses and dissertations)
• Technical writing skills developed from my graduate program in English with a technical writing emphasis (which will be helpful in doing instructional design and in research writing)
• Mentoring experience from my work as a mentor for the Teaching Academy at UVU, a faculty development program for full-time and part-time faculty
• Experience in instructional design and technologies through higher education teaching experiences (working with LMS and designing my own courses for blended formats), and through my work as a program developer for High Performance Tutoring, a K-16 private tutoring company based in Salt Lake City.

Needed Education, Skills, and Experience

Below is a list of skills, education, and experience I still need to obtain to be qualified as an assistant professor of instructional psychology and technology:

• A doctoral degree
• Technology skills – while I have some experience with Photoshop, Flash, and other development software, I am weak in internet development skills and technology
• Publications – I need to establish myself as a researcher to prove my abilities to contribute in scholarship as a professor
• Conference presentations – I need to participate in conferences so that others can get to know my interests, strengths, and research experience, and to be able to network
• Education in research methodologies – I need more education in qualitative and quantitative research if I am going to be able to effectively contribute to educational research
• Education in instructional theory of my interest – I need to be able to contribute uniquely as a member of a community of faculty researchers
• Teaching experience in instructional psychology and technology courses
• Skills in grant writing

Education Plan

Following are specific plans that I have to develop in education, experience, and skill:

• Working as a teaching assistant in our department (this winter semester and beyond).
• Going to AECT conference next year in California.
• Going to the Sloan-C conference on blended learning in Milwaukee next summer as part of a research team with Dr. Graham from BYU.
• Working towards publishing a journal analysis article with Dr. West from BYU this winter, and a chapter on blended learning theories with Dr. Graham this winter as well.

The theme I would like to take for my dissertation and education at BYU is in improving higher education, specifically with online learning, blended learning, and other best-learning and teaching practices in higher education, I also want to focus on faculty development. I hope to get involved with helping faculty implement the best learning and teaching practices that are emerging in educational research. I think there are some exciting opportunities to study this at BYU in the coming years. Having a blended learning initiative at a university level is becoming more of a reality. I would like to get involved in helping that happen and studying change, implementation, and faculty attitudes and experiences. I plan on doing the three-article dissertation in the above-mentioned areas so as to take up as many publication opportunities. I plan on taking these ideas and presenting them at conferences as well.

So, where did instructional design come from?

My goal here is to address the question, “What is an instructional designer?” To many, the field of instructional design is ambiguous. I aim to discuss a basic history of the field of instructional design, the current trends, and the roles instructional designers have today in order to demonstrate what this field addresses and what instructional designers do.

My degree is in Instructional Psychology and Technology. This degree is a blending of two movements: one in instructional media and the other in instructional design. Instructional media concerns itself with the design and effective use of technologies that improve and make possible different kinds of instruction. Interest in instructional media grew in the early 1900s when schools began collecting charts, slides, photographs, films and other material to complement school instruction. Understanding how to use and create effective media became a part of this movement, especially during World War II, when the U.S. military sought to design films to successfully train personnel. It is quite possible that the effective use of these films gave the United States an important advantage in the war. In the 1950s, instructional media attention turned to television and computers. Instructional television gained widespread support for a time, and then faded. The use of computers to deliver instruction, on the other hand, had a slow start but a more lasting effect. The internet has helped the computer have a greater impact as an instructional medium. Today, great work is put into online education, which expands the boundaries of the classroom, providing education in a more flexible and accessible way.

Instructional design, on the other hand, is concerned with how to effectively design instruction to achieve desired goals. Like instructional media, instructional design has its important roots in the military training films of World War II. During this time, the military brought in psychologists and educators to design training based on research to increase effectiveness of military instruction. These researchers were also used to develop assessment instruments to help pair the strengths and talents of trainees with appropriate roles. After the war, research continued on developing principles to help guide the effective design of instruction. Programmed instruction presented the principles of small steps, consistent positive reinforcement, and self-pacing to help guide the design of effective instruction. Robert Gagné developed the idea that effective learning happened in steps, beginning with getting attention to reinforcing what was learned. These steps are known as the Nine Events of Instruction. In the 1960s, emphasis was placed on evaluating instruction, which led to trying out instruction on learners to determine if the design achieved its goals.

Eventually, this work built up to a systematic way of designing instruction. One of the most popular models of this system is the ADDIE model (Assess, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate). While this model has been a long-time standard in the field, others have tried to develop other systems to handle the more complex tasks of designing computer-based instructional material. One model gaining traction today is Andy Gibbon’s layers model, which looks at instructional design much like the blueprints of a building, where certain experts have domain over parts of design and construction, like framers, plumbers, electricians, and interior designers. Domain experts in modern instructional design would include experts in content, pedagogy, data base management, software development, and graphical design. This perspective on design encourages expertise in specific domains as well as developing a design system where one layer can be manipulated without great expense to the workings of the other layers. Instructional designers often take the role of managing the work of all these experts as well as being the expert on instructional strategies. The work of instructional designers continues to evolve alongside the development of instructional media, learning and teaching strategies, and design systems.

My interests lie in the expanding and quickly evolving field of online education. As mentioned earlier, online education makes education more accessible and flexible. I have taken several online classes in my master’s program at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Students were attending class from Idaho to Greenland. We participated in asynchronous discussion led by our instructor. I have also designed my own courses as a freshman composition instructor to take greater advantage of computer and Internet technologies. The Internet allows us to do much of the content learning at home, allowing class time to be used for practice and workshops. Students have found this hands-on form of instruction to be very valuable and helpful to their learning.

Researchers and designers have come to the consensus that online instruction cannot simply be a transfer of traditional face-to-face instruction to the internet. Nor should it be that way. As we seek to improve education, online education has caused us to rethink learning and instruction in productive and exciting ways. I hope to conduct further research in this area, specifically with how to blend online education with traditional formats. These methods provide different strengths, the blending of which have produced more effective learning than with either method alone. Research is needed to identify what is causing these blended methods to work so well. I hope to help identify these causes and work on developing theories that can guide the effective design of future blended instructional experiences.

For more on this subject, see Robert A. Reiser's "A History of Instructional Design and Technology," in Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (3rd Ed.), Pearson, 2012.