Priorities and benchmarks for new faculty in physical therapist education programs: perceptions of program directors

The purpose of this study was to establish development priorities, ideal workload and performance levels, and preferred faculty development activities for new faculty in professional-level physical therapist education programs. A preliminary questionnaire was sent to 183 directors of these programs to identify new faculty and their program directors. Eighty-five new faculty and 79 of their program directors were identified and sent comparable surveys with questions that pertained to the current and ideal teaching, scholarship, and service activities of the new faculty. Results indicated that both new faculty and program directors agreed on ideal workload levels and that workloads for new faculty should shift from teaching to scholarship. New faculty set performance levels that are significantly higher than those identified by their program directors. Development priorities for the new faculty varied from knowledge and skills in instruction as expressed by program directors to scholarship as expressed by new faculty. Individual consultations were the highest preferred faculty development activity reported by both groups. These findings provide direction for the content and delivery method for faculty development activities for new faculty in these and similar education programs.