Instructor and Basic Course Faculty Mentor

Instructor and Basic Course Faculty Mentor

 

The George Mason University, Department of Communication, seeks an Instructor and Basic Course Faculty Mentor for an August 2022 appointment.

 

For this role, we seek a full-time instructor who is passionate about teaching COMM 101: Fundamentals of Communication (a hybrid model of the Basic Course), and who enjoys mentoring novice instructors as they build their own teaching skills in this course. Faculty in this role will teach COMM 101 and will also support a team of novice COMM 101 instructors by providing mentoring and coaching, answering questions, and sharing feedback after conducting classroom teaching observations. Our instructor team is comprised of a Basic Course Director, several full-time instructional faculty, and a large team of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), graduate lecturers (GLs), and part-time instructors.

 

COMM 101 is a comprehensive communication skills course that equips students with the communication skills that they will need to be successful in their future courses, careers, and communities. In this course, students learn how to conduct research for, organize, and deliver effective presentations that allow them to explain complex ideas, persuade, and advocate for change. Students learn how to build and sustain meaningful relationships as well as manage conflict in those relationships. Students also develop the small group and leadership skills that will help them work successfully on teams. All of these skills are embedded within a diversity and equity context so that students can understand, analyze, adapt messages, and demonstrate respect and consideration for the multitude of audiences with whom they will communicate in a range of intercultural, personal, and professional contexts.

 

COMM 101 is a required Mason Core course for almost all Mason students, and we teach approximately 4,000 students each year in 170+ sections. COMM 101 is primarily taught in a lecture-lab format that is also supported by individualized coaching in our Communication Center, and instructors in this role will typically teach in-person lab sections. For more information about the course formats, please see https://communication.gmu.edu/undergraduate/basic-course-comm-101.

 

This is a 9-month term instructional faculty position and is renewable pending satisfactory performance. In future years, faculty in this position may also have opportunities to teach other communication courses, if desired.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Teach COMM 101: Fundamentals of Communication during the fall and spring semesters;
  • Provide coaching and mentoring support for our COMM 101: Fundamentals of Communication instructor team (e.g., answering questions, sharing ideas and resources for teaching, and checking in with other team members to help build community);
  • Conduct classroom observations and provide feedback from those observations for an assigned group of instructors (GTAs, GLs, and part-time instructors);
  • Serve as a member of the COMM 101 program leadership team and participate in our fall Basic Course Academy and tri-weekly instructor meetings;
  • Participate in department service (attend department meetings, participate in committee work, attend events, etc.).

 

Required Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in Communication or a closely related field;
  • Multiple years of experience teaching the introductory communication course (also referred to as the Basic Course);
  • Evidence of excellent teaching effectiveness;
  • Ability to use campus technology tools used to teach in multiple modalities (Blackboard, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office, Top Hat, Zoom, etc.) and quickly adapt to new technologies that might be adopted by the campus in the future;
  • Strong interpersonal and professional communication skills.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in Communication or a closely related field;
  • Leadership, mentoring, or coaching experience supporting others in teaching and/or building communication skills (e.g., in instructional team settings, Communication Centers, coaching roles, etc.);
  • Familiarity with scholarship on communication pedagogy, inclusive classroom practices, instructional communication, and communication assessment;
  • Experience teaching diverse students and working effectively on diverse teams;
  • Ability to teach in other areas in the Communication BA program.

 

About the Department: Mason’s Communication Department has a diverse and collegial faculty committed to excellence, innovation, community and public service, inclusion, and social equity. All department faculty participate in the life of our campus community, including career fairs, faculty functions, recruiting sessions and other events. We offer a broad undergraduate program; five minor programs; a large M.A. program including strategic, health, and science communication specialties; and a focused Ph.D. program emphasizing health, strategic, and science communication. The department also offers a graduate certificate in science communication. We enjoy robust student diversity in all our academic programs, serving students who bring a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds to our classrooms. Additionally, the department supports several co-curricular activities, including debate, forensics, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists, and a comprehensive student media organization (newspaper, radio, television, sports announcing, magazine and journal editing, etc.). For more information about the Department of Communication at George Mason University, visit https://communication.gmu.edu/.

 

Special Instructions to Applicants  

In a continuing effort to enrich GMU’s academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, we actively encourage applications from all job seekers including members of all ethnic groups underrepresented in higher education.

 

For full consideration, applicants must apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ for position number F8128z; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter outlining your interest in the position and relevant experience; a CV; a teaching philosophy statement that includes a discussion about your approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your teaching; and a list of three professional references with contact information.

 

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.