Faculty of the Future: Must Have Characteristics

The role of the professor in higher education has changed dramatically during the past year, and experts believe it will never go back to the way it was. Below are the characteristics universities should be looking for when brining on new professors, according to Jeremy Zhang, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Innovative Learning, Design and Assessment at Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

Personal characteristics:

  • Flexibility
  • Adaptability
  • Curiosity, willingness to learn
  • Willingness to put content online
  • Not afraid to make mistakes in front of students, comfort learning with and from students
  • Learner/learning-centered as opposed to teaching/teacher-centered

Knowledge and Skills:

  • Pedagogy, particularly in hybrid learning, e.g., social emotional learning (SEL), intrinsic motivation
  • Instructional design
  • Technology
    • Basic Microsoft skills
    • Adept at navigating among multiple programs and windows
    • Ability to manage a live online classroom (talk, chat, present slides, polls/quizzes, create and manage break out rooms, answer questions)
    • Ability to create engaging and interactive presentations; basic audio and video editing
    • Navigating within the learning management system