ABSTRACT
Due to the ever-changing nature of the faculty role and the highly competitive yet sparse faculty job market, higher education scholars should lead department-level and university-wide reforms to better prepare the next generation of faculty. Using Austin’s five participant generated “recommendations for improving graduate school as preparation for faculty careers” which include (1) more attention to regular meeting, advising, and feedback; (2) structured opportunities to observe, meet, and talk with peers; (3) diverse, developmentally oriented teaching opportunities; (4) information and guidance about the full array of faculty responsibilities; and (5) regular and guided reflection, this chapter presents a reflective piece on the nature of doctoral teaching apprenticeships. Driven by both the perspective of a current faculty mentor and a future faculty member, this chapter explores the nature of doctoral teaching apprenticeships through student-faculty interactions within apprenticeship dynamics. Secondly, this chapter makes recommendations for practice based upon the lessons learned through purposeful practice and mentorship nested within shifting contexts of U.S. higher education and faculty work.
