Worth 1,000 Words: Concept Mapping for Tenure and Promotion

Organizing tenure/promotion dossiers can be a daunting task for junior faculty. As an adjunct to a strong program of scholarship, concept mapping can help as a concise and effective tool when applying for tenure and promotion. Concept mapping is explained here as a value-added, graphic method for junior faculty to use in presenting their scholarship accomplishments in the tenure and promotion dossier in a single overview beyond the written narrative. Further, skills in developing concept maps can be used as a mentoring technique, simultaneously helping faculty shape their scholarship as they progress toward tenure. The historically situated picture presented by a concept map is worth a thousand words.