Undergraduate computing programs have struggled to meet the demand for computing education. The increase in teaching needs has expanded the creation and hiring of teaching-track positions (i.e., at least 50% time spent on teaching). However, many job openings go unfilled due to hiring difficulties such as perceived gaps in applicant qualifications and applicant confusion over varied job characteristics. This places increased scrutiny on the teaching-track recruitment process to (1) identify promising candidates who might not have sufficient qualifications and (2) transparently communicate the job responsibilities and expectations.

In this experience report, we present the details of a teaching-track faculty recruiting process at a Research 1 university in the United States so that other computing teaching-track search committees can draw inspiration to improve their own. Our process contains some uncommon elements, including a public evaluation rubric, a potential interview questions checklist, and a recruiting guide for students. We also present feedback from a survey of the invited candidates from the 2024-25 recruiting cycle. The feedback confirms that the current process is largely meeting the objectives of encouraging applicants to apply and providing more transparency. Suggestions for improvement included greater transparency in the evaluation of the teaching demonstration, more breaks during the campus interview, and more guidance when it comes to service and the diversity statement.

Associate Teaching Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) at the University of Washington, Seattle (UW). I primarily teach computer engineering courses (e.g., digital logic design, computer organization, systems programming) and am passionate about teacher training, particularly for post-secondary teaching-track roles (e.g., TA training, students as instructors of record, teaching-track mentoring).