FACULTY EMPLOYMENT
EVALUATION
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Performance Standards
After a faculty member has met the appropriate minimum eligibility criteria, evaluation for the purpose of retention, promotion, and tenure decisions will emphasize the quality of performance in the categories outlined below. The total professional qualifications and experience of a faculty member are considered in evaluation for retention, promotion, and tenure. Reviewers must judge the relative quality of each faculty member’s activities in light of the agreed upon workload/primary assignment and the particular evaluation review under consideration.
Criteria
Criteria for retention, promotion, and tenure are considered under the following headings:
Mastery of Subject Area
Teaching/Primary Responsibility
Public Service
University Service
Research/Creative Activity, if applicable
Overall Professional Development
This list of criteria does not imply that candidates must be equally proficient in all areas. Library faculty should refer to the criteria appearing later in this chapter.
TEACHING
Faculty members shall be judged as teachers on the basis of their effectiveness in preparing and presenting course material, the quality of their objectives, their contributions to academic curricula, and other teaching activities per the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Matrix.
The following minimum requirements are cumulative for each higher level of rank.
Instructor: The candidate should have the preparation and apparent ability to perform instructional responsibilities under general supervision. The candidate should possess a commitment to quality higher education and a willingness to devote the effort necessary for course preparation and instruction, student advising, and other instructional responsibilities. These requirements include the skills and knowledge needed to structure course content, to prepare course materials, and to conduct courses effectively.
Assistant Professor: The candidate should have general understanding of the philosophy and purpose of the curriculum of the discipline, and the knowledge and skills to determine courses, and should demonstrate teaching effectiveness. The candidate should have the knowledge and skills necessary for service as a member of committees on curriculum policy.
Associate Professor:The candidate must have demonstrated a high degree of competency in the instructional area. Increased responsibility in this area may include coordinating program offerings, developing new degree programs, or evaluating existing programs. Consideration will be given to the quality of the candidate’s instructional efforts. Particular attention should be devoted to the breadth of the candidate’s performance and potential for providing leadership for lower ranking faculty.
Professor: The candidate must have a background of exceptional performance in the instructional categories, should be distinguished among faculty for the breadth and/or depth of instructional activities, and should have a history of instructional success among colleagues of the University. In addition, at this point, candidates should be contributing to the development of the instructional capabilities of other faculty. Exceptional performance is defined in its usual sense; that is, as demonstrated by evidence, the performance in this area is “not ordinary or average” but “much above average in quality.”
PUBLIC SERVICE
Public service is defined as all activities external to the University in a professional discipline-related capacity. Public service shall include professionally related and publicly recognized service, including paid and unpaid consulting, to constituencies external to the University, including but not limited to the following: public and private sector groups, governmental agencies, elementary and secondary schools, boards, commissions, committees, public interest groups, community groups, businesses, and urban and rural residents; successful design and implementation of technology-transfer programs to external constituencies; and application of directed research to the needs of constituencies.
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
University service includes all activities involving administrative relationships with the University. Examples include but are not limited to the following:
1. Service on University committees,workteams, or governing bodies;
2. Service as a representative of some segment of the University to various bodies and groups;
3. Participation in accreditation reviews;
4. Participation in planning activities;
5. Service to student organizations and student activities;
6. Activities related to student advising and registration;
7. Colleague assistance—contribution to the academic capabilities of other faculty.
The following minimum requirements are cumulative for each higher level of rank.
Instructor/Assistant Professor: The candidate has demonstrated involvement in public and/or University service activities.
Associate Professor: The candidate has demonstrated increased involvement in public and/or University service, along with increased responsibility in at least one of these areas. Quality as well as quantity of University and public service will be considered.
Professor: The candidate has demonstrated leadership in both public and University service. The candidate should be recognized as a leader by those served. Recognition of effective leadership may also be demonstrated through additional leadership roles or positions of trust and responsibility.
RESEARCH/CREATIVE ACTIVITY
Faculty whose University workload includes research/creative activity must document the results of these activities. Faculty who conduct research/ creative activity outside of their University assignment are also encouraged including evidence of this work for evaluation consideration. This activity is defined as work related to the faculty member’s discipline that results in a contribution appropriate to that discipline.
The following guidelines are cumulative for each higher level of rank:
Instructor/Assistant Professor: The candidate will have demonstrated the ability to design and carry out original research or creative activity.
Associate Professor:The candidate has demonstrated continued growth in development of research and/or creative skills. The candidate has provided evidence of accomplished research by the production of original contributions to the discipline. Consideration should be given to the quality of the candidate’s research or creative efforts and ability to supervise the research of others such as graduate students and other professors.
Professor: The candidate has made original contributions of outstanding quality to his/her field. The candidate is able to supervise the research of others or foster their creative ability. The candidate should be a recognized authority in his/her discipline. Outstanding quality is defined in the usual sense of outstanding; that is, the contributions are demonstrated by evidence and judged by those qualified to judge that the contributions are “prominent, distinguished, and conspicuous” in the sense that they are “excellent” or “superior.”
OVERALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Ongoing professional development is expected of all faculty. Faculty are responsible for staying current and active in their field. A wide range of activities may be used to show professional growth. Examples include but are not limited to:
1.Completion of course work relevant to one’s professional responsibilities;
2. Completion of vocational internships or professional practica;
3. Attendance at professional conferences and seminars at the local, regional, or national level;
4. Participation in the leadership of professional organizations and their activities;
5. Workshops, seminars, and lectures presented to peers;
6. Academic reading or study that results in a product, such as new course designs, reports for peers, or bibliographies;
7. Receipt of honors, awards, or recognitions that relate to professional contributions or academic leadership.
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