Unit Evaluation of Professional Education Faculty Preformance

Student evaluations of the teaching are usually favorable for both full- and part-time faculty.  The summarized evaluation of data provided in the first two tables come from the college-wide student evaluations of course content, the impact of courses on their development, and their perceptions about the quality of teaching.  These evaluations are conducted each semester and are gathered from a relatively new course evaluation tool.  They are rated on a Lickert scale, with -2 = strongly disagree, 0 = neutral, and 2 = strongly agree.  The linked tables reflect averages for each of the three categories evaluated, as reported in the Spring and Fall 2006 reports for the unit’s graduate programs.

Prior to the use of the current course and teaching evaluation tool, the student evaluation of teaching was measured using a 21-item scantron form.  Mean scores for all faculty in the Department for the 21 items are provided in Table 5.11 for Fall 02 through the Spring 2005 semesters.  These were also rated on a Lickert scale, with -2 = strongly disagree, 0 = neutral, and 2 = strongly agree.

To evaluate teaching and identify areas for improvement, the chair reviews the individual evaluation data for each faculty member and prepares aggregate summaries, noting outstanding areas and areas that might cause concern.  This information is conveyed in writing to the faculty member and followed up with a one-on-one conference on an annual basis.  Where necessary, plans for remediation are made.  These usually begin with the assignment of a faculty peer, who serves as a mentor.  The chair reviews progress made with the individual faculty member.

Evaluation of scholarship and service are conducted on an annual basis for tenure-track faculty.  Recommendations and review of actions taken are conducted each year by the faculty member’s tenure-track review committee.  The department chair and two tenured faculty members, along with a tenured faculty member from another department serve on the unit’s tenure-track committees.  Tenured faculty are evaluated every five years using the unit's tenure guidelines.