Teaching Evaluation

Tenured and Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation. Student evaluation and review of faculty performance are important sources of information, both for the individual faculty member in his/her professional growth and for the University, especially in regard to evaluations associated with reappointment, tenure, and promotion.  Within each academic unit and within the Regional Campuses, mechanisms have been established to accomplish the goals of review and of evaluation in accordance   with University policy and the CBA regarding promotion, and tenure.  For such review, information must be offered that reflects systematic evaluation of teaching performance by students and peers. The procedures for such evaluations are described below.

Student Evaluations. A standard university-wide Student Survey of Instruction form is used to evaluate faculty.  Faculty should follow the instructions for administering these evaluations. Faculty receive tabulated results including student comments after the end of the semester of said class and after grades have been processed. The Dean, in consultation with Program Directors/Coordinators and the Assistant/Associate Dean, is responsible for maintaining quality learning environments within programs.

Peer Evaluations. Faculty members, especially probationary faculty and those seeking promotion, are expected to invite colleagues to evaluate their teaching on a regular basis.  Faculty are especially encouraged to seek evaluations from senior faculty, both from the Salem Campus and from their department.  Faculty are encouraged to speak with department chairs or coordinators about departmental peer evaluation procedures and requirements.

Additional Evaluations. Faculty are encouraged to use additional methods of evaluating teaching and learning, which may include but are not limited to development of a teaching portfolio, evaluations from experts in the field from outside the University,  student focus groups, and other forms of scholarly examination of teaching.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation. The teaching evaluation procedures for Non-Tenure Track Faculty are the same as those for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty.