ARTP Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Confidentiality of Personnel Deliberations

Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees (Probationary and Temporary Appointment, Retention, Tenure, and Promotion, and Evaluation of Temporary, Probationary and Tenured Faculty)

Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees

The department annually elects 4 personnel committees.

The probationary and tenured faculty members of the department or equivalent unit shall elect a peer review committee(s) of tenured faculty members. When there are insufficient eligible members to serve on the peer committee, the department shall elect members from a related academic discipline(s).

(The Committees, as a whole, must take responsibility for the following tasks: Probationary Appointment; Temporary Appointment; Retention, Tenure and Promotion; Range Elevation; Evaluation of Temporary Faculty; Evaluation of Probationary Faculty; Evaluation of Tenured Faculty (Post-Tenure review); Evaluation for Request to Emeritus status; and Collaboration on the Development of Individual Professional Plans. It is required that each unit indicate below which Committee is responsible for each of these tasks.)

Eligibility for Committee Service and Balloting

Additional:

Department Personnel Committees are elected using the ballot system. The ballots are counted with the golf score total method, in which the three persons with lower numbers are elected as members and the fourth lowest becomes the alternate. Department Personnel committees may not include more than one faculty member participating in the Faculty Early Retirement Program.

For each faculty evaluation committee, indicate whether the chair is always included on the committee, excluded from the committee, or eligible to serve if elected to the committee.

For each faculty evaluation committee, the chair is always included on the committee.

Recruitment of Probationary Faculty

Appointment of Probationary Faculty

Personnel Action Files

Individualized Professional Plans

Additional:

Probationary Faculty wishing to develop professional plans will do so in collaboration with the Department Chair and Personnel Committee B. Tenured Faculty wishing to develop professional plans will do so in collaboration with the Department Chair and Personnel Committee A.

Eligibility for Tenure and Promotion

Evaluation of Permanent Instructional Faculty

Additional:

Category B: Activities considered appropriate as "scholarly and creative activities" for the discipline are:

• Paper and electronic publications such as scholarly articles and book reviews, books or chapters in books, CD-ROMs
• Conference presentations
• Published creative writing and translation, panels, symposia and colloquia
• Involvement in editorial boards and professional consultations
• Offices in professional organizations
• Other generally accepted activities and contributions to the field
• Receipt of awards
• Submissions of applications for, as well as receipts of grants, or fellowships for the pursuit of research/study in the faculty member's field
• Contracts employing the faculty member's expertise

1. Classroom visitation/peer observations

A class of a faculty member under consideration shall be visited once during each RTP cycle and evaluated by at least one tenured faculty member of equal or higher rank. Before the class, the faculty member shall give the observer(s) the class syllabus and any teaching materials that may be relevant to the class visited. The observer(s) shall provide an objective and detailed description of the activities that occurred during the visit. The class evaluation should address factors such as the instructor's preparation and mastery of course content, the extent to which the lesson achieves the goals of the lesson/course, the activities/techniques used (e.g., lecture, discussion, group work, exercises, use of technology, etc.), the learning environment, and the instructor's weaknesses. The faculty member to meet, if any, must be made within five days of the receipt of the report. If a meeting is requested, it must take place within ten days of the request. Copies of the report shall be given to the faculty member, the Chair of the Temporary Faculty review Committee, and the Department Chair. Rebuttal to the report, if desired, is due prior to file closure.

b. Continuing formal studies and/or independent research that would enhance classroom performance.

Committee Procedures

Review of Faculty Holding Joint Appointments and of Faculty Active in Interdisciplinary Programs

Student Consultation in Academic Personnel Processes

Oral Testimony

Additional:

1. Current department practice is not to invite anyone to meet automatically with the committee to give oral testimony. Since oral testimony is given only to clarify material in the file, no other persons will be routinely interviewed by the committee.
2. The department believes that the personnel files should stand on their own. Thus the committee will not honor requests to meet with it from any person prior to the issuance of the recommendation. Following the issuance of the recommendation, the committee will honor the request of the candidate to meet with the committee.

Role of Department/Division/School Chair or Director

Appointment of Temporary Faculty

Evaluation of Temporary Faculty

Additional:

In order to conduct the second level of review, the Department Chair may not be part of the Department level committee which reviews temporary full-time and part-time faculty. Evaluation of temporary faculty shall be based on the following criteria:

Category A

Teaching performance shall be evaluated by

1. Class observation/visit conducted by one or two member(s) of the Temporary Faculty Review Committee or its designee(s) during each periodic review-cycle.

Class visits:

• Temporary faculty member on duty shall be given not less than 5 university working days written notice indicating date when the observation will take place
• Whenever possible, the Department will honor the instructor's selection of class to be evaluated (course, day, and time) with due consideration for personnel deadlines
• Before the class, the instructor shall give observers a copy of the course syllabus and any teaching materials that may be relevant to the class visited
• Observers should provide an objective and detailed description of the activities that occur during the class visited. The class evaluation should address the following factors:
  • Instructor's preparation and mastery of course content
  • Extent to which the lesson achieve the goals of the lesson/course
  • Utilization of time during the class
  • Description of the activities/techniques used (e.g., lecture, discussion, groups, student reports written exercises, use of board, overhead projector, etc.)
  • Instructor's manner (professional, amiable, comfortable, etc.) and its apparent effect on the students
  • Learning environment in the class (exciting, comfortable, casual, informal, serious, formal, intimidating, etc.)
  • Evidence of interest, attentiveness, involvement, preparation of the students
  • Description of instructor's strengths and/or weaknesses
  • Innovative classroom techniques or use of technology in the classroom
• Classes shall be visited by a member of the Temporary Faculty Review Committee or its designee
• The temporary faculty member shall receive the observation report within 5 working days. A request by the faculty member to meet, if any, must be made within five days of the receipt of the report, If a meeting is requested, it must take place within ten days of the request. A copy of the report shall be given to the instructor, the Chair of the Temporary Faculty Review Committee, and the Department Chair, Rebuttal to the report, if desired, is due prior to file closure.

2. Student opinion Surveys administered in all classes taught by temporary faculty

3. All Temporary Faculty are required to submit a supplemental file that contains course and other materials that reflect on instruction, Examples of those materials are the following:

• Course syllabi
• Class/teaching materials
• Class assignments
• Quizzes, tests, examinations
• Evidence of student work and accomplishments

Currency in the field will be evaluated by the temporary faculty member's mastery of course material and pedagogical techniques, as displayed in syllabi, supplemental materials, peer and student evaluations, as well as performance in discipline-related activities. The Department has determined that these activities may include the following:

• Publications such as books, articles, book reviews, chapters in books, published creative writing, and translations
• Attendance and/or participation in professional meetings, symposia, workshops, and conferences
• Offices in professional organizations
• Receipt of grants, awards, or fellowships to do research/study in the field

Evaluation statement:

After an instructor's file has been reviewed, his or her teaching performance will be rated as outstanding, commendable, satisfactory, needs improvement or unsatisfactory, His or her performance in Category A will be summarized.

Consideration for Three-Year Appointments

Consideration for Range Elevation

Additional:

The criteria for range elevation for full- and part-time temporary faculty in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures are a sustained satisfactory record of performance in Category A- teaching performance, and currency in the field.

Currency in the field will be evaluated by the temporary faculty member's mastery of course material and pedagogical techniques, as displayed in syllabi, supplemental materials, peer and student evaluations, as well as performance in discipline-related activities. The Department has determined that these activities may include the following:

• Publications such as books, articles, book reviews, chapters in books, published creative writing, and translations
• Attendance and/or participation in professional meetings, symposia, workshops, and conferences
• Offices in professional organizations
• Receipt of grants, awards, or fellowships to do research/study in the field

Review of Department Personnel Procedures