All faculty, whether you are a probationary faculty (assistant professor) on the tenure-track, a tenured faculty (associate or full professor), a faculty lecturer, or counselor, undergo regular reviews as part of the faculty evaluation process. Faculty evaluations are also commonly referred to as Retention Tenure and Promotion (RTP) evaluations or reviews. These reviews are completed on the Interfolio online platform. Interfolio is the place where faculty will upload files for review and where faculty committees, chairs, and administrators will go to complete the reviews and submit reports. You will be given access to Interfolio for your first review.
While there are many similarities, the processes and timelines for faculty evaluation have some important differences for each type of faculty along their career trajectory. It is important that faculty familiarize themselves with the type(s) of reviews they will need to be involved with. In addition to workshops that are provided by the Office of Faculty Affairs and the content on the Faculty Affairs website, faculty can review information related to faculty evaluation in the collective bargaining agreement and in the faculty handbook.
The Office of Faculty Affairs works with the colleges to oversee the required evaluation process of Lecturer Faculty, Probationary Tenure-Track Instructional and Non-Instructional Faculty (Assistant Professors), Tenured Instructional and Non-Instructional Faculty (Associate and Full Professors), and Counselor Faculty.
Review Types:
- Periodic Review
- Performance Review
- Range Elevation Review
Cal State LA uses Interfolio for all reviews.
Evaluation Per Classification
All evaluation review forms are within Interfolio.
Interfolio instructions are provided within each classification.
Lecturer faculty fill a wide variety of important roles at Cal State LA. Lecturer faculty are primarily assigned to teach classes, seminars, and oversee labs and activity courses; however, some lecturer faculty may also provide clinical supervision or supervision of fieldwork. The collective bargaining agreement refers to lecturer faculty as “temporary” faculty and in following suit, the faculty handbook also incorporates that term. Temporary library faculty and counselor faculty also fit in this category and each have their own sections.
Learn more about Lecturer Faculty Evaluation
Assistant professors (both instructional and non-instructional) are considered probationary faculty on the tenure-track with specific timelines for reviews leading up to a review for tenure status. At Cal State LA, reviews for tenure and promotion to associate professor are done together with one decision for both. Tenure-track faculty are reviewed every year with years 1, 3, and 5 being periodic reviews and years 2, 4, and 6 being performance reviews. The 6-year performance review is the evaluation for tenure and promotion to associate professor. Library faculty have a separate section with information tailored just for them.
Learn more about Tenure-Track Faculty Evaluation
Faculty (both instructional and non-instructional) who received tenure, are still required to be reviewed every five years. That review is a periodic evaluation, except for the time when the associate professor elects to be considered for promotion to full professor. In that case the promotion evaluation is a performance review. Library faculty have a separate section with information tailored just for them.
Learn more about Tenured Faculty Evaluation
Library faculty are non-instructional faculty, and that delineation is provided in the Faculty Handbook and also in the collective bargaining agreement. Because the University Library does not have traditional departments, the review calendars are slightly different. The criteria for reviews are slightly different for library faculty and faculty are advised to check the Library faculty guidance documents for more details.
Although the roles are different, counselor faculty are like lecturer faculty in the review process and undergo annual periodic reviews for the first six years. The Student Health Center does not have traditional departments, so the review calendars are slightly different. The criteria for reviews are somewhat different for counselor faculty and counselor faculty are advised to check the counselor faculty guidance documents for more details.
Learn more about Counselor Faculty