Instructional Technology Program Faculty Evaluation Policy

Adopted date:
Effective date: Academic year 2008-2009
References: See related Procedures and Policy for Tenure and Promotion of School of Education and
Richard Stockton College

 

This policy covers all members of the Instructional Technology program faculty, including tenure-track, nontenure track, and part-time faculty. 

1.0 PREAMBLE
The Instructional Technology program faculty recognizes the importance of the guidelines set forth by
the College and School of Education regarding the role of the faculty member within the institution. The
College is committed to high standards of faculty performance in an effort to sustain and extend the
excellence already achieved. In support of this commitment, the faculty of the Instmctional Technology
program supports the following policy as a basis for evaluation for tenure and/or promotion.

1.1 As a nationally ranked public liberal arts college, Richard Stockton College is committed to high
standards of faculty performance that will sustain and extend the excellence we have achieved. This
commitment embodies the teacher-scholar model so central to the liberal arts tradition. In turn, the
dynamic relationship between teaching and scholarship is part of maintaining the currency of the
College's approach to interdisciplinary learning. While much of this policy focuses on evaluation of
individual faculty members, this policy also affirms that interdisciplinary, liberal arts education is not
the work of an individual, but necessarily involves purposeful collaboration in order to achieve the
College's mission.
1.2 The status of faculty members changes as they earn tenure and promotions or move from part time,
temporaty, or grant funded employment to a tenure track position. As one's status changes so do
expectations and, in some cases, the method of evaluation.
1.3 Although forn1al evaluation processes take place on varied cycles, the College expects the highest level
of professionalism at all times. Faculty are expected to perform their roles in a manner that reflects
positively on themselves and on the College. Also, education is a shared enterprise that entails the
ability to work well with colleagues and others on campus and to contribute to institutional, School and
program goals.
1.4 College expectations of faculty performance fall into two broad areas: those areas of faculty
responsibility traditionally used by institutions of higher education to judge performance and the
continued development of its faculty and those expectations that reflect obligations of faculty as College
employees.
1.5 Throughout this policy and accompanying procedures the term "faculty" shall mean teaching faculty; in
this policy and accompanying procedures the term "Library Faculty" shall be used to refer to Librarians
covered under Article XVII of the Master Agreement. 

2.0 STATEMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 While individual appointment contracts outline general responsibilities of a faculty member's
appointment, the evaluation of faculty requires a clear statement of the responsibilities of all faculty,
including those who are tenured. These responsibilities include sustained and consistent success in the
following areas. Additional details on expectations in these areas can be found in sections 4-6.
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2.1.2. Teaching, including General Studies teaching and teaching in all areas where a faculty member
is listed as a member of the program faculty or associated faculty in the College's official
publications. Note that as a graduate program, the Instructional Technology program may
involve greater teaching at the graduate level, and that General Studies teaching has not been an
expected part of program faculty loads. However, faculty are encouraged to explore General
Studies teaching as a part of their professional development within the institution.
2.1.3. Keeping abreast of developments in one's areas of teaching responsibility and in pedagogical
innovations, as well as incorporating this knowledge into teaching.
2.1.4. Regular and systematic assessment of the achievement of student learning outcomes in one's
program and teaching, as appropriate within the context of program objectives, and the use of
this assessment in the continual improvements of teaching and professional work.
2.1.5. Precepting, including facilitation of students' academic and career planning/decision making;
conscientious attention to students' progress toward graduation; and helping students to access
resources to reinforce these efforts. Prompt and timely communication with students and
preceptees, including stewardship of student records and the maintenance of grading and
attendance records in a manner consistent with College policy and all relevant stahttes.
2.1.6. Where appropriate, fulfilling all expectations of faculty required to acquire and maintain
professional or other accreditation of the College's programs.
2.1.7. Positive collaboration with one's colleagues in the achievement of individual, program, School,
and College purposes. This includes active participation in program, School and other meetings
and providing support for, and contribution to the development of, new faculty and adjunct
faculty.
2.1.8. Regular participation in and support of program activities, including those designed to foster
student learning outside the classroom.
2.1.9. Active participation in faculty recruitment, including efforts to achieve diversity.
2.1.1 0. Research, scholarship, or artistic/creative work, which may include the development of
successful grant proposals as defined in Section6.2.4.6.10, applied research, or other
approaches to the discovery of new knowledge, and, where appropriate, its integration with
teaching. 
2.1.11. Participation in College organizations and activities such as Faculty Assembly, faculty and
College task forces and committees, student recmitment, the maintenance of positive relations
with alumni, and the support of student organizations and activities. A pattern of ongoing
participation in those events that contribute to the intellectual life of the College, including
ceremonial events.
2.1.12. The use of one's professional talents, whether based in one's discipline or not, in service to the
College and to non- College publics, communities, and organizations in a manner that reflects
positively on the College and its purposes.
2.1.13. Any other duties as may be assigned within the context of one's individual appointment
contract. 

3.0 OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FACULTY
There are other responsibilities and expectations of faculty that derive from their employment by the State
and the College. These include:

3.1. Adherence to all policies and procedures of the College as well as public laws, administrative rules, or
other official regulations and directives.
3.2. Adherence to all obligations and procedures outlined in the Master Agreement and all locally
negotiated agreements.
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3.3. Regular attendance and performance of one's professional responsibilities to the College and consistent
with guidelines issued by one's supervisor.
3.4. Provided reasonable notice has been given, timely responses to all official communications and
requests for information including the provision to the Program Director and Dean of the School of a
syllabus for every course each term, as well as timeliness in the performance of one's responsibilities to
the College and its students.
3.5. Regular availability to students, colleagues, and staff.

4.00 EVALUATION OF FACULTY

4.1 It is the policy of the College to evaluate regularly the performance of all faculty, including library
faculty and those who have been granted tenure. The purposes of such evaluation are I) to provide
probationary faculty with a clear statement of College, School, and Program expectations of
performance; 2) to provide all faculty with timely information regarding the extent to which they are
meeting these expectations of performance; 3) to identify aspects of a faculty member's performance
that may need improvement in order to meet or continue to meet College expectations; 4) to provide a
foundation for discussions of performance issues between the faculty member and the Dean or other
direct supervisor, as well as his/her peers; and 5) to determine whether a faculty member should be
reappointed, tenured, or promoted.
4.2 Adjunct faculty are expected to meet the obligations that derive from employment by the State and the
College listed above, those noted in the Agreement for State Colleges/Universities Adjunct Unit, and
those obligations listed above that focus primarily on teaching, i.e., 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.6, and 2.1.13. 

5.00 COLLEGE STANDARDS FOR FACULTY EVALUATION
The College expects faculty to excel in a variety of ways and to balance teaching, scholarship/creative
activity, and service effectively. Sustained excellence in teaching is a necessary but not in itself a
sufficient condition for tenure or promotion to higher rank. Except in unusual circumstances,
scholarship leading to peer-reviewed publication and/or peer reviewed creative activity is also a
requirement for tenure and promotion to higher rank. Any exception to the expectation will be 
documented in writing. Faculty are also expected to contribute to College, community and/or
professional life through service activities.

5.1 College Standards

5. 1. 1. This section outlines College standards for the evaluation of all faculty and the process whereby
School and Program standards, consistent with the College standards are re-stated in terms
consistent with the character of the different Schools and disciplines.
5.1.2. The College expects all faculty to meet and continue to meet these standards. For probationary
faculty the College will expect consistent evidence of positive development in all areas of
evaluation. Adjunct, part-time, and tenured faculty are expected to sustain an overall pattern of
excellence consistent with their rank and assigned responsibilities.
5.1 .3. The College recognizes that faculty members, either in response to evaluations or in the interest
of continuing vitality, may create individual paths towards excellence in a blend of teaching,
scholarship/creative activity and service that allows them to distinguish themselves. Consistent
accomplishment over time will be evaluated positively, while recognizing that a candidate's
relative contributions to the campus community in terms of teaching/librarianship
scholarly/creative/professional activity and service normally will vary over time. Therefore,
short periods of relatively less activity in one area should be complemented by greater activity
in the others, producing balance and a consistently high level of accomplishment overall. 

6.00 Elaboration of College Standards for Instructional Technology Faculty

6.1 Teaching

6.1.1 Educating students, both inside and outside the classroom, studio, or laboratory is the College's
primary purpose. Therefore, performance in teaching carries the greatest weight in the
evaluation of faculty. All aspects of teaching, including preceptorial teaching, will be evaluated
in order to gain a clear understanding of each faculty member's performance.
Elaboration: The program's primary purpose is to provide students with knowledge and skills to
improve human performance in K -12 schools and cmporate/public settings by demonstrating
exemplary training and practices. Performance in aspects of teaching carries strong weight in
the evaluation of faculty. Aspects of teaching include instruction in formal classes, facilitation
of learning in multiple environments including the workplace, and fostering student engagement
in communities of practice, as part of formal credit bearing coursework. 

6.1.2 In broad terms excellence in teaching is characterized by:

6.1.2.1 A thorough and current command of the subject matter, teaching techniques and
methodologies of the disciplines one teaches.
Elaboration: A thorough command of the current subject matter and of pedagogically sound
techniques and methodologies recognized as appropriate within the field and its
disciplines.
6.1.2.2 Sound course design and delivery in all teaching assignments- whether program or
General Studies, introductory or advanced offerings- as evident in clear learning
goals and expectations, content reflecting the best available scholarship or artistic
practices, and teaching techniques aimed at student learning.
6.1.2.3. The ability to organize course material and to communicate this information effectively.
The development of a comprehensive syllabus for each course taught, including expectations, grading and attendance policies, and the timely provision of copies to
students.
6. 1.2.4 Excellence in teaching also entails respect for students as members of the Stockton
academic community, the effective response to student questions, and the timely
evaluation of and feedback to students. 

6.1.3 Where appropriate, additional measures of teaching excellence are:

6.1.3.1 Ability to use technology in teaching.
6.1.3.2 The capacity to relate the subject matter to other fields of knowledge.
6.1.3.3 Seeking opportunities outside the classroom to enhance student learning of the subject
matter.

Elaboration: For all teaching modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, online and others), performance will be assessed
according to nationally recognized best practices, such as those promoted by the SLOAN-C consortium or other
reputable organizations, identified for the specific modality and audiences. 

6.2 Scholarly and Creative Activity

Elaboration: Guidelines for the minimum requirements for tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate
Professor are 3 peer reviewed publications and 4 presentations at national or international level conferences.
Although candidates should strive to meet these expectations in terms of quantity, the quality of journal or
conference is of great importance as well. Candidates may provide justification for reallocation of these
guidelines as necessary.

6.2.1 The teacher-scholar model recognizes that a serious and continuing commitment to scholarship or
creative activity enriches teaching and is the foundation of sustained excellence within the
classroom.
6.2.2 Publications and creative work in support of reappointment and tenure are those achieved during
the applicant's probationary period. Activity in support of a post-tenure promotion or range
adjustment is that work completed since the most recent promotion or range adjustment.
6.2.3 The College recognizes a wide variety of scholarly vehicles: disciplinmy or interdisciplinary
research, pedagogical research, applied research, integrative scholarship, artistic or creative
activity, grant acquisition. Scholarly or creative activities may take many forms and use
different vehicles to communicate with the broader academic community.
6.2.3.1 The College recognizes that the time and effort required to complete scholarly or artistic
projects may vary markedly among disciplines and sub- disciplines. Such variance is
addressed in approved School and program standards.
6.2.4 It is always the case that the burden is on the candidate to document the excellence of one's work.
In cases of shared or multiple authorship, clarification of the degree of one's participation is
expected. In cases of conference presentations or proceedings, clarification should be provided
with regard to the selectivity of the review process. 

Typically, central to judgments regarding scholarly and creative activity are:
6.2.4.1 The capacity to bring scholarly or creative projects to completion.
6.2.4.2 A mix of scholarly activities appropriate to one's appointment, e.g., in some cases scholarly
activity will be primary, in others creative activity.

6.2.4.3 Judgments of the worth and significance of the work by those qualified to make such judgments.
These may include disciplinary peers, professional organizations, ad hoc groups such as
evaluation, judging, or refereeing panels.
6.2.4.4 Documentation of the impact of one's work
• with students
• within the scholarly area
• within higher education generally
• on documented standards of best practices in pedagogy
• in the application of one's work
• as evident in citations of one's work
• on public policy or institutions
• in the artistic/cultural realm
• or in educational settings
6.2.4.5 Just as in the case of traditional scholarship involving the discove•y of new knowledge, when
one's work consists of pedagogical, integrative or applied scholarship, its significance may be
documented by demonstration of clear goals, adequate preparation, appropriate methods,
significant results, effective presentation, and reflective critique. Presentation before peers and
colleagues and advancing the discipline are also expectations of alternate forms of scholarship.
6.2.4.6 The College understands excellence in a variety of scholarly or creative activities to embody the
following: 

6.2.4.6.1 Books should be published by reputable academic or trade presses and reviewed in
appropriate journals.
6.2.4.6.2 Articles, essays, and creative writings should be published in appropriate scholarly
journals, whether print or electronic. Some assessment should be made as to the quality
of the journal in which the piece appears; in particular, its scholarly reputation and
whether or not the journal or proceedings are peer reviewed.
6.2.4.6.3 Scholarly and creative activity that involves students as co-presenters, co-participants,
or co-authors.
6.2.4.6.4 A presentation should be evaluated on the quality of its content and on the prestige of
the meeting where it was delivered. Qualitative judgments are best made when copies
of presentations are made available. National and regional meetings should rank higher
than local meetings in most instances. Scholarly presentations should be ranked more
highly than non-scholarly ones. Competitive selections as well as presentations
receiving discipliiJaiY acknowledgement for excellence should be noted. In most
disciplines a record of scholarship based on presentations alone will not be evaluated as
highly as one including refereed publications.
6.2.4.6.5 Work in the arts may be evaluated by a number of different measures: assessment of
its quality by peers or professional critics; the reputation of the gallery, museum, or
other artistic venue where it is shown or presented; the respect afforded the organization
for which it is performed or under contract; or some other measure of its success or
impact (e.g. royalties, awards, or impact on public debate or on other artists).
6.2.4.6.6 Other forms of scholarly or creative activity that may appear in emerging scholarly or
artistic media may be included as well, provided that comparable standards of peer
review can be applied to them. 

6.2.4.6. 7 Reviews (if submitted as documentation) from appropriate journals may be included.
Where reviews are included in a file as evidence of the worth of scholarly or artistic
work, attention should be given to the professional credentials of the reviewer and the
reputation of the journal or publication.
6.2.4.6.8 Professional activities undertaken as a practitioner or consultant are considered
scholarly activity when they go beyond the routine application of knowledge to the
creation of new knowledge and the development of new standards for practice. Such
qualities distinguish between scholarship and professional service. Those making the
judgments regarding the standards for applied research necessarily involve more than
clients and include academic peers familiar with the area of practice under
consideration.

6.2.4.6.9 In those disciplines with strong expectations of practice to maintain current
competency, appropriate standards for determining the significance of this work will be
developed at the program level and approved through the standard procedure.
6.2.4.6.1 0 Grants or monetary awards that are funded or reviewed as fundable from
governmental or non-governmental organizations are considered examples of
scholarship if those grants and awards are subject to external peer review.
6.2.4.6.11 Faculty engaged in community outreach can make a difference in their communities
and beyond by defining or resolving relevant social problems or issues, by facilitating
organizational development, by improving existing practices or programs, and by
enriching the cultural life of the community. Scholarship may take the form of widely
disseminating the knowledge gained in community-based projects in appropriate
professional venues in order to share its significance with those who do not benefit
directly from the project. 

6.3 College and Community Service

6.3.1 The faculty role includes contributions to the achievement of the College's mission through
effective participation in governance activities including leadership roles at the program,
School, or College-wide levels. These contributions may require the capacity to work
collaboratively with other members of the College community, including activities related to
alumni and the College Foundation.
6.3 .2 Faculty may also contribute in broader arenas such as state or regional organizations or
disciplinary associations. In addition, faculty may contribute to the College's public mission
through service to our community, region, and the State or the Nation.
6.3.3 Normally the College expects probationary faculty to serve the College and community in selected
activities, while faculty who are tenured and/or of senior rank would be expected to have more
substantial records in this area, as demonstrated by achievements in leadership on campus and
to their disciplines and professional organizations.
6.3.4 Evaluation of achievements in this area focuses on the significance of participation, the impact of
service, the scope of responsibilities, and the effectiveness of participation. Clear goals,
adequate preparation and appropriate methods of providing service, significant results of the
service, and reflection on the contribution and its use to improve the quality of future service are
all aspects of documenting achievement in campus and community service. 

6.3.5 Evidence of effectiveness in College or community service may include such items as:

6.3.5.1 One or more instances when one has used one's professional skills or knowledge for the
benefit of the College, or of a non-college group or individual.
Elaboration: Examples include involvement with cohorts; workshops; continuing education
offerings for educational, academic, corporate, governmental environments; volunteer
organizations, and additional communities of practice as well as additional outreach and
recmitment, outside of formal credit-bearing coursework.
6.3.5.2 Contributions to professional organizations that are focused on service or professional
responsibility as opposed to scholarship, research, or artistic/creative work. For
example, an officership or service on a professional board may be more appropriately
listed here, whereas editing a special issue of a journal may be more appropriately listed
under the section on scholarship.
6.3.5.3 General civic or community activities to which one has contributed one's professional
skills or a significant amount of time, talent, energy, and involvement beyond that
which might be expected by the usual citizen or member.