Evaluation System

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So that personnel decisions may be systematic and equitable, a process for evaluating teaching faculty has been developed. This system provides for the periodic collection of information regarding faculty performance based on the University Criteria for Evaluation of Teaching Faculty in the areas of teaching, contributions to the life of the University, and professional activity for the rank held, and for the subsequent review and evaluation of this information. On the basis of these materials, decisions concerning employment, retention, salary, tenure, and promotion are made. The process provides for multiple evaluations to give a broad and fair base of information for evaluation. It is not necessary that all evaluations be completed, but that the evaluation be comprehensive and substantive.

S24D

Some processes include evaluation by a Senior Faculty Review Committee. The following defines the membership and duties of that group:

• “Senior faculty” are full-time teaching faculty who hold the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.
• A committee will consist of a minimum of three senior faculty members (as defined above) from one’s department, when possible; appointed by the Dean, in consultation with the Chair.
• Where there are an insufficient number of senior faculty members in a department, senior faculty from other departments will be appointed by the Dean, in consultation with the Chair.
• A Chair may serve as a senior faculty member on the review committee of another department within a school/division. However, a Department Chair may not serve on her or his department’s review committee.
• Appointments to the senior faculty review committee will be for one year on an as-needed basis.
• Senior faculty review committees evaluate the teaching, service, and professional activity of candidates as is appropriate for renewal of their appointment. The committee prepares a written recommendation summarizing the conclusions of the committee and submits it to the Dean by January 30.

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Unit I

Each faculty member will write a summary and review of his/her activities and accomplishments during the previous 12 months and submit it to the Chair by December 31 for inclusion into the faculty personnel file which can be accessed by the Dean and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Information in the Teaching Faculty Member’s Annual Self-Review will be used by the Chair, Dean, and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in personnel decisions, including decisions on salary and merit. Information will also be available to members of the Promotions and Tenure Committee for their personnel deliberations.

The Teaching Faculty Member’s Annual Self-Review should be guided by the Criteria for Evaluation of Teaching Faculty that relate to the faculty member’s appointment type. Faculty members are encouraged to be clear and concise in their self-evaluation statements, and critical self-assessment should be goal-driven and evidence-based.

More than a listing of activities, the Teaching Faculty Member’s Annual Self-Review should build a narrative showing how accomplishments relate to the faculty member’s professional plans and goals. Materials that may accompany this narrative include letters of commendation, reprints of articles, descriptions of new courses, comments from the Students Perception of Teaching or Students Evaluation of Teaching, etc.

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Unit III

Each teaching faculty member is reviewed annually by the Department Chair (Unit III), whose evaluation reflects material included in the Teaching Faculty Member’s Annual Self-Review (Unit I) and the Student Perceptions of Teaching. The Dean will indicate that he or she has reviewed all Unit IIIs by signing the Unit III report that is placed in the faculty member’s personnel file. The Dean will complete the Unit III for Department Chairs in his or her college/school.

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Unit V

This review occurs during the second year for teaching faculty on continuing track or lecture track and for those appointed to tenure track when the probationary review is scheduled for the fourth year of appointment. The faculty member’s performance is thoroughly evaluated by the Dean in consultation with the faculty member’s Department Chair, following the probationary midpoint review – Midpoint Unit III. This review may include input from one or more classroom observations, annual evaluation material, probationary midpoint review – Midpoint Unit III, and a conference between the faculty member and the Dean. Results are forwarded from the Dean to the faculty member and also are placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.

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Unit V

This review occurs during the third year for teaching faculty appointed to tenure track when the probationary review is scheduled beyond the fourth year of appointment. The faculty member's performance is thoroughly evaluated by the Dean in consultation with the faculty member’s Department Chair following the probationary midpoint review – Midpoint Unit III. This review may include input from one or more classroom observations, annual evaluation material, probationary midpoint review – Midpoint Unit III, and a conference between the faculty member and the Dean. Results are forwarded from the Dean to the faculty member and also are placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.

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Unit III

This review occurs during the halfway-point year between the date of hire and the final year of the agreed upon probationary period. The faculty member’s performance since his or her date of hire is evaluated by the Chair. This probationary midpoint review will serve as the Midpoint Unit III. This review will detail with rationale the faculty member’s strengths and weaknesses based on the University expectations of faculty in the areas of teaching, contributions to the life of the University, and professional activity for the rank held.

Faculty members who have a joint appointment or have significant responsibility in two or more departments or programs (for example, a math faculty member teaching in education) should have the Chair/Director from the secondary department or program submit an addendum to the Midpoint Unit III.

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This review occurs during the fourth year for teaching faculty on continuing track or lecture track appointments. The decision to grant a renewal of their appointment rests with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Results are forwarded from the Dean to the candidate and also are placed in the candidate’s personnel file.

Those candidates not offered a renewal of their continuing track or lecture track appointment may be given an additional year of employment.

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This review occurs during the final year of the agreed upon probationary period (four, five, or six years) for all teaching faculty on tenure track appointments. Upon successful completion of this review, with the recommendation of the President and approval of the Board of Trustees, tenure  will be awarded. The review is outlined below in the Schedule of Activities for Evaluation of Teaching Faculty. The applicant is responsible for meeting the guidelines in place at the year of application.

Those applicants not awarded tenure may be given an additional year of employment.

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This review occurs no earlier than the first year in which a faculty member is eligible to stand for promotions appropriate to appointment. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify an eligible faculty member in the summer prior to the academic year in which he or she is first eligible for promotion. The faculty member must submit a formal letter of application to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs indicating his or her desire to be reviewed for promotion.

Faculty members who choose not to stand for review in a given year will continue to be eligible in subsequent years. No further notification shall be sent to these faculty members. The faculty member must submit formal application in any subsequent year he or she wishes to be reviewed. The applicant is responsible for meeting the guidelines in place at the year of application.

Those teaching faculty not recommended for promotion should confer with their Dean to understand the rationale for the recommendation. Faculty members who are denied promotion in a given year will continue to be eligible in subsequent years. These faculty members must wait at least one additional academic year following the academic year during which they applied before reapplying for promotion. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the faculty member of eligibility to reapply in the summer prior to regained eligibility.

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Unit III

This review occurs in the spring of the third year past successful tenure review for tenure track or past successful promotion review for continuing track faculty. The faculty member’s performance since past successful tenure review for tenure track or past successful promotion is evaluated by the Chair. This review shall detail with rationale the faculty member’s strengths and weaknesses in accordance with the provisions as set out in the Probationary Review. If the faculty member is the Department Chair, the evaluation letter will be written by a senior member of the department appointed by the Dean.

S22A

This review occurs in the fourth year after successful completion of probationary review and every four years thereafter, or until one is promoted to Professor or Senior Lecturer, at which time this review is done in the year immediately following promotion and every five years thereafter. The review should produce a professional development plan and a Unit V by the Dean for each faculty member. These will be placed in the personnel file, and the professional development plan will be updated annually in the faculty member's annual self-review (Unit I).

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• Full-time teaching faculty at Elon University are evaluated annually according to the criteria listed below and by the guidelines found in the Statement of Professional Standards.
• Teaching is given top priority. The second level of priority is contributions to the life of the University and professional activity. All criteria for evaluation are considered.
• A teaching faculty member is not expected to be accomplished in all indicators to fully meet the criterion. The list of indicators under each criterion is not intended to be a set of requirements, nor is the list exhaustive.

For annual (Unit I and III) and midpoint (Midpoint Unit III, Post-Probationary Unit III, and Unit V) evaluations, and post-probationary Long Range Professional Development Review, a teaching faculty member is evaluated according to the expectations of rank currently held in addition to the criterion listed below. Teaching faculty members are expected to have met the standards of the promotional rank sought before they apply for promotion in rank.

S32D

Effective teaching is activity which promotes the intellectual vitality of the University and the wider community. While the primary focus of this activity is transmission of knowledge and the development of new skills, insights, and sensitivities within the classroom, teaching is not limited to that setting. It also includes the advising, supervising, and mentoring of students; the sharing of personal and professional growth with others; and the presentation of intellectual and moral concerns within the University community. Evidence of effective, high quality teaching may be seen through peer and student assessments related to a variety of possible indicators, as well as goal-driven, evidence-based critical self-assessment. Some indications of effective teaching are given below, and more information can be found in the 2022 Final Report of the High Quality Teaching Working Group:

• Fostering respect for diversity
• Facilitating intellectual opportunities for students
• Integrating scholarship and teaching
• Conveying the foundation of established knowledge and theory
• Creating class environments of mutual respect
• Challenging students to be engaged learners
• Cultivating informed critical thinking and creative expression
• Integrating knowledge across disciplines
• Extending learning beyond the classroom
• Encouraging translation of knowledge into practice and service
• Demonstrating an ability to communicate effectively with students
• Being available to students
• Demonstrating command of the subject matter
• Demonstrating a commitment to improvement of teaching
• Using appropriate and varied methods and strategies of teaching, assessing, and grading
• Using current and relevant materials that enhance our understanding of the world
• Being concerned for the wholeness and wellbeing of students
• Using technology to meet course objectives

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Faculty must contribute meaningful, high-quality accomplishments in both service and professional activity, although an individual’s accomplishments may be stronger in one area than the other. Levels of activity may vary over the course of a faculty member’s career, relative to reassigned time, funding, and other opportunities and responsibilities.

For further description of the types of and characteristics of peer-reviewed scholarship of high quality in various disciplines, see each department's scholarship statement.

Faculty members are an integral part of the University through their commitment to the institution and its mission, their presence and involvement, and their responsibility for the life of the university. Contributions to the life of the University at the Lecturer and Assistant Professor ranks typically begin with service on the program and departmental levels that progress to service on the college/school and university levels with experience. Service should include leadership roles as a faculty member progresses through faculty ranks. Participating in activities such as department meetings, faculty meetings, convocations and commencements is expected of all faculty members and is not considered service. University service includes activities such as:

• Service and leadership in the department, to academic programs, and to the college/school
• Service and leadership on University committees, task forces, and advisory groups
• Mentoring and leadership provided to student organizations
• Presentations and participation in activities that serve the University such as admissions, development, and alumni events
• Service and leadership that connect the University to the wider community

Peer-reviewed scholarship of high quality, as defined in a document generated by the department and approved by a special ad hoc committee consisting of the Deans and a representative body of the teaching faculty to be appointed by Academic Council’s Committee on Committees, is a necessary but not sufficient condition for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor or Professor.

Other professional activities are also expected. These activities should promote the exchange of ideas and acquisition of knowledge that enrich one’s teaching and contribute to the advancement of learning in the profession at large. Indications of scholarly or artistic activity may be:

• Participation in academic presentations, exhibitions and creative performances of a professional nature that are not defined as peer-reviewed scholarship
• Grant proposal writing
• Leadership roles in a professional organization related to one’s field
• Research and experimentation, including that which involves undergraduate research associates
• Consulting
• Service as a judge of artistic or scholarly works (e.g., reviewer)
• Faculty internships
• Participation in workshops and seminars
• Professional involvement with the community
• Attendance at professional meetings and conferences

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In the faculty evaluation system at Elon University, teaching is of paramount importance and the undergraduate Student Perceptions of Teaching (Unit IV) is a necessary tool in assessing learning in the classes of teaching faculty and others in the University community who serve a teaching role. This component of the evaluation system is discussed below. However, reflecting the broadening scope of teaching and learning activities at the University, evaluation of faculty members’ overall teaching effectiveness should always be considered in relation to at least one other form of teaching evaluation including teaching portfolios, peer evaluations, and other devices.

Students at the graduate level complete a separate, but similar form, Student Evaluation of Graduate Courses .

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The purpose of the Student Perceptions of Teaching is to assess and record the opinions of students regarding their learning experience in each course. The instrument is separated into three parts. Part one includes 13 Likert-type questions about the course and the instructor, with the option for five instructor-supplied items. Part two asks seven questions related to student effort and demographics. Part three contains two open-ended items for student response, with an optional third item for an instructor-supplied prompt. 

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Unless exception is granted by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, each faculty member will gather student perceptions of teaching/learning for all class sections taught on campus during each semester/term for each academic year. Perception instruments should normally be administered to students prior to the last day of regular classes. The same, or a modified version of the student perception form, may be used for online and study abroad courses. While the Student Perceptions of Teaching is administered every semester, the purposes for which the results are used may vary, as described below.

An overview of scheduling for Student Perceptions of Teaching includes the following: 

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The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs electronically distributes the Student Perceptions of Teaching instrument. Faculty members can request students to fill out the instrument at the time of the faculty members choosing, including class time. If faculty members choose to administer the instrument during class time, they must leave the classroom during the administration of the instrument. Faculty members will administer the instrument for each class in accordance with instructions from the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The instructions include a prepared statement explaining the nature and purpose of the instrument.

Once perception instruments are completed, results will be collected by the Provost’s Office.  

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Data generated by these responses generally include the following:  

• A summary for each class for each faculty member 
• Summative information for all classes for each faculty member 
• Summative data for each department and the University 

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Results from the perception instrument are handled differently depending on the semester/term. Data from the Student Perceptions of Teaching are to be made available to faculty members for all semesters the perception instrument is completed. These data provide information to faculty members and assist in their self-analysis of teaching effectiveness. Data from semesters other than fall, and other semesters/terms where departments, colleges, or schools require it, may be submitted by a faculty member in his/her application for tenure/promotion or other personnel decisions.  

In the fall semester, and in other semesters/terms where departments, colleges, or schools require it, results of the Student Perceptions of Teaching data are to be shared with the faculty member’s Department Chair and Dean.  

Data from the Student Perceptions of Teaching are to be made available to faculty members for all semesters the perception instrument is completed. These data provide information to faculty members and assist in their self-analysis of teaching effectiveness. Data from semesters other than fall, and other semesters/terms where departments, colleges, or schools require it, may be submitted by a faculty member in his/her application for tenure/promotion or other personnel decisions. 

In the fall semester, and in other semesters/terms where departments, colleges, or schools require it, results of the Student Perceptions of Teaching data are to be shared with the faculty member’s Department Chair and Dean. 

In the fall semester, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will receive results of the Student Perceptions of Teaching, and these results will be included in the faculty member’s personnel file. 

In the fall semester, and in other semesters/terms where departments, colleges, or schools require it, these data are to be included by the faculty member into his or her personnel application materials and used for summative or evaluative purposes in decisions of tenure, promotion, and continuance.

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The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs maintains a file for each librarian containing a transcript for the person’s highest academic degree and a current curriculum vitae.  Other documents, including annual evaluations, are kept by the Dean of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library.

The personnel file of each teaching faculty member is maintained in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The faculty personnel file is available to the following people: the individual faculty member, the Department Chair, Dean, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Promotions and Tenure Committee, Senior Faculty Review Committee, and President.

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for collecting and storing the materials that comprise the faculty personnel file. The faculty member is responsible for keeping his or her file updated. The file should be placed in proper form by September 15 of each year.

The faculty personnel file generally includes the following material:

• Current curriculum vitae.
• The Teaching Faculty Member’s Annual Self-Review (Unit I) contains the faculty member’s account and self-assessment of activities and accomplishments during the past calendar year.

• Normally, the annual Report for Teaching Faculty Member will be guided by the Criteria for Evaluation of Teaching Faculty. Faculty members are encouraged to be clear and concise in their self-evaluation statements, and critical self-assessment should be goal-driven and evidence-based.
• Appropriate materials such as letters of commendation, reprints of articles, descriptions of new courses, comments from student evaluation forms, etc., may be submitted with the annual report.
• The annual report should also present an annual plan for professional development. The plan should focus on the upcoming calendar year and relate to a long-range professional development plan, and be directly referenced when assessing progress and development.

• The Department Chair’s Evaluation (Unit III) is kept in each department member’s personnel file. A conference with candidates who are eligible for promotion, tenure, or continuance is required. The Chair will normally observe at least one class session of first year faculty.
• Summaries of Student Perceptions of Teaching (Unit IV) and grade distribution.
• Other relevant materials added by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or faculty member.
• The Dean’s evaluation of the faculty member (Unit V).

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*While the University aims to complete the activity by the target date, depending on circumstances, the completion date may be later.