Categories and Points
The points lists below are fairly comprehensive; however, if you have a situation that falls outside what is represented here, make sure that you describe the project in detail, and see the department chair for assistance.
Note: Points are often provided in ranges. In all of these cases it is up to faculty to make the case in a narrative description that will enable the chair to use appropriate discretion in assigning a point value.
The three categories are
A. Teaching
B. Scholarly/Creative Activity
C. Service
A. Teaching (Percentage 50 to 70)
Teaching-related activities are those impacting primarily on students. As a minimum standard to be rated Satisfactory, the faculty member must carry out classroom teaching assignments, keep regular office hours (approximately 10 hours per week), and fulfill academic advising duties. A rating of Highly Satisfactory in Teaching requires exceptional contributions in more than one of the six categories below. In general, the greater the weight the faculty member assigns to Teaching, the greater the number of categories in which exceptional performance is required to earn a Highly Satisfactory rating.
- Teaching weighted 50% 2 categories of exceptional performance required
- Teaching weighted 60% 3 categories of exceptional performance required
- Teaching weighted 70% 4 categories of exceptional performance required (or 3, plus other outstanding accomplishments)
In a situation where an activity might count either in teaching or another category, it carries more weight in teaching (but you can choose to place it elsewhere). Below are the seven categories covering your performance in the area of teaching. When completing these areas of your Performance Appraisal Report, please explain briefly activities whose substance, scope, and significance may not be clear to those outside the English Department. Please give similar brief explanations for items of variable point value and for items designated "chair discretion." Append corroborating documentation when appropriate.
Dean Olsen's comments:
"Highly Satisfactory faculty in teaching report using teaching assessment documents for all classes, achieve consistently high results, and they also reflect on the results of the evaluations to improve their teaching."
The seven categories covering your performance in the area of teaching include:
- Workload
- Advising/Recruiting
- Course Evaluations
- Student Involvement/Success
- Course Revisions/Curriculum Development/Course Content
- Professional Development (Teaching); Impact on Pedagogy Beyond PSU
- Other
1. Workload: Include such items as course assignments, credit hour production, heavy advisement load, etc.
- each course, 5 points
- each directed study or equivalent, 2 points, plus one point per additional student up to five
- each internship, 1 point up to a maximum of 5
- course preparations over three (not counting directed studies), 2 points
- out of town course, 5 points, plus 2 additional points
- laboratory director, 5 points per semester
- fellowship or grant course offload, 5 points
- program coordinator or director, 5 or 10 points
- course overload, chair discretion
- number of advisees (graduate, departmental, undeclared) 1 per advisee up to 15
- office hours, 10 hours per week, posted
Note: Do not include summer teaching assignments unless you are claiming a new course preparation; these are outside the contract. However, teaching innovations, student evaluation, new preparations, can be included elsewhere in this Report; only workload is not contributed to.
2. Advising/Recruiting: The emphasis is upon quality of advising and recruiting activities rather than quantity, which is considered under workload.
- other registration duties, 1 point per assignment
- special advising innovations, chair discretion
- recruiting trips, chair discretion
- meeting with prospective students, chair discretion
- student recruitment activity: chair discretion
- departmental advisement evaluation forms: use, 1 point; obtain department average or above, 2 points
3. Course Evaluations: Faculty should report course and instructor ratings and student demographic data (the overall averages in each of these three sections: course, instructor, student). The department provides an up-to-date analysis sheet for reading these averages according to course or type of course (supplying the normal range, and median for each of the three categories: course, instructor, student); additional points are allocated according to this data (see below). Optionally, and in addition, the faculty can provide quotations from a range of comments on the comment sheets included in the evaluation.
Moreover, for each course, faculty should compose a brief narrative paragraph responding to the data and comments gathered, summarizing what worked well in the course, what might have gone better, how they resolved any difficulties arising in the course, and what plans they have for improving the course in future.
Note: reflective comments here are not the same as noting revisions to the course, see 5. Course Revisions/Curriculum Development/Course Content.
N.B.: For consideration of a rating higher than Satisfactory, or if faculty member is still probationary, it is expected that Course Evaluation forms and Comments Sheets packets be submitted with your completed Performance Appraisal Report. The contract requires that faculty demonstrate "evidence of teaching effectiveness"; the English department maintains that Course Evaluation forms and Comments Sheets are an effective way to do this.
Departmental Evaluation Forms: Use, 1 point per class (excepting summer classes) plus:
- course above the range, 3 points
- course above the median, 2 points
- course below the median, 1 point
- below range, 0 points
- instructor above the range, 3 points
- instructor above the median, 2 points
- instructor below the median, 1 point
- below range, 0 points
- use other evaluations (for example, WAC, SGA), 1 point per class
4. Student Involvement/Success: Other evidence, besides course evaluations, that the faculty member chooses in order to document effectiveness in teaching. This could include success of students in competitions, or in publishing or presenting, for example, when the faculty member can claim credit for mentoring or preparing the student. Examples of involvement might include: students attending a conference session, for instance. In any case, explain how the student's success is a result of the faculty member's mentoring.
- sole credit, 2 points per instance
- shared credit, 1 point per instance
- special enhancement of student learning opportunities, chair discretion
5. Course Revisions/Curriculum Development/Course Content: The emphasis here is upon contributions to the curriculum and its content that enhance quality or facilitate learning.
- each new course preparation, 2 points (in addition to the 5 points per course counted for workload)
- each significant course revision (including membership, course revision committees), 1 point
- development of new course materials (for example, PowerPoint, web pages, worksheets), 1 to 5 points
- development of new teaching competency, 1 to 5 points
- teaching activities of special distinction or innovation, chair discretion
6. Professional Development (Teaching): Impact on Pedagogy Beyond PSU: Most professional development activities and presentations should be reported under Scholarly Activity. However, those that have an immediate or direct impact on pedagogy, teaching or content may be considered here. Evidence of impact must be specific and documented. Activities that impact beyond the boundaries of PSU may be considered here. Examples: a new approach to teaching language that is adopted by a significant number of schools across the state; a text that is widely accepted and successfully tested by other institutions, etc.
- attendance at teaching-related workshops or meetings, 1 to 3 points
- teaching and related grants, 1 to 3 points (NB: in addition to workload)
- evidence of impact of research/scholarly/creative activity on teaching, 1 to 3 points
- evidence of impact on pedagogy beyond PSU, 1 to 3 points
7. Other: Include here any other evidence of teaching effectiveness that does not fit in the above categories, such as campus leadership of an educational program, impact on campus educational programs, and/or advent of new and significant teaching activities.
- team teaching, 1 to 2 points
- guest lecturing, 1 point per class session
- direct master's thesis committee, 2 points
- serve on master's exam or grading committee, 1 point each
- primary or secondary mentor for graduate student under new exam system, 1 point per student
- honors projects supervised, 1 to 2 points
- letters of recommendation or other written for students, 1 point each
- other teaching related committees work, for example, course or program committees, chair discretion
B. Scholarly/Creative Activity (Percentage: 20 to 40)
Scholarly/Creative activities are those impacting primarily on other professionals in the discipline.
As a minimum standard to be rated Satisfactory, the faculty member must show evidence:
- Of submitting two scholarly/creative works for publication or presentation, or
- Of having one scholarly/creative work accepted for publication or presentation, or
- Of publishing or presenting one scholarly/creative work, or
- Of accumulating no less than fifteen points in scholarly/creative activities other than those specified above.
Publications/presentations must be state, regional, or national, rather than local.
In most cases, where there is such a choice between citing an activity in Scholarship or Teaching, faculty should cite the item under Teaching, which is the primary focus of the institution and accordingly carries the greatest weight in performance appraisal. Analyzing specific sessions from conferences etc. is a way to argue both teaching and scholarly relevance, to share points values across categories as appropriate.
Dean Olsen comments: "Highly Satisfactory faculty reports in this category reflect an agenda, an "overall larger plan," (see last item of General Comments for elaboration on this phrase) as well as reporting outstanding yearly activities/accomplishments. "
Note: For multiple submissions of any items in the same category below, the total is not to exceed "accepted" points.
1a. Publications:
- scholarly book, submitted, 5 points; accepted, 10 to15 points; published, highly satisfactory; second year, satisfactory
- creative book, submitted, 5 points; accepted, 10 to 15 points; published, highly satisfactory; second year, satisfactory
- text book, submitted, 5 points; accepted, 10 to 15 points; published, highly satisfactory; second year, satisfactory
- textbook ancillaries, published, 5 to 15 points each
- creative chapbooks, submitted, 3 points; accepted, 5 points; published 15 to 25 points
- journal article, submitted, 3 points; accepted, 5 points; published, 5 to 15 points
- poem, submitted, 1 point; accepted, 2 points; published, 3 to 7 points
- story, submitted, 3 point; accepted, 5 points; published, 5 to 15 points
- article/other in anthology, submitted 3 points, accepted 5 points, published 5 to 15 points
- chapter in edited book, submitted 3 points, accepted 5 points, published 5 to 15 points
- book review, accepted/invited, 1 point; published, 2 points per book reviewed
- play script accepted, 3 points; produced, 5 to 15 points
- submission of work to a contest, 1 point; contest place winner, 2 to 5 points
- reprints, 2 points for publication, 1 point for recognition
1b. Conference Papers/Presentations:
- paper, national meeting submitted, 3 points; accepted, 5 points; delivered, 7 points
- paper, regional/state meeting submitted, 2 points; accepted, 4 points; delivered, 6 points
- paper from conference published in the Proceedings 1 to 10 points (indicate whether abstract only, full-length paper, competitive selection, etc)
- program/panel, national meeting, proposed, 2 points, accepted 4 points; presented 6
- program/panel, regional/state meeting, proposed, 1 point; accepted, 3 points; presented, 5 points
- programs/papers/speeches/readings at local meetings, 1 point
2. Performances/Exhibits/Creative Endeavors:
- speech/reading at another college/university, 5 points
- speeches/readings at local meetings, 1 point
3. Scholarly/Professional Development:
- degree work, 1 to 10 points
- development of new research competency, 1 to 5 points
4. Conferences Attended:
- workshops, meetings, conferences attended, 1 to 3 points each
5. Grants Written/Reviewed:
- grant proposals submitted, 1 to 3 points
- individual grant received, 5 to 20 points
- grant reviewed, 1 to 3 points
- other grant, 5 points
6. Other:
- editor of professional journal, 15 to 25 points
- web pages (scholarly)
- genre editor, professional journal, 5 to 15 points
- editorial board member (journal), sitting, 3 to 5 points; reading, 5 to 10 points
- editorial work outside the discipline, 1 to 5 points
- manuscript reader for publisher, 1 to 5 points per manuscript
- work in?progress (evidence required), 1 point
- publications (scholarly) outside the discipline, 1 to 10 points
- evidence of official recognition, 1 point
- other activities, chair discretion based on prestige and/or work load
C. Service (Percentage 10 to 30)
Service activities are those impacting primarily on the university, the profession, the community.
As a minimum standard to be rated Satisfactory, the faculty member must support the department through work on committees, work with student organizations, and participation in departmental events, programs, and other activities, and must accumulate a total of no less than fifteen points in service activities in at least two of four areas: department, university, profession, and community.
Dean Olsen comments that "Highly Satisfactory faculty in service are involved across the board: University, Department, Professional, Community. Credit is given for all service activity, but highest value is placed on activities in which the faculty member uses professional skills/knowledge."
For point ranges, faculty must specify light, medium, or heavy workload.
1. University:
- chair, university committee, 5 to 10 points; member, 3 to 5 points
- member, faculty senate, 3 to 5 points
- chair, college committee, 3 to 5 points; member, 1 to 3 points
2. Department:
- chair, departmental committee, 1 to 3 points; member, 1 to 3 points
- chair, search committee, 7 points; member, 4 points
- workshop organizer/conductor, 5 to 10 points
- participation in departmental activity 1 to 3 points
- attendance at departmental events, 1 point each
- sponsor, student organization/activity, 1 to 5 points each (specify workload)
- providing development opportunities for other faculty: chair discretion
- raising funds for department programs, activities, scholarships: chair discretion
- qualitative evaluation of special service activities: chair discretion
- special ad hoc duties: chair discretion
- other activities: chair discretion
3. Professional:
- chair, national committee, 10 points; member, 3 points
- chair, state committee, 5 points; member, 1 point
- officer, regional/national level, 10 points; state level, 7 points
- member, professional association, 1 point each
- in service training provider, 3 points/session
- other activities, chair discretion
4. Community: (local, regional, state, national)
- publications (non-scholarly) outside the discipline, 1 to 25 points
- editorial work (non-scholarly) outside the discipline, 1 to 10 points
- consulting activities, 2 points/visit
- other community activity: membership 1 point, activity 2 points, office holder 3 points
