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EMPLOYEE EVALUATION - FACULTY
MnSCU
Policy 4.9
(Faculty - RCTC Procedure 4.9.1)
(Also
refer to Human Resources website for proper forms)
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
(RCTC PROCEDURE 4.9.1)
MnSCU Board Policy 4.9 will be in effect with the following procedures.
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS:
Part 1. Introduction: The Minnesota State Colleges and University System (MnSCU) requires that all employees be evaluated on an annual basis. Rochester Community and Technical College is committed to continuous improvement and believes that such a performance appraisal will help assure high quality instruction and services for students and will provide for the most productive utilization of public funds.
Evaluation of all employees begins before initial employment. We take pride in employment that results from careful screening and selection of candidates. New employees always meet or exceed minimum qualifications for their position. Together college faculty, staff, and administration prepare and communicate job descriptions to new faculty, orient new faculty members to the college, its philosophy, mission and specific procedures and assist new faculty in beginning their assignments.
Rochester Community and Technical College also encourages faculty to improve their academic backgrounds and job skills by utilizing various staff development funds to participate in staff development meetings at the college, to attend professional meetings, discipline meetings and other conferences, and to apply for sabbatical leaves, as well as to participate in other growth opportunities available to meet the changing demands over the lifetime career of each faculty member. It is the philosophy of Rochester Community and Technical College that each employee should strive to be the very best. The faculty performance appraisal plan is one part of the process to help achieve that goal.
Part 2. Purpose: In establishing a system for the evaluation of professional performance, we have begun with the assumption that RCTC has an excellent staff of qualified instructors, counselors and librarians. We have further assumed that in order for a college or university to function, a free and open atmosphere needs to be maintained. The performance appraisal procedure will not restrict academic rights as defined in the MSCF Contract in any way.
We recognize that because the professional tasks of faculty members are very diverse and complex, no single appraisal method may be effective or even relevant. Thus, our system will offer many options to ensure that an individual plan can be devised. Our specific purpose is to provide a systematic process that faculty can use to analyze their professional performance and discover their strengths in order to enhance both.
COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Rochester Community and Technical College’s commitment to continuous improvement has as its foundation ongoing personal and professional development. The primary outcome of this performance appraisal plan, based upon the continuous improvement approach, is improved teaching and learning effectiveness.
Because RCTC “derives its strength from a faculty” committed to providing quality education, the purpose of the performance appraisal process is to support on-going improvement of instruction through a process that provides for personal options within a standardized framework. Multiple approaches to improving teaching and learning are valued.
Ultimately, a process that allows faculty members to achieve their individual goals within the framework of their job description will benefit the institution, its students and their learning.
ASSUMPTIONS
- Faculty are qualified in their respective fields.
- Faculty desire to perform at a high level.
- Faculty consider successful student learning a priority.
- Feedback from students provides faculty with insights on how their students perceive the course and on how they are learning.
- Faculty value the opportunity for self-reflection and self-directed professional growth.
- Individual faculty members are the most qualified to develop their own goals for improvement and identify methods to achieve those goals.
- It is the institution’s responsibility to assist faculty by providing opportunities and economic support for professional growth.
EXPECTATIONS
- Contractual obligations are met.
- Faculty and administrators work cooperatively to complete the process.
- Peers may participate in the process.
- Students participate in the process.
- The process is completed within a reasonable time frame.
- The process is economically feasible.
- The process is also regularly assessed and modified for future improvement.
- Individual professional development plans align with the department, institution, and system goals and priorities.
Part 3. Appraisal Procedures: Administration will be responsible for notifying the faculty member of the time sequence of the performance appraisal and its general purpose, including distribution of the current appraisal policy. The “evaluation roster” and annual deadlines will be announced by administration during the beginning of the academic year. Full-time, counselor and librarian faculty evaluations will be completed on a time line consistent with the MSCF contract and board policy. Whenever possible, part-time and adjunct faculty will also be evaluated in the same manner. All elements of the performance appraisal plan for probationary faculty will be completed by May 1, thus student evaluations/course observations must be completed during the fall semester to successfully meet this deadline and maintain student confidence that their feedback is not received prior to the end of the semester.
Faculty and administration share responsibility for this appraisal process and will work cooperatively to complete the performance appraisal.
Counselor Faculty Performance Appraisal
Procedures and techniques used in the performance appraisal of counselors shall conform to the ethical guidelines and standards for counselors as set by a recognized professional association such as the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD). The appraiser shall be knowledgeable about the guidelines and standards noted previously and will supply copies of the guidelines to the counselor being appraised along with a menu of items to be used. These will differ from the items used in appraising classroom teachers. Otherwise, appraisal of counselors shall be done in the same way as other teaching faculty members. Slight modifications to the teaching/learning segment of the faculty performance appraisal process form will be required. (See Appendix A and D)
Library Faculty Performance Appraisal
The appraiser will evaluate all library faculty at the same time using student and staff questionnaires, conferences, observations, and examination of materials. Otherwise, appraisal of library faculty shall be done in the same way as other faculty members. Slight modifications to the teaching/learning segment of the teaching faculty performance appraisal process form will be required. (See Appendix A)
Teaching Faculty Performance Appraisal (Unlimited, Adjunct, and Probationary Faculty)
The supervising administrator will be responsible for carrying out the performance appraisal. The deans will put out a list of faculty to undergo the Comprehensive Performance Appraisal by September 15th of each academic year. Faculty, in conjunction with their supervising administrator, will identify the items from the Faculty Evaluation Tool Box that will be used to establish a multi-dimensional assessment of the individual faculty’s work as a professional during the year. The Tool Box is constructed to provide the ultimate flexibility for faculty to showcase themselves in their many unique positions and distinct combinations of teaching/administrative/college wide/community work.
Items that constitute the evaluation process are listed and described below.
1. Meeting with Supervising Administrator - Required
The supervising administrator will schedule a preliminary meeting with the faculty member to discuss the process and procedures to be used during the appraisal process.
(Components of the appraisal process are outlined in the table below.)
Component |
Probationary Faculty |
Unlimited Full Time Faculty |
Adjunct/Part-Time Faculty |
Syllabus Review |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Student Evaluation of Instructors |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Class Observation |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Tool Box |
Select a different one each year and, report on two at the summary meeting for the comprehensive report. |
Select a different one each year and, report on two at the summary meeting for the comprehensive report. |
Select a different one each year and, report on two at the summary meeting for the comprehensive report. |
2. Syllabus Review - Required
The evaluator will review the course syllabus to assess compliance with the college’s requirements. (See Appendix B)
3. Student Evaluations of Instruction – Required
Unlimited full-time faculty will collect student course evaluations from one class per academic year; however faculty may choose to use student evaluations more often for their own purposes. Probationary faculty must select a course from the fall semester to meet the May 1st deadline for the appraisal process. (See appraisal procedures page 2) The student course evaluation will allow the students the opportunity to provide feedback about the teaching/learning experience. Student response will be anonymous. Administration will share with faculty the results of the student feedback that is collected each year. This data will be included in the comprehensive final report of the faculty performance appraisal. However, for the purposes of standardization and consistency the hand-written student comments on these evaluation forms will be delivered to the faculty member only and not used by the supervising administrator for the evaluation process. (See Appendix C)
4. Class Observation – Required for Probationary, Adjunct and Part-Time Faculty
On-site class observations are used to gather information to help assess job performance. If on-site visits are to be used the faculty member may suggest visits to more than one class or more than one visit per class as appropriate to viewing various aspects of the job. Full-time faculty members are encouraged to have peers conduct classroom observations and provide their feedback.
The appraiser will arrange an acceptable time(s) for the on-site visit(s), or for a mutually acceptable substitute (i.e., video tape). It is the responsibility of the appraiser to make the visit as unobtrusive as possible, thereby accomplishing the visit with a minimum of distraction to the students/faculty member. The appraiser will have access to the materials being used during the classroom visit. (See Appendix A)
5. Toolbox – a faculty member must choose three, but report on only two items from the Toolbox.
a. Peer Observation:
An opportunity to have faculty from the same discipline or other disciplines visit and comment upon two-five classes of the same or different classes being taught in the same semester. Peer observations will be recorded on an instrument designed and agreed upon by the observer and the faculty member.
Reporting Method: A brief summary will be supplied as part of the appraisal process. This will be a summary of the discussion between the faculty and the peer observer and will be submitted by the faculty member.
b. Observation of Other Teaching:
Opportunities for faculty to make arrangements to attend other faculty’s classes, labs, etc. Two to five observations, for at least 30 minutes each, constitute the use of this tool.
Reporting Method: A brief summary will be supplied as part of the appraisal process. This will be a summary of what the faculty member took away from the observation session. The summary will be submitted by the faculty member.
c. Self-evaluation:
This would be an opportunity for faculty to comment in paragraph or list form their personal assessment of a.) Their general performance, b.) Their performance vis-à-vis their professional development plan, c.) New goals they meant to have supported independent of the formal IPP or professional development plans. The self-evaluation should be highly individualized and may include activities such as:
- Coursework to be taken
- Readings to be completed
- Conferences/conventions to attend
- Seminars
- Civic involvement
- Volunteer work
- Sabbatical leave/leave-of-absence
- Curriculum studies/development
- Writing/publication
- Travel
- Research/experimentation
- Other work experience
- Exchanges
- Other
Reporting Method: The self-evaluation will be submitted as part of the appraisal process.
d. Outside Evaluation:
An opportunity for faculty with frequent and significant contacts with people and agencies outside RCTC to garner detailed comments that might contribute to a holistic view of the faculty’s performance. Such evaluations will be recorded in a format agreeable to the evaluator and the faculty member.
Reporting Method: The evaluation or a brief summary will be submitted by the faculty member as part of the appraisal process.
e. Zoomerang:
This is a tool that is used for many others on campus, and one that is very informational. Faculty would design an instrument with at least 10 questions that would be sent/administered to an agreed upon number of participants.
Reporting Method: A brief overview of the results will be submitted by the faculty member as part of the appraisal process.
f. Document Collection:
This option, one that has been part of appraisals in the past, includes a collection of different material: a) syllabi from different courses, b) lists or otherwise display of creative works, c) transcripts of graduate activities, credit or non-credit, d) other. The emphasis here might be on the “other” as this provides the greatest flexibility to those who teach or otherwise operate as faculty that are not captured in more traditional ways.
Reporting Method: The documents collected will be submitted as part of the appraisal process.
g. Portfolio:
A fully open opportunity for faculty who are creating an ongoing effort to build a portfolio that advances their professional development.
Reporting Method: The documents collected will be submitted as part of the appraisal process.
h. Other:
This category is open to other approaches, so as not to leave out a very creative approach to the appraisal process.
Reporting Method: This will be determined by the type of evaluation tool that is developed.
Part 4. Appraisal Responsibilities: The faculty member shares the responsibility for his/her professional appraisal and agrees to assist in the following ways:
- The faculty member will submit course syllabi as required in the appraisal process.
- The faculty member will cooperate in scheduling classroom visits (if they are to be used) to make the observation as objective and meaningful as possible for the appraiser. The appraiser shall be afforded the same courtesies as given to the students in the same setting and will be provided with the same materials.
- The faculty member will strive to make the students feel comfortable in their role as appraiser and to make them feel that their contribution is a valid one in helping with the total appraisal process. Care will be exercised in letting students know that their expressed opinions will not jeopardize their success in the course or at the institution.
- Multiple sources of information are required for the process and are jointly determined by faculty members and their supervising administrator.
- The faculty member will submit the appropriate report for the optional tools chosen from the Toolbox prior to their final meeting with the administrator.
Part 5. The Appraisal Report: The faculty member will submit an annual report to the supervisor. (See Appendix E) Upon completion of the Comprehensive Appraisal Report, the supervisor and faculty member will meet to review and discuss the results of the performance appraisal process. (See Appendix F) The appraiser and faculty member will discuss the components of the appraisal process and the implications they may have for improvement. The supervisor will prepare a written Comprehensive Appraisal Report summarizing the results of the performance appraisal process. The faculty member has the option of providing a written summary of the performance appraisal for the personnel file. The final Comprehensive Appraisal Report will be placed in the personnel file and signed by the faculty member and the supervising administrator.
Part 6. Appeal Process: In the event that the faculty member rejects the assessment as being detrimental or without basis, the appraisal shall be appealed to the appraiser’s supervisor. A faculty member has the right to prepare a written response to the original appraisal. This response to the appraisal will be attached to the original appraisal report and placed in the personnel file.
Part 7. Off Cycle Appraisal Procedures: Upon the recommendation of the academic deans, the Vice President of Teaching and Learning can approve an off-cycle appraisal of any faculty about whom there is ample concern for teaching practices. The vice president will also approve or modify the dean’s stated activities to be used in the off-cycle appraisal.
Part 8. Review/Modification of Performance Appraisal Process: Modifications to the faculty performance appraisal procedures will be made through the Faculty Shared Governance processes. Faculty or administration may request review of the procedures at the end of any year; however, there will be an automatic review of the procedures at the conclusion of every third year. An ad hoc joint faculty and administration committee will conduct this review with members appointed by their respective constituencies.
Date of Implementation: Fall Semester, 2008
Date of Adoption: 2/11/02
Revision: 8-2008
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX A
Classroom Observation Form
Course title Observation Number
Observed activities
Yes No
Preliminary observations
___ ___ Instructor arrived on time
___ ___ Class ran for required period of time
A. Learning environment descriptions
___ ___ Student attentiveness
___ ___ Instructor encouragement of participation
___ ___ Instructor interaction with students
___ ___ Ability to present material to maintain student interest
___ ___ Teaching techniques used
___ ___ Quality of classroom environment
___ ___ Extent to which syllabus reflects observed class activity
___ ___ Appropriateness of any AV materials used
___ ___ Relation of class to previous and future classes
B. Knowledge
___ ___ Preparation of instructor for class
___ ___ Depth of knowledge of subject matter
___ ___ Clarity of instructor in discussion of materials and answering questions
C. Summary
Strengths
Suggestions
Instructor response
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX B
Syllabus Review Form
Instructor’s name Date
Course title Syllabus Available ______
The syllabus is an expansion of the common course outline that includes details relevant to the instructor and semester offered. The syllabus must be distributed on the first day of classes to all students registered in the course and filed with the Office of the Vice President of Teaching and Learning.
Required information items included in course syllabus:
Yes No
___ ___ Catalog description
___ ___ Instructor name
___ ___ Semester, year and section number for this offering of the course
___ ___ Common Course Outline elements
___ ___ Recommended entry stills/knowledge
___ ___ Learning outcomes/competencies
___ ___ Minnesota Transfer Curriculum; and/or
___ ___ Other competencies
___ ___ Any required information such as fees, directives on hazardous materials
___ ___ Detailed outline of the specific content to be covered
___ ___ Readings/required textbooks; and/or other required or recommended
readings
___ ___ Specific methods of assessing student learning
___ ___ Calendar of assignments, exams, due dates for papers
___ ___ Instructor’s attendance policy
___ ___ Instructor’s grading policies and evaluation procedures
___ ___ Instructor information (0ffice location, office hours, telephone and contact
information)
___ ___ Statement of academic integrity (classroom behavior and expectations for
original work)
Any items noted as missing above should be included in future course syllabi.
Appraiser
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX C
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX D
Materials Evaluation (Counselor)
Counselor’s name Date
I. Counseling Practice and Procedures
1. Philosophy of counseling
2. Knowledge of ethical and legal practices and procedures
3. Implementation of ethical and legal practices and procedures
4. Knowledge of resources and referrals
5. Appropriate use of resources and referrals
6. Completion of assignments
II. Student Assessment
1. Use of appropriate techniques
2. Use of appropriate assessment instruments
3. Feedback of results to student
4. Establish a plan of action based on assessment results
III. Summary
Strengths
Improvements suggested
Instructor response
Appraiser
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX E
Annual Performance Appraisal Report:
Faculty member’s name Date
The following required elements and toolbox items have been used this year, according to my performance appraisal plan.
1. Required Items
Check all that apply.
____ Syllabus
____ Student Evaluations
____ Class Observation
2. Tool Box Items
Check the one.
____ Peer Observation
____ Observations of other teaching
____ Self-evaluation
____ Outside evaluation
____ Zoomerang
____ Document Collection
____ Portfolio
____ Other
Faculty Member
Dean
FACULTY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
APPENDIX F
Comprehensive Faculty Performance Appraisal Report
The instructional improvement process at Rochester Community and Technical College contains four major components: (1) classroom visits on the part of the evaluator; (2) examination of the tests, syllabi, handouts, etc., that the instructor prepared for classes; (3) students’ evaluations of the instructor, and (4) review of the professional development plan. After these steps have been carefully performed, a post-conference is held. The evaluator reviews the outcome of the evaluation process and discusses with the faculty member the written assessment to be placed in the personnel file. The faculty member has the option of adding a self-assessment to the final evaluation document.
Summary of Evaluation Findings: Rating Scale
5 = High
1 = Poor
NA = Not Applicable
3. Classroom Observations
Instructor appears prepared and organized for class 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Instructor relates current topic to previous class 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Student attentiveness 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Instructor’s interaction and rapport with students 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Use of classroom assessment techniques 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Instructor’s success in getting students interested/involved 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Instructor encourages active learning 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Solicits feedback and addresses questions 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Instructor summarizes class objectives 5 4 3 2 1 NA
Overall quality of classroom presentation 5 4 3 2 1
4. Syllabus Review
Items to be added in the next revised syllabus include:
Yes No
____ ____ Course description
____ ____ Instructor contact information: name, office, office hours, telephone
number
____ ____ Common course outline elements (recommended skills/knowledge,
learning competencies, MnTC, or any information regarding fees,
directives on hazardous materials, etc.)
____ ____ Detailed outline of the specific content to be covered
____ ____ Readings (textbooks/other readings)
____ ____ Specific methods of assessing student learning
____ ____ Calendar of assignments, exams, due dates for assignments, etc.
____ ____ Instructor’s attendance policy
____ ____ Instructor’s grading policies and evaluation procedures
____ ____ Statement of academic integrity
5. Student Evaluations of Instruction
Detailed evaluation results are attached to this report.
6. Tool Box Items
Yes No
____ ____ Peer Observation
____ ____ Observations of other teaching
____ ____ Self-evaluation
____ ____ Outside evaluation
____ ____ Zoomerang
____ ____ Document Collection
____ ____ Portfolio
____ ____ Other
Detailed summary is attached to this report.
Signature of Faculty
Signature of Supervisor
Vice President of Teaching and Learning/Student Development and Services
Cc: Faculty Member, Personnel File
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