3.3.7 Promotion and Tenure Evaluation

Evaluation of Faculty Members as Teachers and Educators 
Criteria for effective teaching are difficult to define. As a minimum an effective teacher should continue to become more proficient in the subject matter and more efficient in achieving the objective of the courses being taught. An effective teacher should be able, especially, to motivate students to do their best and to respond favorably to the teacher's enthusiasm for the subject. 

The concept of educator implies a broad perspective toward higher education that encompasses more than effective teaching. It involves such things as leadership in developing new educational programs, including postgraduate educational programs, attracting graduate Students, developing new laboratory experiments, etc. 

Listed below (with no attempt to suggest any rank order) are types of evidence that may be used to evaluate the performance of a Faculty member as teacher and educator: 

Course and Curriculum Development 

• Development of new courses and laboratory experiences or new approaches to teaching. 

• Extensive work in curriculum revision or teaching methods for the school or department. 

Teaching Skills and Methods 

• Relative performances of students in the candidate sections of multi-section courses. 

• Participation in programs, conferences, or workshops designed to improve teaching skills. 

• Awards or other forms of recognition for outstanding teaching. 

• Systematic Student evaluations, such as exit interviews or other standardized questionnaires. Information such as percentage of Students providing data and a copy of evaluation instructions must be provided. (See Student Opinion of Courses and Instructors below). 

• Demonstrated ability to teach basic courses effectively at the undergraduate and at the graduate level (when appropriate) where such courses are offered in the disciplines. 

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in the classroom environment. 

Generation of Textbooks, Instruction Materials, and Publications on Teaching 

• Publication of books or articles on teaching methods. 

• Publication of new instructional techniques or descriptions of laboratory materials (if not listed under Creative Activities). 

• Publication of textbooks (if not listed under Creative Activities). 

• Effective utilization of audio-visual aids and multi-media where appropriate. 

• Expository articles of broad interest exemplifying command of subject, breadth of perspective, etc. 

Evaluation of Creative Contributions 
While difficult to define precisely, creativity is characterized by the making of original and innovative contributions. The nature of the creative work must be appropriate to the individual's discipline. Moreover, it must be shown that significant creative activity has been performed while at Georgia Tech. To provide objective evaluation of creative activities, external peer review normally is required. The review should be based only on the individual's work and should not include opinions regarding promotion or tenure. A brief description of the reviewer, including positions and title, should be included. In general, the quality of such activities is of more importance than the sheer quantity. In cases where the creative work is a joint effort with others, there must be clear evidence that the individual under consideration has taken a leading role in conducting the work. 

The creative work may be in a variety of forms. The nature of the material offered, and the relative weight assigned to the various types of activity will vary among disciplines. Some examples of creative activities that may be appropriate at this institution are as follows: 

Publications 

• Research papers in scholarly journals, literary publications, and books. 

Unpublished Writings and Creative Work of Limited Circulation 

• Technical reports, engineering and architectural designs, and grant applications. 

• Inventions leading to patents. 

• Presentations at conferences and meetings. 

Creative Educational Contributions 

• Innovative teaching methods, research in instructional techniques, and textbooks. 

Artistic Creations 

• Paintings, sculpture, and music. 

External Recognition of Creative Work 

• Prizes and awards, invited presentations, and consultancies. 

• For promotion to the rank of Associate Professor there should be clear evidence that the person has demonstrated an ability to make original and innovative contributions to a chosen field. 

• For promotion to Professor there should be clear evidence that the person has demonstrated consistent performance in the making of original and innovative contributions that are nationally recognized for their excellence. 

At all levels, the candidate’s creative accomplishments throughout their entire career should be considered and special attention given to those that occurred at Georgia Tech. 

Student Success Activities 

Activities that faculty members perform that contribute to student success encompass a wide spectrum of formal and informal interactions with students. Student success activities most generally relate to teaching, creative and scholarly activities, and service, though faculty should feel free to think more holistically about this category. For the purposes of this evaluation, “students” can include a broad group of learners that are engaged in our academic programs such as participants in life-long learning programs and individuals in training programs such as postdoctoral scholars. 

Examples of some activities that contribute to student success goals are listed below.  

• Involvement in High Impact Practices (HIP) such as first-year experiences, living learning communities, undergraduate research, study abroad, internships, service/community learning, and project-based and capstone courses.  

• Contributions in Learning and Education such as course or curricular design; academic or career advising; recruiting and supporting a diverse student community; and integrating research into student learning. 

• Supportive Student Service Activities such as advising a student organization; serving on student-focused committees; participation in camps and pre-college programs; and, participating in programs for students with historically underserved backgrounds or identities. 

• Research Mentorship such as research, academic, and professional skill development; career guidance; and modeling behavior described in the “Advisor-Advisee Expectations” section of the Georgia Tech catalog.  

• Faculty Professional Development such as accessing resource materials or participating in professional development programs that improve teaching and mentorship of students.  

Faculty members are afforded the discretion to determine the student success activities that they undertake, though faculty members who serve the role as the primary advisor in research must be evaluated on their activities on mentorship in research. More examples are given in the Student Success Activities Guidance document available from the Provost’s office.  

Evaluation of Service Activities 
While Faculty members usually contribute to the Institute primarily through teaching and creative activities, they also may contribute significantly to the development of Georgia Tech through rendering appropriate types of service to the Institute, to the public, and to the professional organizations to which they belong. 

• Professional Education 
  There is a rapidly escalating need for postgraduate professional education opportunities for persons to deepen, broaden, and raise the level of their knowledge and understanding, both in their professional field and in general. For this reason, Faculty participation in professional education activities constitutes a service to the public, to professional fields which seek to serve that public, and to the Institute. 

• Service to the Academic Community 
  Presenting lectures, participating in seminars, developing research proposals with other faculty members, serving on committees, study groups and task forces, and lending one's professional expertise to other faculty members for their benefit. The quality of the member's participation in such activities should be documented. 

• Service to the Institute 
  Significant service to the offices of the Institute, such as Institute Relations and Development, the Alumni Association, the Athletic Board, Education Extension teaching, special student services, recruitment, and similar activities; and serving on various Institute committees. Documentation of these activities should include statements regarding the frequency of meetings, records of attendance, offices held, contributions to special reports, etc. 

• Availability for Service Activities 
  Maintaining regular office hours and expressing willingness to serve whenever opportunities are available. Documentation should include a statement from the Unit Head. 

• Service to the Profession 
  Membership in professional organizations; attendance at professional meetings and conferences, organizing professional meetings, serving as a discussant of papers read by others at professional meetings or being a panel member at such meetings, holding office in professional organizations; contributing consultative, advisory, editorial service in a professional capacity’ and serving as site visitor for accreditation review. Documentation should include appropriate records, awards, or other forms of recognition. 

• Service to the Community 
  Community Service involves a wide range of activities directed toward local, state, or national groups. Examples of such service include: 

  • Lectures, 

  • Panel discussions, 

  • Radio and television appearances, 

  • Membership on advisory boards or civic committees, 

  • Involvement in community, charitable organizations, or the government, 

  • Involvement in youth and citizen recreation programs, and 

  • Advising students or judging the entries at science fairs. 

Appropriate documentation of service activities should be included. For persons being considered for promotion to Associate Professor, the rendering of service in any of these categories is appropriate. For persons being considered for promotion to the rank of Professor, participation in service activities is required, and some form of leadership activity is expected. 

Student Opinion of Courses and Instructors 
To provide instructors with information about Student opinions of their teaching and courses, the Institute has developed the Course/Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS). Provision is also made for written comments from the students. 

The surveys are conducted on-line, and instructors may access the results for their courses on-line. 

Unit Heads receive the responses to the Institute core items, and any optional questions from the respective units; however, they receive neither the responses to any additional optional items the instructors may have elected to include, nor the written comments. Students have access to the responses to the core Institute questions if the response rate is over a threshold requirement. 

The results of the CIOS serve as one (1) component of an overall assessment system for documenting teaching proficiency. The survey, processed in the Office of Academic Effectiveness, is administered in each School or College on a systematic basis at the end of each term. CIOS scores themselves cannot be used to justify a 1 or 2 rating for Teaching on the Likert scale; another independent measure must be provided.