Evaluation of Faculty Performance
Faculty members at Winthrop University participate in a variety of performance evaluation activities that are formative and summative in scope. The university’s review systems are designed to evaluate faculty performance based on roles and rank expectations.
This policy applies to faculty.
| Policy Number: | 2.2.10 |
| Effective Date: | 12/01/2020 |
| Date Reviewed: | 11/18/2020 |
| Last Review Date: | 04/15/2021 |
| Responsible Official: | Chief Academic Officer |
| Responsible Office: | Office of the Provost |
| Contact Information: |
115 Tillman Hall Rock Hill, SC 29733 803/323-2220 provostsoffice@winthrop.edu |
1.0 Specific meanings of bold terms seen throughout this policy can be found within the University's policy definition glossary by following the link below.
Faculty members at Winthrop University participate in a variety of performance evaluation activities that are formative and summative in scope. The University’s performance review system includes the following activities for full-time and part-time (adjunct) faculty members outlined below. For all faculty, peer observations are encouraged but not required by university-level policy. Peer observations may be required at the college- or department-level.
Full-time tenured faculty members are evaluated by: (a) faculty annual reporting with department chair and dean evaluation in the four categories of Student Intellectual Development, Scholarly Activity, Professional Stewardship, and Academic Responsibility; (b) department chair or designee observation of instruction (at a minimum, once per post-tenure review cycle or more frequently if concerns exist); (c) online course observations, as applicable; (d) anonymous student evaluation of all courses with sufficient enrollments taught by the faculty member, if applicable; (e) tenure and post-tenure reviews; (f) reviews for promotion to associate or professor ranks.
Department chairs are evaluated by: (a) faculty annual reporting with dean evaluation in the four categories of Student Intellectual Development, Scholarly Activity, Professional Stewardship, and Academic Responsibility; (b) performance review by the dean in satisfying chair responsibilities; (c) anonymous department faculty survey data on chair performance; (d) online course observations, as applicable; (e) anonymous student evaluation of all courses with sufficient enrollments taught by the chair, if applicable; (f) post-tenure reviews; (g) reviews for promotion.
Full-time tenure-track, probationary faculty members are evaluated by: (a) faculty annual reporting with department chair and dean evaluation in the four categories of Student Intellectual Development, Scholarly Activity, Professional Stewardship, and Academic Responsibility; (b) department chair or designee observations of instruction (at a minimum, once a year until tenured; more frequently if concerns exist); (c) online course observations, as applicable; (d) anonymous student evaluation of all courses with sufficient enrollments taught by the faculty member, if applicable; (e) pre-tenure review (usually in the third year).
Full-time non-tenure track faculty members are evaluated by: (a) faculty annual reporting with department chair and dean evaluation in the categories of Student Intellectual Development and Academic Responsibility with the option of reporting in the categories Scholarly Activity and Professional Stewardship, as appropriate to the position; (b) department chair or designee observations of instruction (at a minimum, once a year for the first six years, then once every three years; more frequently if concerns exist); (c) online course observations, as applicable; (d) anonymous student evaluation of all courses with sufficient enrollments taught by the faculty member, if applicable.
Part-time/adjunct faculty members are evaluated by: (a) faculty annual reporting with department chair and dean evaluation in the categories of Student Intellectual Development and Academic Responsibility and with the option of reporting in the categories of Scholarly Activity and Professional Stewardship; (b) department chair or designee observations or mid-term student surveys of instruction (at a minimum, once a year for the first three years, then once every three years; more frequently if concerns exist) (c) online course observations, as applicable; (d) anonymous student evaluation of all courses with sufficient enrollments taught by the faculty member, if applicable.
Additionally, department chairs and deans may discuss with faculty members any concerns that arise from student complaints or from formal or informal assessments of faculty performance related to job responsibilities to provide formative feedback for improved performance. Faculty job responsibilities and related guidelines are outlined in the University’s Faculty Roles Document, the University Faculty Manual, and college faculty manuals.
Faculty members at Winthrop University participate in various types of performance evaluation. The criteria and procedures for these evaluations are located in Academic Affairs documents and in college faculty manuals, the links for which are provided in the Guides section of this policy.
Faculty members must submit annual reports using Faculty180 as the basis for annual performance evaluation. The timeframe and deadlines for faculty to submit their annual reports are established by each college. The annual report documents the faculty member’s activities and achievements in the four categories of faculty role for which they are accountable: Student Intellectual Development, Scholarly Activity, Professional Stewardship, and Academic Responsibility. Department chairs review faculty annual reports and provide a written evaluative response that addresses each of the four categories. The department chair then conferences with each faculty member to discuss the previous year’s performance and the faculty member’s goals for the next year. The dean reviews the faculty annual reports and department chair responses and provides written evaluative feedback to the faculty in Faculty 180.
Written feedback is provided to faculty by chairs or designees who observe instruction to support continuous instructional improvement. Peer observations may also occur depending on practices encouraged or required within the college.
The university requires all courses with sufficient enrollments to be evaluated by students and the results shared with the faculty instructors. Department chairs discuss with faculty instructors any concerns that may arise from course evaluation data and help the faculty members develop strategies for improvement.
In addition to the annual evaluation of faculty members, faculty performance is also evaluated for pre-tenure, tenure, post-tenure, and promotion decisions. University and College documents referenced in the guides section of this policy describe tenure and promotion processes and the evaluation criteria based on the four categories of faculty roles. Each of these evaluations requires faculty to submit an electronic portfolio to the respective department chair, and a process and timeline are delineated by Academic Affairs that involves a sequence of review by peer personnel committees within the college and at the university level, and by the department chair, the dean, and the provost. The respective college dean shares results of pre-tenure and post-tenure review processes with the faculty member; the provost communicates results of tenure and promotion decisions.
University wide: https://www.winthrop.edu/academic-affairs/policies-and-procedures.aspx
College Documents
College of Arts and Sciences: https://www.winthrop.edu/cas/faculty.aspx
College of Business Administration: https://www.winthrop.edu/cba/personnel-policies-and-procedures.aspx
Richard W. Riley College of Education: https://www.winthrop.edu/coe/faculty-manuals.aspx
College of Visual and Performing Arts: https://www.winthrop.edu/cvpa/faculty-resources-tenure-and-promotion.aspx
Dacus Library:
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