Tenure Track Faculty Performance Expecations

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Preface

The Scope of Professional Life

Performance expectations for the tenured / tenure-track faculty of the Department of English at Coastal Carolina University are based upon a definition of professional life that encompasses teaching and learning; research, scholarship, and creative activity; and service to the profession, the institution, and the community. 

Expectations

A statement of expectations for each performance area constitutes the standards by which the tenured / tenure-track faculty of the Department will be evaluated for the purposes of annual salary adjustment, third- year review, tenure, promotion, and post-tenure review. Annual productivity in each performance area is required for a satisfactory review. The Faculty of the Department endorses excellence as the performance goal in each area and accepts that excellence of achievement in the arts and humanities involves evaluation of quality as well as quantity, in the context of institutional mission. As members of a self-governing profession, the faculty of the Department endorses the concept of peer evaluation, both internal (by peer committees and academic administrators at Coastal Carolina University) and external (by peers within the discipline). Because we as a Department are very broad in our specializations, we call on individual faculty at each major level of evaluation (i.e., third-year evaluation, tenure and promotion evaluation, and post- tenure evaluation) to accurately contextualize their scholarship and disciplinary service so that the relevant committees can fully assess the level of accomplishments and write well-informed letters of support. Providing field-specific contextualization should make clear the significance of individual faculty’s contributions and present valuable detail that can be added into committee letters. The following lists of tiers indicate a spectrum of the relative quality of various scholarly and creative activities as well as professional, university, and community service. Since English is a diverse and dynamic discipline, the lists of tiers undergo regular review by the Department. 

Performance Indicators

Performance indicators are of two kinds: 1) those that denote modes of activity relevant to a performance area and 2) those that provide documentary support of the quantity and quality of activity in a performance area. Neither the number of activities nor the number of supporting documents necessarily indicates a high (or low) quality of performance; instead, faculty should consider a combination of quantitative and qualitative elements when evaluating performance. 

I. Teaching

Statement of Expectations

The successful teacher-scholar in the Department of English will maintain content currency in all courses; employ pedagogical diversity to improve student learning; maintain high performance standards for students; uphold a high standard of professionalism in the preparation of teaching materials and in the mentoring of students; observe institutional regulations regarding class meetings and final examinations; exhibit civility, approachability, and fairness in interactions with students. The Department of English believes that scholarly or creative production is integral to sustaining currency and pedagogical diversity in teaching, especially in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. The relation between teaching and scholarly or creative publications should be symbiotic, and excellence in scholarly or creative publications and activities provides a base for excellence in teaching. 

Activities Performance Indicators:

• Classroom teaching
• Directing graduate thesis or senior theses
• Mentoring of student research or creative project
• Supervising independent studies
• Course and curriculum development
• Student advising
• Participation in teaching seminars and workshops
• Collaborative, team, and interdisciplinary teaching

Documentary Performance Indicators:

• Student evaluations
• Teaching awards and commendations
• Chair and Dean classroom observation and evaluation
• Peer classroom observation and evaluation
• Sample syllabi, assignments, examinations, and other course materials
• Evidence of student learning (e.g. student presentation or publication beyond the classroom; graduate school acceptances; career and public service accomplishments of graduates)
• Evidence of effective use of technology in padagogical practices

II. Scholarly and Creative Activities

Statement of Expectations

The successful teacher-scholar in the Department of English will develop, continuously refine, and diligently pursue a scholarly or creative agenda; submit work in progress for peer review; incorporate scholarly or creative learning into appropriate classroom settings; and bring scholarly or creative projects to successful conclusion as demonstrated by performance, presentation, and publication. Peer review entails scholarly or creative work that has been approved for publication by an editor, an editorial board, or external referee(s). As a Department, we acknowledge the challenges of balancing the requirement to maintain significant scholarly or creative activities with a substantial teaching load, limited support for faculty research commitments, and no reassignment leave for untenured faculty members. With regard to publications, faculty will consider the level of editor, editorial board / masthead, referees, as well as other authors or contributors in determining whether a venue (e.g., press, series, collection, journal, magazine) is prominent or emerging, while also accounting for nuances across specializations and fields (e.g., composition and rhetoric, linguistics, creative writing, literary studies). As the current scholarly and creative publishing environment undergoes dramatic changes, much significant and resonant work is being done in evolving fields and venues, including online arenas; in the current atmosphere of digital accessibility, the influence of such work can reach beyond the domains of more traditional venues. With regard to speeches and presentations, faculty will consider the level of the conference in terms of organizers and participants as either prominent or emerging.

III. Professional, University, and Community Service

Statement of Expectations

The successful teacher-scholar in the Department of English fulfills basic responsibilities of professional and university citizenship and collegiality; participates regularly in the professional activities of his or her discipline; responds to professional and institutional needs as they arise; accepts a fair share of service work on professional, institutional, and/or community levels; seeks opportunities to use special talents and knowledge for the benefit of the profession, the institution, and the wider community; and pursues other opportunities for ongoing professional growth and renewal. 

Tier 1: