SP 09-06 - Policy on Lecturer Faculty Evaluation (supersedes SP 08-02)

A. Philosophy

California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is committed to providing high quality, student-centered instructional programs to all constituencies. Excellent faculty members, dedicated to continued intellectual and professional growth, are essential to fulfilling our commitment. All elements and standards of lecturer faculty unit periodic evaluation recognize the University’s Mission, including:

• placing students at the center of the educational experience;
• providing undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches;
• emphasizing experiential and service learning; and graduating students with multicultural and international perspectives.

B. Purpose

1. This document establishes policies for the periodic evaluation of lecturer faculty unit employees.
2. The document takes into the account the need to:

Comply with Board of Trustees policies; the California Administrative Code, Title 5; California Education Code; the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA); and other applicable State and Federal laws.

Be consistent with the terms outlined in the appointment letter issued to the lecturer faculty unit employee by CSUCI.

Be consistent with the mission and established teaching standards at CSUCI.

Provide lecturer faculty unit employees with feedback to improve teaching and student learning.

Provide appropriate administrators with materials to make re-appointment decisions.

C. Definitions

1. A lecturer faculty member is a full-time or part-time unit 3 employee appointed for one or more semesters. Full-time means an appointment totaling fifteen units in a semester, within one program. A person with 2 appointments in 2 different programs that total 15 units has 2 part-time appointments. Part-time means an appointment or appointments totaling less than fifteen units in a semester.
2. A semester or equivalent means an academic semester or a four month appointment.
3. The evaluation period is the period of service specified in the lecturer faculty’s appointment letter.
4. The appropriate administrator is the Dean of Faculty for teaching faculty, the Dean of the Library for librarians, and Vice President for Student Affairs or designee for counselors.
5. The Working Personnel Action File (WPAF), called the Portfolio in this policy, shall be defined as that file specifically generated for use in a given evaluation cycle. That file shall include all required forms and documents, all information specifically provided by the employee being evaluated. It shall also include all faculty and administrative level evaluation recommendations from the current cycle, and all rebuttal statements and responses submitted. (Article 15.8 of the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement). The WPAF materials are incorporated by reference into the PAF. (Article 15.9 of the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement).
6. The Personal Action File (PAF) shall be defined as “the one (1) official personnel file for employment information and information that may be relevant to personnel recommendations or personnel actions regarding a faculty unit employee.” (Article 11.1 of the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement)
7. Throughout this document, the word ‘shall’ indicates mandatory action; the word ‘may’ indicates voluntary action.

D. General

1. At the time of appointment, the Faculty Affairs Office will give to each lecturer faculty a copy of the Policy on Lecturer Faculty Evaluation. The program chair or equivalent will be responsible for giving lecturer faculty whose primary job responsibility is not teaching, or whose job involves responsibilities in addition to teaching, evaluation criteria at the time of appointment.
2. The Faculty Affairs Office will publish a timeline for lecturer faculty evaluation each year, including deadlines for submission of the porfolio and a target date of the end of the 11th week of the semester for completion of lecturer faculty evaluations. Each Spring the Faculty Affairs Office will give to program chairs and their equivalent a list of lecturer faculty appointed in their program areas, including their entitlements (if any).
3. Evaluations must be completed and in the lecturer faculty’s PAF before review of candidates for reappointment for the next academic year.
4. All reviews for reappointment will be based only upon evidence in the lecturer faculty’s PAF, which also incorporates the contents of the WPAF. All written evaluations made in reviews will be placed in the lecturer faculty’s PAF.
5. Any personnel decision with respect to any lecturer faculty will be based on his/her PAF.
6. Only tenured faculty can serve on peer review committees. Probationary faculty may provide peer input, but may not engage in deliberations or make recommendations.
7. Lecturer faculty with appointments in more than one program will be evaluated by each program in which they have an appointment.

E. Full-time lecturer faculty members: Two Stage Written Review (Peer Review Committee and Dean) every second semester

1. Every second semester or equivalent, regardless of a break in service, full-time lecturer faculty will have a periodic review. Full-time lecturer faculty holding a 3-year contract under provision 12.12 of the CBA shall be evaluated at least once during the term of their appointment and may be evaluated more frequently (15.26).
2. There shall be at least one peer observation of teaching from the period being reviewed and student evaluations in the PAF. Peer observers are encouraged to meet with the lecturer faculty member prior to and post-observation.
3. The Portfolio as described in section H below will be submitted by the faculty member under review and will be incorporated by reference into the PAF.
4. The review will be based only upon evidence in the lecturer faculty’s PAF which incorporates the contents of the WPAF. Prior to the beginning of the review process, the chair shall advise lecturer faculty of the potential contents of the WPAF as outlined in H below.
5. The review will have two stages:

Stage one: The first stage of review will be by a committee of tenured faculty appointed according to the program’s by-laws. The program chair, if tenured, may be a member of the committee. A committee will have between 2 and 5 members. The committee, after reviewing the PAF (which incorporates the contents of the WPAF) and each member signing the PAF after review, will provide a written evaluation with reasons for the evaluation, including evidence on which the evaluation is based, of the lecturer faculty being reviewed. A copy of the written evaluation will be given to the lecturer faculty being evaluated. S/he will have ten days to respond and/or request a meeting. Optional: If the program chair is not a member of the committee, s/he, if tenured, may write a separate evaluation. A copy of the written evaluation will be given to the lecturer faculty being evaluated. S/he will have ten days to respond and/or request a meeting.

Stage two: The appropriate administrator, after reviewing and signing the PAF, will provide a written evaluation with reasons for the evaluation, including evidence on which the evaluation is based of the lecturer faculty being reviewed is based. A copy of the written evaluation will be given to the lecturer faculty being evaluated. S/he will have ten days to respond and/or request a meeting.

6. A copy of the evaluations will be put in the lecturer faculty’s PAF.

F. Part-time Lecturer faculty members: One Stage Review every second semester plus an opportunity for peer input from the program or equivalent unit

1. Every second semester or equivalent, regardless of a break in service, part-time lecturer faculty will have a periodic review. The review will be based only upon evidence in the PAF, which will include the contents of the Portfolio for part-time lecturer faculty who choose to prepare one. Otherwise, the review will be based solely on the PAF. The chair, prior to the beginning of the review process, shall advise part-time lecturer faculty that they have the option to create a Portfolio and of its potential contents as outlined in H below. Part-time lecturers should turn in a signed form stating whether they wish their evaluation to be based on materials in their PAF or if they wish to submit a Portfolio. Part-time lecturers wishing to submit a Portfolio should submit materials as identified in H below to their Chair according to the lecturer faculty evaluation schedule. Part-time lecturer faculty holding a 3-year contract under provision 12.12 of the CBA shall be evaluated at least once during the term of their appointment and may be evaluated more frequently (15.26).

2. There shall be at least one peer observation of teaching from the period being reviewed and student evaluations of teaching in the PAF. Peer observers are encouraged to meet with the lecturer faculty member prior to and post-observation.

3. The chair or equivalent, after reviewing the PAF (which includes the contents of the WPAF if one exists) and signing the PAF, will provide a written evaluation with reasons for the evaluation, including evidence on which the evaluation is based of the lecturer faculty being reviewed. A copy of the written evaluation will be given to the lecturer faculty being evaluated. S/he will have ten days to respond and/or request a meeting.

4. A copy of the evaluations will be put in the lecturer faculty’s PAF.

5. Discretionary second stage: The appropriate administrator may at his or her discretion also provide a written evaluation with reasons for the evaluation.

G. One Semester or Less

Lecturer faculty appointed for one semester or less shall be evaluated at the discretion of the program chair or equivalent, or at the discretion of the appropriate administrator. The lecturer faculty may request that an evaluation be performed. When an evaluation is performed, the evaluation process shall follow that described above for part-time lecturer faculty appointed for two semesters.

H. Portfolio (Working Personnel Action File WPAF):

1. The Portfolio is required for all full-time lecturer faculty being evaluated, and optional, at the discretion of the lecturer faculty, for part-time lecturer faculty being evaluated. For part-time lecturer faculty who choose not to prepare a Portfolio, the review will be based on the PAF.

2. For the purposes of the review, the Portfolio for teaching faculty shall include:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Student evaluations
• At least one peer evaluation of teaching from the period being reviewed
• All syllabi for courses taught during the period of review

3. For the purposes of the review, the Portfolio for lecturer faculty whose primary duties are not teaching shall include material relevant to their performance of their job responsibilities.

• Current curriculum vitae
• At least one peer evaluation of performance from the period being reviewed

4. For the purposes of the review, the Portfolio may include:

• Course materials (examinations, assignments, cases, etc.)
• A self-assessment with respect to the duties of the appointment of no more than 500 words.
• Evidence of scholarly and or creative activities and/or service relevant to the duties of the appointment.
• Any other evidence relevant to the duties of the appointment.

I. Evaluations

1. Evaluations must be completed and in the PAF before review of candidates for reappointment for the next academic year.
2. Only tenured faculty can serve on peer review committees. Probationary faculty may provide peer input, but may not engage in deliberations or make recommendations.
3. Lecturer faculty with appointments in more than one program will be evaluated by each program in which they have an appointment.

J. Criteria for Evaluation

1. The principal criterion for the evaluation of lecturer faculty hired to teach courses is teaching effectiveness. Evidence of teaching effectiveness may include:

• Student evaluations
• Peer evaluations of teaching (See appendix A)
• Lecturer faculty’s own statement and self-evaluation
• Currency in field and subject matter competence as measured by advanced degrees, evidence from syllabi, exams, and assignments, and other appropriate elements (which may include professional activities and service)
• Teaching portfolios
• Grading practices
• Teaching awards
• Specialized criteria appropriate to the individual field

2. In most cases lecturer faculty hired to teach do not have scholarship, creative activities or service as part of their job duties, and scholarship, creative activities or service should only be considered if they are directly tied to the lecturer faculty’s currency in the field and subject matter competence with respect to the actual courses being taught.