Objectives

The purpose of the evaluation process is to provide faculty with opportunities to share successes in teaching, research, university service, and community service with the administration and for the administrators to provide feedback on faculty performance.  Faculty evaluations are used for decisions on retention. Promotion decisions fall under a separate evaluation process (see Policy on Appointment, Retention, and Promotion in the AUA Faculty Handbook).

For the purposes of the evaluation, the definition of faculty includes all instructors with teaching appointments in the academic programs but does not include the six Deans of the academic programs.

Timeline

Evaluations will be performed annually for faculty with appointments of one or more academic years.  Annual evaluations will be performed within one month of the end of the academic year or contract, whichever comes first.  Visiting faculty with part-time appointments of less than one academic year will be evaluated at the end of each contract.

Procedures

Faculty provide a report on accomplishments to the Dean. Faculty falling under the requirements of annual evaluations use Form A (see attached).  Visiting faculty with one or two quarter appointments use Form B (see attached).  Deans may elect to waive the evaluation requirement for distinguished short-term visiting faculty.  In such cases, Deans request written comments from the faculty member regarding his/her experiences while at AU A.

The following criteria apply to faculty, as stated in the AUA Policy on Appointment, Retention, and Promotion (see Faculty Handbook).

(a) A primary consideration for academic appointment and advancement is creative scholarship, defined as the substantive contribution of new knowledge or significant new applications of knowledge.  New knowledge can be useful and can influence the thought or work of others only if it is communicated or demonstrated in a form that can be passed on to peers in a given field of study, particularly in written form.  A given number of published communications is not by itself sufficient; the essence of creative scholarship is significant and quality as assessed by peer judgment.

(b) A second criterion is excellence in teaching, whether in the lecture hall, at a seminar, at the laborato1y bench, or in the field. Excellence in teaching connotes an objective, current, accurate, and balanced command of the field being taught, effectiveness in communicating its essence, and the willingness to interact and exchange views with students at the highest levels of intellectual integrity.  Promotion committees may seek and evaluate the advice of students, graduates, and peers on the teaching ability of specific faculty members.

(c) A third set of criteria is (1) active and effective participation in various administrative,  advisory,  and  other  responsibilities  in  the  university  and  (2) excellence in discharging professional service responsibilities in the community, to professional and other organizations, and lo the international community, as well as the faculty member's national and international reputation as a professional and scholar.

The Dean makes an independent written evaluation of the faculty member based on the report on accomplislm1ents, course evaluations, and other observations of the faculty member.   The evaluation is part of Forms A and B.  For annual evaluations, and after discussion with the faculty member, the Dean's evaluation may include recommendations for improvement. The Dean works with the faculty member to develop objectives for the following year.

In order to ensure fairness, faculty members see the written evaluation of the Dean, and the faculty member may respond in writing and this response is included as part of the evaluation. Responses must be made within one week of receipt of the Dean's evaluation.

The evaluation is forwarded to the AUA Provost/Vice President after being signed by both the faculty member and the Dean.  Evaluations are placed in the faculty member's personnel file. The AUA President makes the final decision on retention of faculty (see Policy on Appointment, Retention, and Promotion in the AUA Faculty Handbook).

English La n g u age Competency

The Dean includes in the evaluations the effectiveness i n communication of faculty who are not native speakers of English, unless the faculty member has a graduate degree from a university teaching in English i n a native English-speaking country.  Should student evaluations or other indicators suggest that the faculty member's English language communication is not effective, the Dean works with the faculty member to develop a plan for improving the faculty member's skills in English language communication.