Guide to Department Assessment Document(s)

As specified in the case review steps, the department chair / school director completes in document form responses to the following prompts and then uploads a document for the candidate in Interfolio. Download the Department Chair / School Director Document Template (DOCX).

Applicant's Full Name:

Date:

Applicant's Department/School:

Part II Form Completed by:

A. Assessment of the applicant's teaching or librarianship effectiveness and of efforts at improvement reported. Provide evidence on how assessment is determined (cannot be based solely on student evaluations). This assessment should apply the criteria for teaching stated in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, Articles 8-9 as well as in the personnel policies and guidelines of the college and the department. This assessment should address the following issues:

1. the relationship between the candidate’s scholarly research and teaching or librarianship
2. the relationship between departmental teaching priorities and the candidate’s reflective statement on teaching and learning or librarianship
3. the depth, breadth, and innovation of the candidate’s teaching or librarianship
4. evidence of the candidate’s commitment and contribution to undergraduate and graduate students and to instructional missions of the department, college, and university
5. establish a suitable context for an interpretation of the data provided

B. Assessment of the quality and impact of the applicant’s research, scholarship and artistry. This assessment should apply the criteria for research stated in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, Articles 8-9 as well as in the personnel policies and guidelines of the college and the department, indicating (i) the overall focus and direction of the candidate’s program of research, and (ii) how the candidate’s research program is supportive of the research mission and focus of the department. This statement should enable colleagues outside the candidate’s discipline to discern the quality of the candidate’s scholarly work. Examples include, but are not limited to:

1. Books. Provide an evaluative summary of books published or submitted for publication. Evaluate the quality of the publisher and the nature of the publisher’s refereeing process. Summarize published reviews or citations of the book.
2. Articles. Provide an evaluative summary of articles published or submitted for publication. Include in the summary any “external” indicators of quality, such as citations or reprintings of the articles. Evaluate the quality and impact of the journal as measured by such factors as published journal rankings, general reputation in the discipline, the refereeing process, acceptance rates, and overall visibility.
3. Book Chapters and Contributions to Conference Proceedings. Provide an evaluative summary of book chapters and contributions to conference proceedings. Evaluate the quality of the publisher and describe the publisher’s refereeing process and the acceptance rates in each case.
4. Grants and Fellowships. Provide an evaluative summary of the quality of the candidate’s proposals submitted for internal and external research support. Evaluate the candidate’s success rate in securing support. Indicate the extent to which this success rate is appropriate for the discipline.

C. Assessment of the effectiveness of the applicant’s professional service. This assessment should apply the criteria for professional service state in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, Articles 8-9 as well as in the personnel policies and guidelines of the college and the department, indicating (i) the overall effectiveness of the candidate’s professional activities and (ii) how the candidate’s record of professional service is supportive of the mission and focus of the department.

D. Summary evaluation of overall effectiveness of the applicant as teacher, scholar, and professional colleague.

E. Supporting letters (if required). If supporting letters (external reviews) are included as part of the department and college process, they must be current, and the following must be addressed:

1. Statement describing how the external letters were solicited (i.e., how the external reviewers were selected involving the applicant, department/school personnel committee, and the chair/director.
2. A brief biographical sketch including the name, title, affiliation, and contact information of each external reviewer.
3. How many such letters were solicited, how many responses were obtained, and a summary of the responses.
4. Attach a sample copy of the letter soliciting external reviews.