Annual Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
OFFICIAL DIVISIONAL POLICY
Policy on Annual Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
Contents
2.0 Requirement for Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
3.0 Purpose of and Process for Annual Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
4.0 Policy Manager and Responsible Party or Office
5.0 Departments/Offices Affected by this Policy
6.0 Procedures Related to this Policy
7.0 Related Policies, Documents or Forms
1.0 Introduction
For many years, the following passage has appeared in the Faculty/Administration Manual (hereafter, “FAM”), as part of the description of “special faculty”:
"All faculty of special status who conduct classes must be evaluated by the Department Chair annually or at the end of each semester or summer term. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to provide syllabi, reading lists, samples of paper topics and examinations to the Department Chair who will consider these teaching materials in making the assessment of the person. Student evaluations of teaching shall be collected from students in classes taught by any faculty member of special status."
This Divisional Policy provides information and guidance regarding the requirement for evaluation of adjunct and visiting faculty, as such faculty of special status are described in the FAM. The Policy remains in effect unless it is revised or withdrawn by the Provost.1
2.0 Requirement for Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
Regular evaluation of all faculty, including adjunct and visiting faculty, is a requirement of the College’s regional accreditor and of the College of Charleston. Adjunct and visiting faculty are evaluated during the scheduled time for annual evaluation either (a) because they are employed at the scheduled time, taught during the previous calendar year, and do not quality for repetition of a previous performance rating or (b) because they have been previously employed in three separate semesters or summer terms, without regard to their employment status at the scheduled time for evaluation.
All adjunct and visiting faculty members at the College of Charleston who are employed at the scheduled time for annual evaluation will be evaluated in writing in accordance with the College’s established standards and criteria (see 3.0 below). Evaluations may be conducted using any procedures established by the relevant Dean(s), or the Dean’s designee.
Any adjunct or visiting faculty colleague who was employed in three separate semesters or summer terms must be evaluated in writing in accordance with the College’s established standards and criteria (see 3.0 below) and using any procedures established by the relevant Dean(s), or the Dean’s designee, even if such faculty are not employed at the scheduled time for annual evaluation and would not otherwise be evaluated.2
Visiting and adjunct faculty who were not employed as faculty during the relevant 12-month evaluation period are not evaluated, even if such colleagues are currently employed at the scheduled time for annual evaluation.
In cases where an adjunct faculty member is employed by more than one department or program, each department or program should complete an annual evaluation.
No provision of this Policy shall prevent a Dean or Department Chair from providing a formative and/or summative evaluation to an adjunct or visiting faculty colleague, whether orally or in writing, on a more frequent schedule than provided for in this Policy, or from directing that written evaluations shall be conducted for a specific faculty colleague on a more frequent schedule than provided for in this Policy.
3.0 Purpose of and Process for Annual Evaluation of Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
Written annual evaluations of faculty serve two functions: (1) to guide the professional development of the faculty member, and (2) to record part of the evidence upon which personnel decisions might be based. Each annual performance evaluation should summarize the strengths and weaknesses of performance by the faculty member and include any specific recommendations for improvement.
Department Chairs and the Dean of Libraries are responsible for the annual performance evaluation of the visiting and adjunct faculty members within their departments. In the case that an instructional faculty member is housed in a program and not in a department, the Program Director will assume the role of Department Chair in the evaluation process.
Department Chairs and the Dean of Libraries may delegate some or all of the responsibilities for annual performance evaluation of visiting and adjunct faculty to a tenured faculty colleague or colleagues in the relevant academic unit, or to an evaluation committee composed entirely of tenured faculty in the department.
The form of the performance evaluation may vary by school and department, as well as by the rank of the faculty member being evaluated. At a minimum, the Chair or Dean of Libraries (or the relevant designee) will provide an appraisal letter or rating instrument addressing teaching effectiveness and such other faculty activities, if any, as are germane to the specific work of the faculty member being evaluated. Departments and schools may develop rating instruments appropriate to the work of adjunct or visiting faculty in their units.
3.1 Standards and Criteria for Annual Evaluation
Schools and departments may develop specific policies, criteria and standards for annual evaluation of adjunct and visiting faculty. Criteria should be clearly stated and available to all members of the department or school. Criteria may vary in detail, but they must be consistent with faculty expectations described in the FAM.
Approval of these policies, criteria and standards by the appropriate Dean is required before implementation. After initial adoption, any significant changes must be sent to the Dean for approval before implementation. Deans should provide copies of all approved school and departmental policies, criteria and standards to the Office of the Provost.
3.2 Annual Evaluation Process
A calendar for the evaluation process shall be posted on the website of the Office of the Provost, consistent with the provisions of this Policy.
If annual performance evaluations have been received for a minimum of three consecutive years, a visiting or adjunct faculty member may request the same performance evaluation ratings that were given the previous year for up to two years. In the case of a request by the faculty colleague that a previous evaluation stand, the Department Chair will provide in writing either approval of this request or a denial of the request and brief explanation of why a full evaluation will be conducted.
For cases in which such requests are granted, a full performance evaluation must be conducted at least once every three years, covering the calendar years since the last full performance evaluation. The repetition of performance ratings may also be initiated by the Department Chair, and repetition of performance ratings in all cases requires the permission of both the faculty colleague and the Department Chair. A Chair or Dean may require that a particular visiting or adjunct faculty member undergo a full evaluation in any given year or at the conclusion of each semester or academic term.
Chairs are responsible for ensuring that a full evaluation of a visiting or adjunct faculty member is conducted at least once every three years. Deans are responsible for reviewing Chairs’ completed evaluations. The documentation required for a full performance evaluation may vary by department and school.
The Department Chair may consult with a faculty committee in conducting the annual evaluation, or may delegate some or all evaluation responsibilities for visiting and adjunct faculty to a tenured faculty member, or to a committee composed of tenured faculty.
After reviewing any materials submitted by the faculty member, and conducting an interview with the faculty member if appropriate, the Department Chair or the Dean of Libraries (or the designee of the Department Chair or Dean of Libraries) shall provide the faculty member with a signed and dated evaluation. The Dean shall retain a copy of each annual evaluation for a visiting or adjunct faculty member appointed in the Dean’s school.
3.3 Appeal of Annual Evaluation
A visiting or adjunct faculty member may appeal his or her annual evaluation to the appropriate Dean by submitting a written request for an appeal hearing to the Dean (or the Dean’s designee) within 10 working days of receiving the written evaluation. The Dean (or the Dean’s designee) will arrange for an appeal hearing with the faculty member and the Department Chair to discuss the appeal. At the appeal hearing, the faculty member should state specifically the basis for the appeal and provide appropriate information in support of the appeal. The Dean (or the Dean’s designee) will attempt to mediate an agreement between the faculty member and the Chair. If unsuccessful, the Dean (or the Dean’s designee) will reach a final decision and inform all parties in writing.
Library faculty should follow the steps outlined above. Their appeals should, however, go directly to the Provost (or the Provost’s designee), who will render the final decision.
4.0 Policy Manager and Responsible Department or Office
Provost (or Provost’s Designee), Office of the Provost
5.0 Departments/Offices Affected by this Policy
Office of the Provost
All Academic Schools, Departments, and Academic Programs
6.0 Procedures Related to this Policy
School and/or Departmental Evaluation Rubrics and Procedures
7.0 Related Policies, Documents or Forms
Faculty/Administration Manual
Divisional Policy on Instructors of Record and Faculty Credentials
8.0 Review Schedule
Approved: April 2015
Revised: July 2016
Next Review Date: October 1, 2021
1 An earlier version of this Policy took effect beginning with annual evaluations for the 2015 calendar year.
2 For example, an adjunct faculty colleague who had been employed during the 2017 Fall Semester, the 2018 Maymester, and the 2018 Fall Semester would be evaluated during the next scheduled time for annual evaluation, even if not employed during the scheduled time for annual evaluation.