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The Faculty Role Model described below defines the expected roles of Meredith College full-time teaching faculty.
Criteria for Evaluation
Full-time teaching faculty at Meredith College are evaluated annually in accordance with the faculty role model described below. The criteria for evaluation include teaching, academic advising and mentoring, service and professional involvement. (Part-time teaching faculty are evaluated in the area of teaching.)
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The criteria for evaluation are divided into three levels of priority. All criteria are considered in evaluating faculty.
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As reflected by the prioritized role model, teaching is central to the College’s mission. With the exception of teaching, faculty roles may shift emphasis in a given year by mutual agreement of the faculty member and the department head/and or dean. The designation of role priorities for the upcoming year should be part of a faculty member’s professional development plan. The priorities may be changed during the academic year by mutual agreement of the faculty member, department head and dean; this might occur if the faculty member is asked to take on significant responsibilities for the department or college, or if the faculty member takes advantage of notable professional opportunities during the year.
A faculty member is not expected to be accomplished in all indicators in order to fully meet a faculty role criterion. The list of indicators under each role is neither a set of requirements, nor an exhaustive list of expectations. However, departments may add specificity to the criteria for evaluation designated in the role model, as long those specifications do not alter the framework of the role model.
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Faculty Role Model
The Meredith College faculty role model is designed to identify the varied aspects of performance expected of full-time faculty. While faculty may emphasize different aspects of their professional lives at different moments in their careers, a sustained commitment to teaching is at the heart of the College’s mission. Faculty are expected to contribute to their areas of study and encouraged to support college initiatives through teaching, service, and professional activity. Demonstrated support for the goals and mission of the college is also expected of all faculty.
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Teaching is the primary responsibility of faculty at Meredith College. In order to teach effectively faculty must create conditions and design instructional experiences that promote student learning and enhance the overall academic climate of the college. Teaching may occur within a variety of settings including classroom, seminar, laboratory, field, and/or individual consultation. Given the complexity of the teaching-learning process, the multi-faceted dimensions of “effective teaching” are difficult to capture in a brief definition or statement. A definition of teaching, however, should include the broad foundations of content expertise, curriculum development, course design, and instructional delivery. The following statements include many, though not all, of the descriptors of effective teaching:
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Effective teachers understand central concepts, methods and tools of inquiry and structures of the disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas in which they teach; and create learning experiences that make subject matter meaningful for students.
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Effective teachers demonstrate enthusiasm for knowledge, their field of study, and teaching. They seek to motivate and inspire their students to value lifelong learning.
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Effective teachers demonstrate a commitment to standards of excellence and academic rigor. They seek to challenge their students, and to promote critical thinking and intellectual growth.
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Effective teachers use different approaches to challenge and engage diverse (all) learners. They create conditions that promote inclusion and use a variety of approaches to accommodate the varied learning styles of all students.
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Effective teachers employ pedagogical strategies that enhance student learning and performance; they also determine procedures to assess student learning and performance consistent with course content and curriculum goals.
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Effective teachers are reflective practitioners who critically examine and revise their practices as needed. They actively seek professional growth in areas of subject matter and teaching.
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Effective teachers evaluate the effectiveness of new research, ideas, theories and pedagogical approaches and as appropriate, incorporate them into their teaching.
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Effective teachers continually examine the curriculum, and develop and support curricular programs both within and across disciplines.
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Academic advising and mentoring may be defined as consulting with students on a group or individual basis for the purpose of providing guidance and advice concerning academic, professional, and personal growth.
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Advisors are expected to:
- assist students in their consideration and clarification of educational goals,
- assist students in developing a plan of study consistent with their goals and objectives,
- provide accurate information to students,
- be knowledgeable about programs, resources, policies and procedures,
- be appropriately available to students,
- provide timely attention to academic advising matters,
- assist students in evaluation and re-evaluation of progress toward established goals and educational plans, and
- make referrals to resources within and outside of the college as appropriate.
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Advising and mentoring may include but is not limited to:
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service as an academic advisor,
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sponsoring or advising student groups in academic related activities,
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mentoring students, and/or
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advising students and providing letters of recommendation regarding graduate study and/or employment.
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Service is defined as work or action performed by a faculty member that contributes to the mission and welfare of the department, college or community.
Service to the department is constituted by contributions that reflect a commitment to advancing and furthering the goals and mission of the department. Evidence of such service might include but is not limited to
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leadership in committee work and/or special initiatives,
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leadership of department programs,
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leadership and/or participation in curricular review and revision,
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mentoring of faculty,
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leadership or participation in community events on behalf of the department, and/or
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leadership or participation in a service activity deemed appropriate to the mission of the department and negotiated between a faculty member and the dean and/or department head.
Service to the college is constituted by contributions to the college community that reflect a commitment to advancing and furthering the goals and mission of the college. Evidence of such service might include, but is not limited to
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leadership or membership on college committees,
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leadership or participation in college initiatives,
- leadership or service on task forces and advisory groups, both within and outside of the college where the work of the organization positively impacts Meredith’s standing in the community,
- service to student organizations,
- leadership or participation in college events,
- leadership or participation in community (local to international) events on behalf of the college,
- mentoring of faculty,
- administration of departments or college-wide programs, and/or
- leadership or participation in a service activity deemed appropriate to the mission of the college and negotiated by a faculty member and the dean and/or head of department.
Professional involvement is essential to a professor’s ability to carry out the College’s educational mission. Professional involvement emphasizes participation in professional activities including scholarship aimed to increase the faculty member’s disciplinary, interdisciplinary or pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The professional educator undertakes scholarly and professional activity to maintain currency in the knowledge base of one’s specialty, improve pedagogical techniques, generate or publicly display knowledge or artistic endeavor, and contribute to the profession. The professional educator sustains professional contact with colleagues and engages in continuing professional activities to upgrade and augment existing knowledge, skills and dispositions or develop new ones.
Scholarship is a creative process of inquiry and exploration that adds to the knowledge or appreciation of disciplinary or interdisciplinary understanding. Scholarship adds to our understanding by
- discovering or uncovering new knowledge or insights, or by generating new theories and techniques that guide discovery, or creating other types of original works;
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integrating knowledge within or across disciplines through critical evaluation, synthesis, analysis, or interpretation of research or creative work produced by others;
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applying knowledge and expertise to explore or solve problems; and
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developing pedagogical innovations that shape, transform and extend teaching activities and other aspects of pedagogy in new and more effective ways.
Scholarly work should
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a) result in a product, presentation, exhibition or performance that expands knowledge, skills or understanding that can be shared with others;
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extend beyond the limits of the institution, or
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develop and/or expand the expertise of the faculty member.
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The following examples are illustrations of the kind of ways faculty could be involved professionally. Faculty may engage in one or more of the following scholarship activities, or take part in any number of other activities that constitute scholarship. Indications of scholarly activity may include, but are not limited to:
Generation of new knowledge or integration of existing knowledge.
- publication of journal articles, reviews, manuals, books, audio/video productions, and creative works
- presentations at professional conferences
- conducting workshops for professional personnel working outside the college
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Development of creative products, such as original works or integrating creative knowledge in performances, exhibits or other expressive presentations.
Engagement in applied research.
- including the scholarship of teaching
- solving problems within academia or the larger community
- i.e. pre K-16 partnerships, professional development schools and other innovative partnerships
- development of new pedagogical applications for existing technology
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Guidance of student research projects when such guidance involves significant collaboration by the faculty member and meets the guidelines and expectations set forth by the department for scholarship.
Development and publication of software.
Interdisciplinary efforts to expand knowledge and apply it in new ways constitute yet another form of applied research and scholarship.
- Collaboration requires additional efforts on the part of faculty members; the tangible and intangible benefits make such efforts desirable; thus such effort should be recognized in the evaluation of scholarship.
Professional activity (other than scholarship) describes activity that involves the serious practice of disciplinary or interdisciplinary expertise. Faculty are encouraged to engage in professional activity that is discipline specific, interdisciplinary and/or related to the initiatives of the academic division. Faculty may engage in one or more of the following areas of professional activity, or participate in any number of additional activities including but not limited to:
- participation in professional organizations and activities, including conference, seminar or workshop participation;
- work on accreditation teams,
- jury of competitions/performances,
- reviewing for journal or presentations at major conferences,
- service as an officer in a professional organization,
- writing grant proposals,
- serving as consultants,
- continuing study in one’s own discipline or through interdisciplinary study, and/or
- guidance of student research projects.
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