3.6.1 - Evaluation of Instruction –Part-time Faculty

Last updated on March 30, 2023

POLICY:  Instructional improvement is the overall goal of the evaluation process at Spoon River College.  The focus of the process is to identify strengths and areas needing improvement related to instruction and to plan improvement strategies for areas of concern.

SCOPE:

This policy applies to all part-time faculty.

DETAILS:

1. Organization: Part-time faculty are evaluated using the procedures listed under “Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness.”

   Evaluation documents relative to student and administrative evaluations are signed by the instructor and the supervising administrator and placed in the instructor’s personnel file.  The instructor has the opportunity to review all documents and attach a written response prior to placement in the personnel file. The written response may agree or disagree and can provide clarification, differences of opinion, or disagreement with any item or comment in the evaluation documents.  Such statements are a part of the record of evaluation and are included in the personnel file with all other evaluation documents.

2. Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness:
   1. Student Evaluation of Instruction: All courses will conduct anonymous student evaluations each semester. Student evaluations will be electronically administered using the Learning Management System. Evaluations are automatically accessible to students after 80% of the course has been completed.  The evaluation will be accessible to students for a minimum of five (5) calendar days and a maximum of ten (10) calendar days, depending on the length of the course.
      

      Course Length	Evaluation Availability
      8 weeks or longer	10 calendar days
      7 weeks or less	5 calendar days

      Faculty will be notified a minimum of two weeks prior to the start of a student evaluation period. Faculty will not have access to student evaluation results until final grades are submitted. The Office of Instruction will provide the approved standardized evaluation.  Any changes to the evaluation tool must be approved by College Senate. Each semester, individual faculty will have the option to add up to five questions to each course evaluation in addition to the standard evaluation questions.

   2. Part-time faculty will meet with the supervising administrator or his/her designee upon request by either party to discuss student evaluation results.
3. Administrative Observation:
   1. Part-Time Faculty: Administrative evaluations will be conducted by the supervising administrator or his/her designee upon request by either party.
   2. The supervising administrator or his/her designee conducts the administrative evaluation.  Both the instructor and the supervising administrator have the right to invite the President or his/her designee to participate in the evaluation.

      The supervising administrator has the privilege of requesting evidence of preparation for the class session.

      The supervising administrator or his/her designee prepares a written report of the observation and provides a copy of the report to the instructor no later than ten (10) working days after the visit.  The instructor schedules a conference within ten (10) working days of receiving the report to discuss the observation report.

      If the President or his/her designee participates in the classroom observation, he or she also submits a written report within ten (10) working days to the instructor.  The instructor schedules a joint follow-up conference of all three (3) parties, within ten (10) working days of receiving the report.

4. Instructional Planning:
   1. Each semester, all instructors submit a detailed course syllabus to the respective supervising administrator. Each detailed course syllabus meets accreditation requirements, as well as provides a record of instruction. Each detailed course syllabus reflects current course content, texts, learning outcomes expected of students, the means by which these are presented, and the method which is used to verify attainment as required by the course syllabus form.  Course syllabi for all courses currently taught are updated at a minimum of once every three years.
   2. Sample formats for organizing and presenting course content are provided by the supervising administrator, upon request.
   3. Should a department wish to prepare and use a single course syllabus for multiple sections taught, this may be substituted for individual syllabi by individual instructors.
   4. Syllabi are placed on file and are subject to public inspection as required by state law.