Part-Time, Teaching Stream Faculty and Promotion

Uploaded: September 10, 2021

Contents

1 Definition of Part-Time
2 Relevant Policy
3 Applicability of Policy and Procedures Governing Promotion in the Teaching Stream
4 Ranks
5 Eligibility for Promotion through the Ranks
6 Relevant Dates
7 Criteria for Promotion from Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
8 Criteria for Promotion from Associate Professor, Teaching Stream to Professor, Teaching Stream
8.1 Attributes of Excellent Teaching
8.2 Attributes of Educational Leadership and/or Achievement
8.3 Ongoing Pedagogical/Professional Development
9 Process
9.1 Annual Consideration for Promotion
9.2 First Level of Review
9.3 Second Level of Review
10 Elements of the Promotion File Prepared by the Candidate
10.1 CV
10.2 Dossier
11 Elements of the Promotion File Gathered by the Chair
11.1 External Referees
11.2 Internal Assessments
11.3 Teaching Evaluation Committee
12 Summary of Evidence (SOE)
13 Chair’s Report
14 Informing Candidates
15 Appeal Procedures

The information in this manual provides guidance on implementing policy but in all instances, the policies are binding and take precedence over the information provided in this manual.

1 Definition of Part-Time

“A part-time appointment is one that does not exceed 75 per cent of full-time employment and is not less than 20 per cent of full-time employment.” (PtP, preamble)

This document relates to part-time faculty who have a workload comparable to that of teaching stream faculty, prorated to their FTE.  There is a separate section that relates to the promotion of part-time faculty in the non-tenure stream.

2 Relevant Policy

On a go-forward basis, part-time faculty are appointed under:

• Policy and Procedures on Employment Conditions of Part-time Faculty, January 2021 (PtP)

Part-time teaching stream faculty are eligible for promotion under the following policies

• Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions in the Teaching Stream, January 2021 (PPPTS)

See also:

• Your Faculty’s Teaching Evaluation Guidelines

3 Applicability of Policy and Procedures Governing Promotion in the Teaching Stream

• This policy applies to:
  • “full-time continuing status teaching stream faculty members”.
  • “part-time teaching stream faculty members as of January 1, 2021.”
• “For greater clarity, this policy does not apply to the following categories: contractually-limited term appointments….” (PPPTS, 2021, 5)

NOTE: Starting with section 8, this document is identical to all advice given relative to the promotion of teaching stream faculty. The content is identical to that in the primer on “Promotion from Associate Professor, Teaching Stream to Professor, Teaching Stream in the Teaching Stream: Primer for Chairs” (March 2021)

4 Ranks

• “Appointments may be made to any academic rank on a part-time basis.” (PtP, 2a)

5 Eligibility for Promotion through the Ranks

• “The criteria and procedures for promotion through the ranks shall be the same as for full-time faculty members with an appropriately reduced expectation as to the quantity of work.” (PtP, 11)
• Includes promotion between all ranks including:
  • Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
  • Associate Professor, Teaching Stream to Professor, Teaching Stream
• Part-time faculty in the teaching stream are eligible for promotion under the Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions in the Teaching Stream, January 2021 (PPPTS)

6 Relevant Dates

• “Associate Professors, Teaching Stream [and Assistant Professors, Teaching Stream] may request that they be considered for promotion…on or before October 15” (PPPTS, 2021, 19)
• Promotion is effective July 1.

The information concerning relevant dates for Promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream is presented visually in the following diagram.

7 Criteria for Promotion from Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream

• “The same criteria apply to the promotion from Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, with a lesser level of accomplishment to be expected... For promotion to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream not linked with a continuing status review (ie., early promotions), the procedures followed should be those outlined below for promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream in order to ensure an equivalent level of assessment of a candidate’s abilities. The criteria and procedures for promotion through the ranks for part-time teaching stream faculty shall be the same as for full-time faculty members with an appropriately reduced expectation as to the quantity of work.” (PPPTS, 2021, 7, Emphasis added)

8 Criteria for Promotion from Associate Professor, Teaching Stream to Professor, Teaching Stream

• “Promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream will be granted on the basis of
  • (1) excellent teaching
  • (2) educational leadership and/or achievement
  • (3) ongoing pedagogical/professional development, sustained over many years,” (PPPTS, 2021, 6 – numbers added)
• “Administrative or other service to the University and related activities will be taken into account in assessing candidates for promotion, but given less weight than the main criteria: promotion will not be based primarily on such service.” (PPPTS, 2021, 6)

8.1 Attributes of Excellent Teaching

• “Excellent teaching may be demonstrated through a combination of excellent teaching skills, creative educational leadership and/or achievement, and innovative teaching initiatives, all in accordance with appropriate divisional guidelines.” (PPPTS, 2021, 8)
• “Teaching includes lecturing, activity in seminars and tutorials, individual and group discussion, laboratory teaching, thesis and/or research supervision, and any other means by which students derive educational benefit.” (PPPTS, 2021, 8)
• “Teaching effectiveness is demonstrated by the degree to which the candidate for promotion is able to stimulate and challenge the intellectual ability of students, to communicate academic material including professional knowledge effectively, and to maintain a mastery of his or her subject areas. It also involves maintaining accessibility to students, and the ability to influence the intellectual and scholarly development of students.” (PPPTS, 2021, 8)

8.2 Attributes of Educational Leadership and/or Achievement

• “Sustained over many years, educational leadership and/or achievement is often reflected in teaching- related activities that show significant impact in a variety of ways, for example: through enhanced student learning; through creation and/or development of models of effective teaching; through engagement in the scholarly conversation via pedagogical scholarship, or creative professional activity; through significant changes in policy related to teaching as a profession; through technological or other advances in the delivery of education in a discipline or profession.” (PPPTS, 2021, 9)

8.3 Ongoing Pedagogical/Professional Development

• “Evidence of continuing future pedagogical/professional development may be demonstrated in a variety of ways e.g., discipline-based scholarship in relation to, or relevant to, the field in which the faculty member teaches, participation at, and contributions to, academic conferences where sessions on pedagogical research and technique are prominent, teaching-related activity by the faculty member outside of his or her classroom functions and responsibilities, and professional work that allows the faculty member to maintain a mastery of his or her subject area in accordance with appropriate divisional guidelines.” (PPPTS, 2021, 10)

9 Process

9.1 Annual Consideration for Promotion

• “Each year the Department Chair will place before the Promotions Committee for preliminary consideration the names of all part-time Assistant Professors, Teaching Stream with continuing appointments and all Associate Professors, Teaching Stream in the Department, together with their curricula vitae. The Committee will advise the Chair as to which faculty members should receive more detailed consideration for promotion.” (PPPTS, 2021, 18 – emphasis added)

9.2 First Level of Review

• “There will normally be a single departmental Promotions Committee to review candidates for promotion in the teaching stream and in the tenure stream.” (PPPTS, 2021, 17)
• There should be at least five members. (PPPTS, 2021, 17)
  • However, it is critical to note: in the case of the review of teaching stream faculty members, the Committee cannot include faculty at the rank of Associate Professor in either stream.
  • “the membership of the Promotions Committee considering a teaching stream candidate will consist of at least five tenured or continuing status faculty at the rank of Professor, and/or Professor, Teaching Stream, with at least one faculty member at the rank of Professor, Teaching Stream.”(PPPTS, 2021, 17)
    • “Until a sufficient number of teaching stream faculty members have attained this rank, this requirement shall be waived and the full committee shall be constituted by five (5) tenured faculty at the rank of Professor.” (PPPTS, 2021, footnote 1)

9.3 Second Level of Review

• In Multi-Department Faculties, files of faculty who are recommended for promotion proceed to a Decanal-level/Tri-Campus Decanal Committee.
• In Single-Department Faculties, files of faculty who are recommended for promotion proceed to the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life.

10 Elements of the promotion File Prepared by the Candidate

10.1 CV

• See PPPTS, 2021, 14

10.2 Dossier

• “The dossier should include a statement of teaching interests and teaching philosophy, and teaching awards received, if any. The dossier should also include a list of all courses taught by the candidate during at least the preceding five years and a description of teaching methods and samples of course outlines, where appropriate. If the candidate has had major responsibility for the design of a course, this should be stated. A list of students whose research work has been supervised should be included, together with their thesis topics and the dates of the period of supervision.” (PPPTS, 2021, 13)
• “Documentation may include, but is not limited to, publications in a variety of media including but not limited to, scholarly and professional journals, non-peer-reviewed or lay publications, books, CDs, online publications, invited lectures and presentations given at conferences, design of and contribution to academic websites, examples of professional work, and any other evidence of professional development.” (PPPTS, 2021, 13)
• See also Faculty Guidelines on the Evaluation of Teaching

11 Elements of the Promotion File Gathered by the Chair

11.1 External Referees

• “Confidential written assessments of the candidate’s teaching, educational leadership and/or achievement, and ongoing pedagogical/professional development, should be obtained from specialists in the candidate’s field from outside the University and whenever possible from inside the University.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11, emphasis added)
• “The Dean or Chair will solicit letters from at least three external referees and where possible these should include at least one referee suggested by the candidate and one referee suggested by the Promotions Committee.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11). More is recommended. See your Faculty’s guidelines, which may require 5 or 6.
• “These referees should be invited to assess the candidate’s work against the Divisional Guidelines and advise whether or not the candidate’s work demonstrates (1) the achievement of excellent teaching, (2) educational leadership and/or achievement, and (3) ongoing pedagogical/professional development, sustained over many years.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11 – numbers added)
• “The candidate will be invited to nominate several external referees. The Dean or Chair and the Promotions Committee (see paragraph 20) will whenever possible add to the list of referees and where possible these should include at least one referee suggested by the candidate and one referee suggested by the Promotions Committee.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11)

11.2 Internal Assessments

• “Confidential written assessments of the candidate’s teaching, educational leadership and/or achievement, and ongoing pedagogical/professional development, should be obtained from specialists in the candidate’s field from outside the University and whenever possible from inside the University.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11, emphasis added)

11.3 Teaching Evaluation Committee

• “Written assessments of the candidate’s teaching effectiveness will be prepared, in accordance with guidelines approved for the relevant department or division, and presented to the Promotions Committee. These guidelines specify the manner in which the division will provide the committee with evidence from the individual’s peers and from students, and will offer the candidate the opportunity to supplement his or her file.” (PPPTS, 2021, 11)

12 Summary of Evidence (SOE)

• There is no Summary of Evidence in the case of a promotion file.

13 Chairs’ Report

• To include:
  • comments on the appropriateness of the external assessors
  • a thorough discussion of the reasons for the recommendation, including comments on any negative elements, and how these were understood by the committee in relation to the three criteria for promotion

14 Informing Candidates

• “Each candidate who was given detailed consideration by the Departmental Promotions Committee will be informed by the Chair of the Department of the recommendation in his or her case. Candidates who received detailed consideration and who were not recommended for promotion will be given the reasons. If the Chair did not accept a positive recommendation from the Promotions Committee, the candidate shall be informed of this fact.” (PPPTS, 2021, 22)

15 Appeal Procedures

• See PPPTS, 2021, 26, 27