ERIC Number: ED321810
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Evaluating Adjunct Faculty in an English Program.
Thompson, Merle O'Rourke
The process developed at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) for evaluating adjunct faculty in the English Department parallels the one developed by full-time faculty for their own evaluation. The process, which is overseen by the Program Head for English Adjunct Faculty (PHEAF), involves student evaluations, grade analyses, classroom observations, and evaluation conferences. The English department's student evaluation form contains 12 objective questions and four open-ended essay questions. Adjunct faculty must choose at least one of their classes to fill out this form. Results are tallied and summarized before they are presented to faculty in evaluation conferences, where patterns in student responses are discussed. Other components of the evaluation process include the following: (1) statistical analyses of the grades assigned in each class are used to compare the adjunct's grading patterns and retention rates with departmental norms; (2) adjunct faculty must submit copies of their syllabi for review by the PHEAF to ensure that they follow the guidelines set forth in the college faculty handbook; (3) anecdotal material, such as student complaints, positive and negative reports from the Writing Center Coordinator, and written complaints from clerical support staff, are added to the adjunct's evaluation folder; (4) at the adjunct's convenience, the PHEAF is invited to observe classes, taking notes on organization, effective use of time, enthusiasm, mastery of material, use of interesting materials, clarity of explanations, and student participation; and (5) a 15-minute evaluation conference with the PHEAF is held to review all evaluative material collected during the semester and to plan development activities. The program has been effective in uniting full-time and adjunct faculty in the common goal of teaching excellent classes. (JMC)
Descriptors: Adjunct Faculty, Classroom Observation Techniques, College English, Community Colleges, Evaluation Methods, Faculty College Relationship, Full Time Faculty, Grading, Instructional Improvement, Part Time Faculty, Program Administration, Statistical Analysis, Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Teacher Evaluation, Two Year Colleges
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A