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Session 2793

Departmental Policy for Teaching Evaluation and Improvement

Kristen L. Sanford Bernhardt, Mark R. Virkler, Michael G. Barker University of Missouri-Columbia

Abstract

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) has recently adopted a new policy for evaluating faculty members’ teaching contributions to the department and college. The MU promotion and tenure policy requires that all candidates submit two forms of evaluation for their educational efforts, one of which must be student course evaluations. In response to this requirement, and with the ultimate goal of improving teaching in the department, a committee was formed to evaluate the current situation and recommend improvements. In consultation with the Program for Excellence in Teaching on campus, the department is implementing a requirement that the second method of evaluation be an external peer review of the teaching portfolio, with particular emphasis on whether the content, rigor, and expectations in courses taught are appropriate. Reviewers of teaching portfolios may or may not overlap with those asked to evaluate research contributions. It is anticipated that the materials sent for review, in addition to the typical teaching portfolio contents, will include materials similar to those required for an ABET review – syllabus, assignments, exams, notes, and samples of student work.

1. Introduction

Effective teaching has always been a primary goal of engineering departments. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) ensures a department’s overall teaching product and program content. However, the department is made up of its faculty, and evaluating teaching effectiveness of individual faculty has historically been troublesome. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Missouri- Columbia (MU) has recently adopted a new policy for evaluating individual faculty members’ teaching contributions to the department and college. The impetus for the new policy is to reaffirm a commitment to undergraduate education, improve teaching in the department, and to meet MU Promotion and Tenure (P&T) requirements. The MU P&T policy requires that all candidates submit two forms of evaluation for their educational efforts, one of which must be student course evaluations. The second required method is at the discretion of the department. The new teaching evaluation policy described herein meets or exceeds the P&T requirements and allows the department the opportunity to evaluate and improve teaching effectiveness and to maintain a current curriculum.

This paper surveys other MU engineering department policies, discusses the development process for the new policy, including the tension between formative and summative evaluation, assesses experiences to date with the policy, and addresses continuing needs in improving faculty performance and its evaluation in the area of education responsibilities. The paper is not

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Barker, M., & Virkler, M., & Sanford Bernhardt, K. (2001, June), Departmental Policy For Teaching Evaluation And Improvement Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9075