Faculty demonstrate high level of teaching effectiveness
Objective
Teaching Portfolios
Faculty will engage in effective teaching as evidenced by a portfolio documenting their teaching activities on an annual basis
Indicator
Teaching Portfolio Review
Evaluation of faculty teaching portfolios according to the Department Chair Guidelines for Teaching Evaluations. Factors included in this indicator included: number of courses taught, student evaluations, whether the course was a required course or an elective, level of the course (doctoral, MA, or BS), number of students in each section, writing enhanced or not, content of the course, etc.
Criterion
Teaching Portfolio Ratings
All department faculty are expected to score a 3 or better on the Chair's evaluation of teaching rubric.
Finding
Teaching Portfolio Ratings
All members of the program met criterion with respect to the chair's rating of their teaching. The range was 3.7 to 5.0 with a mean of 4.29.
Action
Teaching Portfolio Ratings
Criterion was met, yet there was some concern that new faculty, faculty on campus less than three years, may not be aware of all of the factors in the teaching portfolios nor of the importance of each. Therefore, the Chair of the Department will meet with the aforementioned new faculty during the fall semester to convey this information.
Objective
IDEA Evaluations
IDEA student evaluations of teaching will indicate that faculty are engaging in effective teaching as indicated by their summary scores
Indicator
IDEA Ratings
A summary IDEA score at or above the institution mean is considered to be satisfactory. consistent with IDEA recommendations, converted averages on IDEA evaluations that are in the gray box (middle 40%) are considered to be "effective teaching."
All faculty have students evaluate each of their classes during the Fall and Spring semesters using the IDEA teaching evaluations. The IDEA system focuses on student learning of 12 specific objectives, and the system solicits students' feedback on their own learning progress, effort, and motivation, as well as their perceptions of the instructor's use of 20 instructional strategies and teaching methods. In addition, the system surveys instructors regarding their overall goals and highlights for them in the analysis and report. The system adjusts evaluation scores for five areas beyond the instructor's control, such as class size; student motivation, effort and work habits; and disciplinary difficulty. The scores are then compared to national norms. Teaching effectiveness is assessed in two ways: A. Progress on Relevant Objectives, a weighted average of student ratings of the progress they reported on objectives selected as "Important" or "Essential" (double weighted) and B. Overall Ratings, the average student agreement with statements that the teacher and the course were excellent.
Criterion
IDEA Summary Score
Each faculty member will receive a summary score at or above the institution average to be considered satisfactory.
Finding
IDEA Summary Score
The mean IDEA summary score for the institution was 4.1. Fifteen of 19 faculty members in the Department of Psychology and Philosophy received a summary score greater than 4.1; four faculty members received a score less than 4.1. The mean for all faculty in the program was 4.33.
Action
IDEA Summary Evaluations
For faculty members not reaching criterion, they strongly will be encouraged to attend the college teaching conference held in August. Additionally, they will be referred to the PACE Office on campus. In addition, from an administrative positon, the IDEA scores for all faculty will be evaluated following each academic semester, rather than after the academic year, so that scores not meeting criterion can be addressed post haste.
Goal
Curriculum
Faculty asses the extent to which the curriculum covers a broad base of the filed of psychology
Objective
Curriculum Evaluaton
Courses in the Department of Psychology will be evaluated in terms of the breadth of topics covered.
Indicator
Curriculum Matrix
Courses will be compared to the matrix designed by Levy et al. & published in Teaching of Psychology (1999).
Criterion
Percent of Courses Covering Current Perspectives
50% of courses in the psychology curriculum are expected to require knowledge of the "Current Perspectives" section of the Levy Curriculum Matrix.
Finding
Current Perspectives
Ten of the 17 courses listed the Current Perspectives" section of the Levy Curriculum Matrix.
Action
Current Perspectives
Although the criterion was met, the Chair, along with a small group of faculty representing each block in the Program curriculum, will work to make sure that the criterion is met within each Program block, i.e., Experimental; Clinical-Adjustment-Applied; Personality-Social-Developmental.
Goal
Faculty Scholarship
Faculty generate and disseminate scholarship
Objective
Scholarship Portfolios
Faculty will be effective scholars as evidenced by the portfolio documenting their scholarship on an annual basis
Indicator
Review Of Faculty Scholarship
Evaluation of faculty scholarship portfolios according to the Department guiedlines for Scholarly & Artistic Endeavors. Factors in this category include: number and assessed quality of publications in externally reviewed journals; number of presentations at national, international, and regional conferences; number of students impacted by the faculty member in a mentorship role.
Criterion
Scholarship Evaluation Score
A score of 3 or more on a 5-point scale on the Scholarly & Artistic Endeabors Rubric is considered to be minimally satisfactory.
Finding
Scholarship Evaluation Score
Fourteen of 19 faculty scored above criterion (>3) on the Scholarship Evaluation Assessment.
Action
Scholarship Evaluation Score
Five members of the faculty did not meet criterion for this category. They will be especially encouraged to engage in scholarly activity over the next year, to present data at conferences, and to submit materials for publication. In addition, they will be encouraged to engage in collaborative work with individuals within the department who are more productive than they. Finally, extra lab space will be made available for data collection for these data.