Purpose of Evaluation

The purpose of evaluation is to:

• recognize meritorious performance
• improve the quality of teaching
• identify appropriate professional development activities
• and uncover impediments to faculty productivity

SACS requirements

Accreditation criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools require periodic evaluations of the performance of individual faculty members. The College must demonstrate that it uses the results of this evaluation for improvement of the faculty and its educational programs.

Who is evaluated and when

At Central Piedmont Community College, all faculty are evaluated on a continuous basis, but formally at least annually. New part-time instructors and new full-time instructors are evaluated during their first semester of teaching. Veteran part-time instructors and veteran full-time instructors are evaluated at least once a year.

Tools used in evaluation

Supervisors are encouraged to use a variety of evaluation tools including student opinion surveys, classroom observations, individual conferences, portfolio evaluations, and, for full-time faculty, the Performance Development Plan.

Who conducts the evaluation

Part-time instructors are usually evaluated by a coordinator, discipline chair, or program chair. They may also be evaluated by an experienced full-time instructor on a continuing contract who is selected to help with evaluations. Full-time instructors are evaluated by a director. In some cases, the instructional dean may also participate in evaluation.

Evaluator training

The Center for Teaching and Learning provides training for supervisors and other faculty who may be asked to help with faculty evaluations. Individuals who have not attended an evaluation training session are not allowed to evaluate faculty.

Classroom Observation

One evaluation tool that is used most frequently, particularly for new part-time and new full-time instructors is a classroom observation followed by a conference to discuss strengths and weaknesses. Evaluators use the following guidelines in conducting classroom observations:

• An observation should be a positive, supportive, experience for our faculty. The purpose of the observation is to observe behavior and to suggest ways to improve learning for students.
• Observations should be at least fifty minutes.
• The observer will use the Classroom Observation Evaluation Form or a form approved by the supervisor.
• The observer will be familiar with the descriptors and will use specific observation notes, avoiding vague terms like “good job” or “nice.”
• The observer will have a follow-up conference with the instructor within 30 days after the classroom observation.
• Where areas of improvement are noted, the supervisor and the instructor will agree on an action plan.
• If training is needed, the supervisor will notify the Center for Teaching and Learning so that training sessions can be developed if they are not already part of the Center’s offerings.

The Classroom Observation Form, a simple 10-question evaluation tool for classroom observation of new and veteran faculty is online on the Instruction website under Forms.

Online Course Visitation
As more and more classes at CPCC become web-based or web-enhanced, it is important to evaluate these classes to determine that the quality of teaching is the same whether the class is taught in a traditional way or partially or fully online. A short assessment tool for online courses covering syllabus, communications, instructor feedback and a plan for course improvement/enhancement is located online on the Instruction website under Forms.

Student Opinion Survey
Student Opinion Surveys are conducted during fall and spring terms as a way for the instructor and the supervisor to get feedback from students concerning the quality of instruction and other information.

While all surveys have common questions, specific surveys have been developed for curriculum, literacy, continuing education, and distance education classes.

In most cases, surveys are administered in two classes of an instructor, one class selected by the instructor, and one class selected by the supervisor.

Where printed surveys are used, survey forms and collection envelopes with instructions printed on the envelopes for conducting the survey are distributed by the office of the Associate Dean, Instructional Accountability, Compliance, and Effectiveness. In addition, sets of labels are provided. The label has the name of the class, the name of the instructor, the number of assigned seats, and the division code.

Where online surveys are used, students are assigned a unique code to access the electronic survey. Instructions for completing the survey and for submitting it are included in the survey. All online courses gather student input using an electronic format.

Results of the survey are provided according to how the survey was conducted. Two copies of the results of the paper and pencil  survey are provided at the beginning of the following semester—one for the supervisor and one for the instructor. The data include instructor means, course prefix means, college means, and standard deviations. Original copies of surveys with student written comments are also sent to the supervisor for distribution to the instructor. Results of the electronic survey are provided to the instructor and to the supervisor in electronic form.

Complete guidelines and procedures are located online on the Instruction website in the Instructional Administrative Resource Handbook under part II Classroom Management

Performance Development Plan for Full-Time Instructors
All full-time employees at CPCC are evaluated annually through the Performance Development Plan (PDP). This consists of an initial conference with the supervisor to identify critical job responsibilities or projects for the year. A semi-annual review and an end of the year review are held. Full-time instructors are evaluated on instructional knowledge, teaching effectiveness, service to students, interpersonal skills, professional development, and college service. They are rated on each of these areas as Exceptional, Above Average, Meets Expectations, Below Expectations, or Unsatisfactory.

During the PDP review, the supervisor and instructor

• Review calendar year survey results of the Student Opinion Survey from the previous fall and spring terms. The supervisor provides data to the instructor at least two weeks prior to the review so that the instructor can review the results, conduct a self-assessment, and design a plan for how to improve in any problem area. The Student Opinion Survey uses a rating scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). The instructional rating standard is 4. The Student Opinion Survey is only one factor in evaluating teaching effectiveness.
• Review classroom observations, noting strengths and weaknesses.
• Review instructor portfolios of instructor teaching projects, activities, and techniques, if provided.
• Review self-assessments or peer assessments, if provided.
• Outline an improvement plan for “Below Expectations” or “Unsatisfactory” ratings.

As PDP’s are completed and training needs identified, the supervisor will use the Faculty Needs Assessment form to help the Center for Teaching and Learning know which programs and workshops to develop and offer that will fulfill the needs of the faculty. This form is online on the Human Resources site under Forms.

Faculty Contracts
4.08 of the Policies and Procedures Manual contains the Non-administrator Contract Policy. This policy outlines initial and term contracts, subsequent conditional contracts, extendible contracts, and non-reappointment. “Recommendation for an extendible contract must be accompanied by a detailed evaluation of the employee’s demonstrated ability to perform assigned duties at a high level of competency. Once an employee is awarded an extendible contract, the contract shall be extended annually unless the employee…has received an Unsatisfactory rating as determined by the annual performance rating obtained through the evaluation system in effect at that time.