The UNC Policy Manual

400.3.1.1 [R]

Adopted 03/26/24

Regulation on Teaching Effectiveness in the University of North Carolina

I. Purpose. This Regulation is designed to assist constituent institutions in formulating policies and procedures related to teaching effectiveness, and to ensure those policies and procedures are promulgated and periodically reviewed.

II. Guidelines for Development and Approval of Institutional Policies and Procedure. In addition to the parameters set forth in UNC Policy 400.3.1, Teaching Effectiveness in the University of North Carolina, each constituent institution shall observe the following in developing or revising institutional policies and procedures for teaching effectiveness:

A. Establishing Measures. These measures are designed to assist faculty members in identifying their strengths and weaknesses regarding teaching effectiveness as well as to continue developing and refining instructional practices that support student success.

1. Peer Assessment:

a. Institutions shall develop an appropriate policy and process for peer assessment of faculty at regular intervals. These assessments shall occur at least one time per appointment period or post-tenure review interval. For full-time, tenured faculty, the peer assessment should occur, at the latest, between the second and third year after granting of tenure or the previous post-tenure review.

b. Institutions shall ensure that the peer assessment process generates a written report and permits the faculty member the opportunity to provide a written response, should the faculty member choose to do so.

2. Student Feedback on Faculty Instruction:

a. Institutional policies shall clearly articulate in what form student feedback on faculty instruction shall be gathered, how often such feedback shall be required, and how the instruments shall be administered and reported.

b. Institutional policies shall explore systematic ways to engage students in the feedback process to the maximum extent possible, including practices to obtain student feedback on faculty instruction at periodic intervals (e.g., mid-course) to provide better data.

c. Institutions shall ensure that data collection systems for student feedback on faculty instruction are transparent, effective, and efficient.

B. Evaluative Measures. Evaluative measures are designed to assess a faculty member’s progress toward stated goals related to institutional (department, college/school, university, academic discipline, etc.) requirements and standards.

1. Annual Evaluation:

a. In accordance with UNC Policy 400.3.4, a faculty member whose duties include teaching shall have a work plan, which identifies the specific teaching-related outputs and efforts the faculty member is expected to complete in the academic year.

b. The specific goals of the work plan should build towards and align with the expectations of the next summative/comprehensive review that a faculty member undergoes (e.g., appointment and/or reappointment, promotion, tenure, post-tenure review), all in accordance with Chapter VI of The Code, and UNC policies on faculty workload and post-tenure review.

c. A faculty member who does not adequately satisfy their workload expectations, or the goals of the work plan, for teaching in the annual review period shall be subject to a faculty success plan.

i. The faculty success plan shall be formative in nature, including specific steps designed to lead to improvement, a specified timeline of no less than twelve months from the date of the success plan, and a clear statement of consequences should improvement not occur within the designated timeline.

ii. Institutions shall develop procedures for the development of faculty success plans. The faculty member shall take part in the development of the success plan. Faculty success plans shall be approved by the department head or dean.

2. Reappointment, Tenure, and Post-Tenure Review. In accordance with policies on reappointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review, a cumulative review of the faculty member’s record shall take place. With regard to teaching effectiveness, this review shall rely on annual evaluations, peer assessments, student feedback that meets the requirements of this Regulation, as well as other inputs (e.g. faculty teaching awards) available to the review committee.

C. Self-Assessment: In both annual and comprehensive reviews, institutional policies and procedures shall include faculty self-assessment of teaching effectiveness.