Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3339 - Miami University › Chapter 3339-7 - Tenured and Nontentured Staff › Section 3339-7-02 - Statement on the evaluation of teaching

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) General
Miami university stresses the importance of high quality
				teaching and its impact on student learning and recognizes that there are
				differing professional views on the nature and utility of evaluation of
				instruction. The university also recognizes that the responsibility of
				demonstrating teaching effectiveness rests with the faculty and the
				department.
Teaching is a complex and multi-faceted process, requiring
				multiple approaches to measurement which extend beyond student evaluations of
				teaching. Much of the richness of information is not necessarily quantifiable,
				but relies instead on qualitative information.
(B) Teaching evaluation plan
Each department is expected to develop a teaching evaluation
				plan. The major purpose of this plan is to provide a process to enhance the
				quality of instruction, and subsequently, student learning, at Miami. When
				implemented, each plan should provide faculty with information useful in
				improving their teaching (formative) and for documenting teaching effectiveness
				for promotion, tenure and/or annual performance appraisals (summative).
				Accordingly, candidates seeking promotion and/or tenure are urged to submit to
				their departments/divisions a variety of evaluation results administered on a
				consistent basis.
(C)
			 Specific guidelines for a department's teaching evaluation plan
(1) The teaching evaluation plan is the
			 responsibility of the department, in terms of initial development,
			 implementation and ongoing revision.
(2) The department's plan shall reflect the
			 complexity of the teaching/learning process by including multiple sources of
			 evaluation data, including both quantitative and qualitative assessment
			 methods. The plan shall also address both formative and summative activities.
			 In addition to end-of-semester student evaluations, summative and formative
			 activities could include, but are not limited to: ongoing classroom assessment,
			 peer evaluations, student portfolios, chair or program director (when
			 appropriate) evaluations, teaching (faculty) portfolios, classroom materials,
			 samples of exemplary classroom lessons or assignments, senior exit surveys and
			 alumni surveys.
(3) Departmental
			 teaching evaluation plans shall reflect multiple models of teaching and student
			 learning. For example, plans should be sensitive to lecture, discussion,
			 inquiry or small group instruction.
(4)
									Formative
			 evaluations by students provide valuable feedback for the improvement of course
			 design and instruction and may be conducted by the instructor. Formative
			 evaluations of instructors by mentors and peers are likewise designed to aid in
			 course and teaching development. The university will not require the use of
			 formative evaluations for summative purposes. However, faculty may elect to
			 provide data from formative evaluations in the materials that they submit for
			 tenure, promotion, post-tenure review and merit salary
			 increases.
(5) Summative
			 evaluations conducted at the end of a term will be retained and used as a part
			 of the evaluation process for tenure, promotion, post-tenure review and merit
			 salary increases.
(6) Unofficial
			 and unregulated student evaluations (e.g., internet evaluations) may not be
			 used for promotion and tenure purposes or any other personnel
			 considerations.
(7) All faculty
			 should have their classes (independent studies and other such courses, as well
			 as classes with enrollments of fewer than five, are generally exempt) evaluated
			 by students in some formal manner that is appropriate to the specific type of
			 course. These evaluations will constitute a concrete record of teaching
			 effectiveness that can be used for both self-improvement and summative
			 evaluation, and shall be constructed in such a manner as to ensure credibility
			 and integrity:
(a) The faculty member shall
			 not administer his or her own evaluation. In accord with
			 departmental/divisional procedures, a third party shall announce the
			 evaluation, distribute the evaluation forms, and submit the forms for
			 processing.
(b) The faculty member
			 shall not receive any evaluation results until final grades for the semester
			 have been submitted.
(c) If
			 additional evaluations used exclusively for faculty self-improvement are
			 administered, the above two conditions do not apply.
Independent studies and other such courses, as well as classes
				with enrollments of fewer than five, are generally exempt.