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Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Fri, 2006-08-11 09:54 — buzzh

What do we do as faculty and librarians employed at Westfield State College? We educate students. That statement is wholly consistent with our Mission Statement and with the most recent contract. Therefore, we should be evaluated on our effectiveness as educators.

"Westfield State College's primary mission is to assist its students to develop intellectually and to use their knowledge and skills to improve the social and economic conditions in their communities."

Article VIII (Evaluations) of the most recent contract states "Evaluations are conducted for the purpose of making personnel decisions, encouraging and assessing professional and pedagogical experimentation, assisting members of the academic community in the improvement of performance, and programs."
Section A: Subsection 1. Criteria for the Evaluation of Full-Time Faculty reads as follows:
The following criteria shall be used in the evaluation of full-time members of the faculty:

  1. i. teaching effectiveness, including pedagogical experimentation, as exhibited in lectures, seminars, internships, independent studies and other instructional settings;
    ii. academic advising, as prescribed in Section A(3) of Article XII;
  2. i. continuing scholarship, including contributions to the content of the discipline; participation in or contributions to professional organizations and societies; research as demonstrated by published or unpublished work (or, where applicable, artisitic or other creative activities); and work toward the terminal degree or relevant post-graduate study.
    Nothing in this paragraph (b)(i) shall be deemed to require any member of the faculty to engage in all or in any particular one of the activities that constitute continuing scholarship; and no member of the bargaining unit shall be denied a personnel action by sole reason of his or her not having engaged in any one or another of such activities. In evaluating each member of the faculty it shall be the responsibility of those charged with doing so to assess the quality, significance and relevance of that faculty member's continuing scholarship.
    ii. other professional activities, which by way of example shall include such matters as public service, and contributions to the professional growth and development of the college community; and
    such responsibilities, if any, as may be assumed by a faculty member in lieu of, in whole or in part, the normal faculty teaching workload in academic subject areas by serving as the Chair of any department or as the Chair of a program area pursuant to Article VI, by performing services in the counseling center, facility or program pursuant to Section A(3)(b) of Article XII, by discharging any alternate professional responsibilities pursuant to Section D of Article XII, and/or by undertaking any program of professional development pursuant to Article XIV.
    In applying these criteria, reagrd shall be had to the fact that the State Colleges are primarily teaching institutions.

The criteria listed above are vague. We would like to engage the membership in a discussion about the scholarship of teaching and learning so that we have a better understanding of what we do, and so that we can communicate our understanding to the administration. Therefore, we would like you to participate in a discussion forum about this topic. Below are links to relevant web sites containing information about this issue. At the bottom are link(s) to downloadable PDF files that may also be of interest.

Teaching as Scholarship Links