A.  Howard Community College was founded to provide opportunities for higher education to a broad range of students.

       The educational program has three major objectives:

1.   To help the student grow in his or her ability to live effectively in this complex society.

2.   To provide students with access to enriched and expanded lives.

3.   To prepare the student for occupational proficiency or to provide the foundations for this preparation.

Basic commitment to the development of students through quality teaching and effective advising or related activities is of primary importance.  A broad approach to student development and to addressing the needs of a diverse student population is the major responsibility of every instructor.

B.  Full-time faculty are evaluated based on performance in these areas:

1.   Teaching

a.	Class Load
b.	Office Hours
c.	General Teaching Responsibilities
d.	Institutional Student Outcomes

2.   College Responsibilities

a.	Routine Responsibilities
b.	Major College Responsibilities

3.   Instructional Improvement

a.	Teaching and Learning Improvement
b.	Professional Development
c.	Program Development (optional)

C.  Howard Community College is committed to maximizing student learning and success.  To accomplish this goal, all faculty are expected to perform at a meritorious level.  The expectations for meritorious level performance are as follows:

1.  Class Load

Each faculty member is expected to teach 14 - 16 units per semester.  Over the course of two consecutive years, a faculty member is expected to average 30 units per year.  When administrative or other duties are assigned beyond the normal workload expectations, a class load reduction may be granted by the vice president of academic affairs.                                                

Units are calculated as follows:

¹ This assumes that each member of the team is in the class at least 50% of the time.  The unit value may be more or less depending on the time commitment of the team members.

² Large classes must be approved by the vice president of academic affairs.  The unit value may be more or less than 1.5 depending on the nature of the class.  A large class is normally 45 or more students.

Unique Credits:

Every attempt will be made to ensure that no faculty member teaches more than 9 unique credits in a semester.  When possible, only 6 or 7 unique credits will be assigned.  When a faculty member is required by the division chair to teach 12 or 13 unique credits, this will constitute a full class load (15 units) for the semester.  Only under the most unusual circumstances would a faculty member be expected to or be permitted to teach 4 unique preps on a regular basis.

Every attempt will be made to ensure that no faculty member teaches more than 18 unique credits a year.  When a faculty member is required by the division chair to teach more than 18 unique credits in a year, a decision will be made by the vice president of academic affairs as to whether an additional course load reduction will be awarded.

2.  Office Hours

Faculty are expected to maintain at least five office hours scheduled over at least four days per week.

3.  General Teaching Responsibilities

Faculty are expected to demonstrate quality teaching by:

a.	clearly communicating to students at the beginning of a course what they are expected to learn (course descriptions, syllabi, the grading system, and the learning objectives, attendance policy etc.).
b.	promoting effective student learning through assignments and class activities including the use of a variety of instructional techniques designed to meet student needs, promoting  active and independent learning, and promoting higher-order thinking.
c.	treating students with respect and being responsive to their needs.
d.	holding classes at the scheduled time for the full period, except for emergency situations.
e.	maintaining attendance records (in accordance with individual faculty member's attendance policies) and accurate scholastic records and submitting required reports to meet deadlines, including submission of final grades by the published deadline.
f.	teaching evening classes as part of regular load when assigned and at least once every two years within the needs of each division.
g.	conducting assigned classes in accordance with the catalog and course description and objectives for the course.
h.	developing methods of assessing student learning as specified in the objectives and providing feedback to students in a timely manner.
i.	preparing, ordering, and updating normal classroom materials (including new textbooks) in accordance with established deadlines, including routine handouts, audiovisual equipment, library materials, bibliographies, reading lists, textbooks, software etc.
j.	completing administrative duties in accordance with the administrative job description when assigned in lieu of a full teaching load.

4.   Institutional Assessment of Student Outcomes

Faculty are expected to participate in the development and implementation of plans to measure student learning.  These measures will be focused on learning in the total educational program of a student and will include measures of value-added projects and comparisons with national and/or regional data.  If deficiencies are found, faculty are expected to participate in program or course modifications designed to improve student learning in the areas of deficiency.  As needed by the division, the faculty will participate in approved learning outcomes assessment projects.

5.   Routine Responsibilities

Faculty are expected to attend and actively participate in meetings, stay informed, respond promptly to requests for information, participate in commencement ceremonies and other significant institutional events, work cooperatively, respectfully, and effectively with peers, support staff, and administrators, use appropriate communication channels, carry out other tasks vital to the institution.  These activities normally take 60 hours yearly.

6.   Major Responsibilities                                                         

Faculty are expected to spend around 80 hours yearly on activities selected from the following list:

a.	Academic advising
b.	Coordination of part-time faculty
c.	Program development and maintenance including advisory committees, student programs, recruitment, developing brochures, etc.
d.	Serving on college committees, including search committees
e.	Participating in community activities
f.	Advising student groups
g.	Serving as a mentor or peer partner consultant
h.	Presentation of staff development programs
i.	Other activities of benefit to the division or college, including assigned administrative responsibilities

Every effort will be made to let faculty select activities from this category.  However, once every three years the faculty should participate in some college-wide activity or community service.  Also, the division chair may need to make specific assignments in order to ensure that the work of the division and college can be accomplished.  This may include assignment to special projects of no more than 20 hours in length.  When possible, special projects beyond 20 hours will be assigned as negotiated projects.

D.  Faculty are expected to spend around 140 hours per year in a combination of teaching improvement, professional development, and program development activities.  Both professional development activities and a teaching improvement project must be completed each year.  Program development activities are optional depending on the needs of the individual faculty member's program.  Every three years (or the equivalent in multiple years) a substantial portion of the time in this category should be spent in professional development activities designed to update knowledge and skills and must involve significant off-campus activities.

1.  Teaching and Learning Improvement

A teaching and learning improvement project with a feedback component is required each year.  Although not all teaching improvement activities in this category require a feedback component, at least one activity each year must include a feedback component.

Examples of teaching and learning improvement activities:

a.	major revisions of existing materials
b.	development of new materials
c.	teaching assessment projects (previously the Quality Project and alternatives)
d.	classroom research
e.	value-added projects
f.	phases 1 and 2 of systems or other phases of systems
g.	peer partnership project
h.	a specially designed project

Student ratings and other information about teaching will be used to determine the type of teaching and learning improvement project that a faculty member may select.

If student ratings on the three summary ratings of the IDEA Student Evaluation System are at least average and assuming that the division chair has no additional negative information about the quality of instruction, faculty may select the type of teaching and learning improvement project or projects to be completed.  At least one project must include a feedback component on how effective the project was in improving learning.  Only a brief summary of the project and results are required to be submitted for evaluation as part of the faculty annual plan and summary.

If student ratings on the three summary ratings of the IDEA Student Evaluation System are below average or if the division chair has other documented information leading to concern about the quality of instruction, the faculty member and division chair will complete an analysis and interpretation of student evaluation data and other data to determine whether an improvement is needed in specific areas.  If the division chair concludes, based on the analysis of all available data, that improvement is needed in a specific area, the faculty member must develop and implement a project designed to improve teaching and learning in this area.  The project must include a significant data collection component designed to gain information on the problem or to measure improvement in the area.  The summary submitted for evaluation will be more extensive (usually a minimum of 5 pages) and will include a description of the improvement project, relevant data and an analysis of the data, and samples of appropriate materials.

In cases where a faculty member has been granted a course load reduction of fifty percent or more to perform administrative duties, the improvement project in this category might, with the approval of the vice president of academic affairs, be a project designed to improve the division or other area to which the administrator is assigned.  In determining the type of project, the vice president of academic affairs will consider student evaluations, evaluations by staff, and other evidence related to the quality of instruction and the quality of administration and leadership in determining the type of project to be completed.

2.  Professional Development

Participation in professional development activities is required each year.  Every third year (or the equivalent in multiple years) a substantial portion of the time in the instructional improvement category should be spent in professional development activities designed to update knowledge and skills and must involve significant off-campus activities.

In the area of professional development faculty may select one or more of the following:

a.	Attending conferences, seminars, or workshops
b.	Writing articles or books
c.	Graduate study or other relevant courses
d.	Internships or clinical practice
e.	Performing/Exhibition
f.	Practical work in technical fields
g.	Participating in a peer partnership project
h.	Reading current professional journals and books
i.	Reviewing articles or books for publishers or publication
j.	Participating in organized professional discussions with other faculty
k.	Other projects agreed upon between the faculty member and division chair

(In the year of significant professional development, no more than fifty percent of staff development activities can be chosen from letters h, i, and j.)

3.  Program Development

This category is not required, but faculty may choose to use a portion of the 140 hours in the instructional improvement category to develop and maintain programs based on need in existing and proposed programs.

E.  Adjunct faculty responsibilities

1.   Adjunct faculty do not typically have responsibility for academic advising, coordination of other adjunct faculty, program development, outcomes assessment projects, serving on college committees, advising student groups, serving as mentors and peer consultants, or presentation of staff development programs.  In instances where any of these activities need to be a part of an adjunct faculty's responsibilities, a supplemental contract will be negotiated specifying those additional responsibilities.

2.  Adjunct faculty are not required to but are invited to attend division meetings, convocations, commencement ceremonies and other significant institutional events.

3.  Adjunct faculty are expected to demonstrate quality teaching by:

a.	clearly communicating to students at the beginning of a course what they are to learn (course descriptions, syllabi, the grading system, and the learning objectives, attendance policy etc.).
b.	promoting effective student learning through assignments and class activities including the use of a variety of instructional techniques designed to meet student needs, promoting  active and independent learning, and promoting higher-order thinking.
c.	treating students with respect and being responsive to their needs.
d.	holding classes at the scheduled time for the full period, except for emergency situations.
e.	maintaining attendance records  and accurate scholastic records and submitting required reports to meet deadlines, including submission of final grades by the published deadline.
f.	conducting assigned classes in accordance with the catalog and course description and objectives for the course.
g.	developing methods of assessing student learning as specified in the objectives and providing feedback to students in a timely manner.
h.	preparing, ordering, and updating normal classroom materials (including new textbooks) in accordance with established deadlines, including routine handouts, audiovisual equipment, library materials, bibliographies, reading lists, textbooks, software etc.
i.	completing negotiated responsibilities, where applicable, in accordance with the supplemental contract.

4.   Adjunct faculty interested in attaining the senior adjunct instructor or master adjunct instructor level must fulfill the requirements of the adjunct faculty development program for that level.

Policy Manual Review/Revision:  7/1/00 
President’s Office Review:  8/22/08