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Criteria for Teaching Graduate Courses

Approved
Meet and Discuss
September 1986
Revised 1989
Revised 1995
Revised 2005

Preamble

Graduate education can flourish only in a climate in which faculty scholarship and quality teaching are expected and encouraged. To sustain a graduate culture requires a genuine commitment to scholarship in all its forms as well as to effective teaching and advising. The criteria presented below reflect this philosophy. These standards are considered to be the minimum necessary. Faculty are encouraged to exceed these standards individually and collectively. Departments may recommend criteria that exceed these standards to Meet and Discuss for approval.

In establishing these criteria IUP also intends:

1. To demonstrate to external accreditation bodies and to ourselves that IUP regards scholarship as important and necessary to graduate education and, through the criteria, has a systematic approach to monitor scholarship productivity.
2. To provide support for faculty to meet the criteria, for the enhancement of graduate programs, and for fostering a graduate culture.

I. Criteria

There are three sets of criteria for teaching graduate courses. The standard used in applying the criteria vary according to the eligibility level sought (see Part II, below). The three criteria categories are:

1. Earned degree;
2. Graduate teaching effectiveness and fulfillment of professional responsibilities;
3. Scholarly productivity.

II. Eligibility Levels

Faculty members may apply for one of two eligibility levels. These levels are doctoral and master's. Faculty members need not apply for eligibility to teach dual level courses.

1. Eligibility for teaching doctoral level courses. Responsibilities at this level include:

   1. Eligible to teach master's level courses and those 600 and 700 level courses on the list of approved doctoral level courses.
   2. Eligible to serve as the Coordinator of the Doctoral Program.
   3. Eligible to supervise doctoral dissertations and master's theses.
2. Eligibility for teaching master's level courses. Responsibilities at this level include:
   1. Eligible to teach master's level courses.
   2. Eligible to serve as Coordinator of Master's Programs.
   3. Eligible to supervise master's theses and to serve on doctoral dissertation committees.

III. Standards for Eligibility for Teaching Doctoral Level Courses

1. Terminal degree.
   
   Applicants for teaching doctoral courses must have earned a doctorate, appropriate to the degree being granted, from an institution accredited at the time they received their degree.
   
   Those individuals who do not possess the doctorate but believe that they have special teaching or research expertise may also apply through the procedures for exceptional cases described in Section VI.
2. Graduate teaching effectiveness and fulfillment of professional responsibilities.
   
   Effective teaching ability is a necessary condition for approval to teach graduate level courses. Applicants must submit the following evidence from graduate courses (undergraduate course may be used if graduate courses have not been taught) taught in the five year period prior to the initial application or the Performance Review year: student evaluations, peer evaluations, departmental assignments, and, when appropriate, the quality of theses and dissertations supervised.
3. Scholarly activity. The categories provided in this section are the accepted forms of activity from the five year period prior to the initial application or the Performance Review year. An applicant is expected to show evidence of at least one scholarly work from C.1 and at least one quality scholarly work from C.2 and at least one scholarly work from either C.3 or C.4. Additional substantive scholarly work from C.1. may substitute for presentations in C.2 with the recommendation of the GRC and the department chairperson. Publications of extraordinary quality are to be treated with discretion and may require special consideration by the GRC, the department chairperson, and the graduate dean, in consultation with the College dean. Departments may recommend additional items for C.4 which are unique to the discipline and of equal value to C.4 a-b.

IV. Standards for Eligibility for Teaching Master's Level Courses

A. Degree

Applicants for teaching master's level courses must possess a doctoral degree or a master's degree appropriate to the degree being granted from an institution accredited at the time the degree was received. Those individuals who do not possess an appropriate degree but believe they have special teaching or research expertise may also apply through the procedure described in Section VI.

B. Graduate teaching effectiveness and fulfillment of professional responsibilities.

Effective teaching ability is a necessary condition for approval to teach graduate level courses. Applicants must submit the following evidence from graduate courses (undergraduate course may be used in graduate courses have not been taught) taught in the five year period prior to the initial application of the Performance Review year: student evaluations, peer evaluations, departmental assignments, and, when appropriate, the quality of theses supervised.

C. Scholarly activity. The categories provided in this section are the accepted forms of activity from the five year period prior to the initial application or the Performance Review year. An applicant is expected to show evidence of at least one scholarly work from either C.1 or C.2 and at least one scholarly work from either C.3 or C.4. Publications of extraordinary quality are to be treated with discretion and may require special consideration by the GRC, the department chairperson, and the graduate dean, in consultation with the College dean. Departments may recommend additional items for C.4 which are unique to the discipline and of equal value to C.4 a-b.

1. Publications
   1. Research, theoretical, or tutorial articles published in refereed journals; textbooks, theoretical or other professional books, and/or chapters in edited textbooks published by a national publisher and reviewed by peers.
   2. Research, theoretical, or tutorial articles in non-refereed journals.
   3. Research, theoretical, or tutorial monographs published by regional or national organizations.
   4. Refereed or juried artistic activities or non-print productions appropriate to the discipline.
2. Presentations and Grants
   1. Research, theoretical, or tutorial presentations at international, national, or multi-state regional conferences sponsored by organizations such as professional associations, governmental agencies, foundations, or universities.
   2. Similar papers presented at state or multi-state regional conferences or conventions.
   3. Funded grants external to IUP/SSHE.
   4. The presentation of art, music, or theater in public places away from the immediate campus community.
3. Professional Service
   1. Relevant consulting or contract work in the areas of disciplinary and research expertise appropriate to the field.
   2. Relevant professional practice in the areas of disciplinary and research expertise appropriate to the field.
   3. Leadership activity in professional associations.
4. Other Evidence, including but not limited to:
   1. Editorial involvement for state, regional, or national publications.
   2. Funded IUP/SSHE grants.

V. Appointment and Review Procedures

Each department offering graduate programs and/or courses will annually elect a Graduate Review Committee (GRC) from the regular full-time faculty. This committee will be elected according to procedures established by the department. Consistent with the procedures established for tenure and promotion, a faculty member may not deliberate on his/her own application. The procedures for electing the committee will be placed on file in the Graduate School. Only faculty approved to teach graduate courses are eligible for election to the Graduate Review Committee.

A copy of the duly completed application for eligibility to teach graduate courses will be submitted to the GRC, who will be responsible for reviewing and verifying the information contained in the applications. The GRC's recommendations, along with the application and the support material, will be forwarded to the department chair, who in turn will review and render individual recommendations and further forward the application to the Graduate Dean who, after consulting with the college dean when necessary, will make the final decision.

All information for the review process will be taken from the five academic years previous to the review year. While supporting materials need not accompany the application form, the GRC, the chairperson and the Graduate Dean can request documentation from the applicant as evidence that the criteria have been met.

Whenever there is a disagreement between the GRC and the chairperson, the Graduate Dean will meet with the applicant, the GRC Chair and the chairperson to resolve the differences and to insure that the criteria were followed. The Graduate Dean will have the option of holding individual or collective meetings. The Graduate Dean will then make the final decision after these consultations.

A tenured faculty member who is approved to teach graduate courses will then enter into a normal review process according to the Performance Review cycle determined by the CBA. The application submitted to the Graduate Review Committee and the department chairperson for this review process will reflect the previous five years and will be evaluated by the procedures described above. The GRC will have the right to review the supporting documents submitted to the Performance Review Committee. Thus, the faculty member being evaluated will only have to prepare one set of supporting documents. Tenured faculty who receive approval in the year prior to the performance review year will be approved for a six year period.

Probationary faculty may apply at any point in the probationary cycle, including the appointment year. They will be re-evaluated during their tenure year regardless of the year of their initial approval so that subsequent reviews will be coordinated with Performance Review years. With the approval of the department, search committees may serve as the GRC for individuals who have applied for permanent, tenure-track positions. Eligibility, however, will be only for the first year of appointment. During the first year of appointment, the faculty member must reapply to the GRC.

Faculty members denied approval to participate in graduate programs during the initial year or review years may reapply at any time that he/she has new and pertinent evidence for consideration.

This review process is distinct from the promotion and tenure review processes. Tenure and promotion committees should not use the decisions of the GRC in their deliberations.

VI. Exemptions

1. Exemptions from the degree requirement must receive approval from the Graduate Dean prior to applying for permission to teach graduate courses.
2. A waiver from the scholarly activity requirement may be granted by the Graduate Dean to a faculty member to teach a highly specialized course or to meet an emergency. The waiver shall be granted on a semester by semester basis after consultation with the GRC, department chairperson, and dean of the College.

VII. Visiting and Temporary Faculty

Visiting and temporary faculty who have been employed through the standard hiring practices can be approved to teach graduate courses by the Graduate Dean upon the recommendation of the department chairperson.

VIII. Implementation

These criteria become effective in the fall semester of the 2005 academic year.

IX. Evaluation

A review of these criteria and the extent to which adequate support is being provided will be conducted during the 2010-2011 academic year.