In the Dietrich School, responsibility for the development and implementation of policies concerning mandatory student and peer evaluation of teaching has been decentralized to departments. The mandate for these policies stems from recommendations made by the Senate Council and endorsed by the University's central administration. Guidelines for Dietrich School departments were provided by the Dean's Office in September 1994; there was a follow-up in October 1994 with clarifications and some modifications. According to these documents:
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Each full-time faculty member has to establish, and maintain current, a teaching portfolio. It should contain a working draft of the faculty member's teaching philosophy and goals; course materials such as syllabi, reading lists, instructional software, and examinations; proposals for new courses, instructional programs, and/or innovative instructional materials; records of independent study projects with undergraduate and graduate students; and peer and student evaluations of teaching.
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Teaching philosophy and goals: Faculty dossiers should include the type of statement that has become a standard part of the promotion dossiers prepared by Assistant and Associate Professors. To the extent that such a statement includes mention of specific approaches to and goals of teaching, it could also be of help to colleagues who wish to share information about different approaches to teaching or who are asked to observe a class for the purpose of evaluating teaching effectiveness.
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The evaluation of a faculty member's teaching effectiveness has to involve both student and peer evaluations and include an assessment of the teaching that takes place outside the classroom, especially the supervision of graduate student research.
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Student evaluations: Each faculty member will be responsible for having an adequate number of their courses evaluated and for submitting a representative sample of course evaluations to their Department Chair, according to the department's implementation plan. Evaluations by the Office of Measurement and Evaluation are recommended and encouraged, but departments and faculty members also may design their own evaluation instruments. When this is the case, the Department Chair is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the evaluations.
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Peer evaluations: Departments must have written policies for peer evaluation of teaching. Peer evaluation should take place regularly and include a review of the individual's teaching portfolio. In practice, peer evaluation often involves classroom visits, but classroom visits are not mandatory.
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Results of student and peer evaluations have to be discussed with the evaluated faculty member in a timely fashion, either by the Department Chair or their designate in charge of supervising peer evaluations in the department.
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Teaching effectiveness has to be taken into consideration in decisions pertaining to faculty hiring, contract renewal, promotion, tenure, and salary increments.