Promotion to Teaching Professor

Indiana University Kokomo Statement Concerning Criteria for Promotion to Teaching Professor

In 2017, Indiana University President McRobbie requested that the IU system create a third rank for the lecturer track “to provide stronger career paths that recognize the professionalism of these important and growing segments of IU’s instructional community.” On June 14, 2019, the Trustees of Indiana University approved the addition of the third tier: Teaching Professor. Promotion to the rank of Teaching Professor is to begin in the 2020- 2021 academic year.

The following FACET-inspired document offers guidance for the promotion of individuals from Senior Lecturer to Teaching Professor by the Teaching Professor Steering Committee at Indiana University Kokomo.

Teaching Excellence beyond Senior Lecturer

As senior lecturers are required to stay current in their discipline and pedagogy, but not required to seek promotion to Teaching Professor, the evidence supporting promotion should demonstrate not only the excellent teaching typically expected of a senior lecturer but continued pedagogical and discipline-related professional growth. To qualify as a Teaching Professor, we believe the candidate must have a record of accomplishment that advances the teaching mission of Indiana University Kokomo.

Indiana University Kokomo is a learning focused campus that emphasizes engaged students, inspired faculty, and continuous improvement of faculty. To engage students, Indiana University Kokomo creates a learning environment that fosters teacher-student, studentstudent, and student-content interactions and relationships. This environment includes inspired teachers—a faculty unified in a culture of teaching and learning excellence. The faculty pursue continuous improvement in a community of scholars, studying and contributing to the knowledge about learning and teaching. Therefore, all candidates for promotion to Teaching Professor must demonstrate a compelling record of teaching activities at Indiana University Kokomo to pursue these foci: engaged students, inspired faculty, and continuous improvement.

There is more than one way to demonstrate continued teaching excellence beyond the promotion to Senior Lecturer. While there are many ways to categorize excellence, it will be helpful to review the candidate’s dossier in three main categories: Curricular Development and Leadership, Service in Support of Learning and Teaching, and Research in Support of Learning and Teaching (SOTL). A candidate may be promoted to Teaching Professor based on evidence in one category alone if work in that category is exceptional, or the candidate may be promoted based on evidence across any combination of categories.

We also believe that all candidates for promotion to Teaching Professor must document student learning. Direct evidence of impact on student learning is stronger and will be weighted much more heavily than indirect evidence (e.g. student evaluation data).

Teaching awards or any other teaching-related recognition should be considered as general evidence of excellence that amplifies other evidence. Naturally, the more prestigious the award, the more it will amplify other evidence.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of items that can be used to document student learning

• Analysis and reflection of assessment results from completed exams, papers, projects, portfolios, or assignments that demonstrate achievement of specified learning outcomes
• Pre- and post-knowledge tests
• Mid-semester student feedback
• Student course evaluations
• Unsolicited student comments
• Course materials that demonstrate the application of evidence-based best practices involving backwards course design, assessments, instructional materials, course activities, learner interaction, learner support, course technology, and accessibility and usability
• Data from a formal course review by a trained peer reviewer
• Teaching awards (e.g., Trustees Teaching Awards, department or campus-based teaching awards, FACET membership, disciplinary teaching awards)

Curricular Development and Leadership

All faculty in the Teaching Professor rank (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Teaching Professor) are required to stay current in pedagogy and their discipline. Attainment of a terminal degree is one potential piece of evidence for promotion to Teaching Professor. However, attainment of an additional degree should not be an expectation as other factors may individually or jointly establish curricular leadership and qualification for promotion to Teaching Professor.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of factors that may be considered in support of curricular development and leadership.

• Working with colleagues to develop new majors, minors, and certificates
• Transforming an existing course or develop a new course to include diversity, service learning, civic engagement, experiential learning, active learning, first year experience, just-in-time teaching, flipped classroom, high impact educational practices, etc.
• Developing new courses that contribute to the curriculum
• Receiving campus curriculum development grants
• Chairing discipline-based pedagogy interest groups
• Participating in high-level campus discussions or university level discussions of pedagogy-related issues
• Writing and publishing SoTL and/or other instructional publications (e.g., peer reviewed articles, book chapters, textbooks, workbooks, manuals, digital works, and edited volumes)
• Participating in departmental reviews and program assessment of learning

This category will tend to be related to leadership and mentorship within the candidate’s department, division, and/or school.

Service in Support of Learning and Teaching

As faculty progress in their careers, their contributions will frequently change in nature, spreading beyond the classroom.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of activities that may be considered as service in support of teaching and learning.

• Peer review(s) of teaching or reviewing teaching-related materials and / or products 
• Mentoring of faculty
• Drafting student recommendation letters, particularly for scholarships, graduate programs, and employment
• Supervising or leading student service-learning, experiential-learning, or practicebased learning
• Service to the community that contributes to the outreach activities of the campus and furthers knowledge in the candidate’s discipline
• Supervising student independent study and research
• Supervising student presentations, publications, projects, or initiatives
• Supervising student participation in academic competitions

The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional activities that may be considered as service in support of teaching and learning.

• Nominations of teachers and/or students to renowned awards, scholarships, or leadership positions
• Service on relevant departmental committees or task forces related to teaching
• Serving on search committees
• Service in professional organizations related to teaching (e.g., officer in an organization, conference organizer, or organizer of conference sessions
• Reviewer for referred pedagogical journals, conferences, textbooks, etc.
• Participating on pedagogical journal advisory boards
• Managing faculty learning communities or communities of practice
• Participating on advisory boards and steering committees or organizations recognized for pedagogical leadership
• Student-facing campus service(s) (e.g. sponsoring or advising clubs)
• Guest lecturing
• Service on teaching awards selection committees
• Supporting and mentoring student-athletes
• Leadership in regional, national, or international groups dedicated to pedagogical innovation or excellence
• Service awards or other service-related recognition

Research in Support of Learning and Teaching

Research in support of teaching helps the university, and more largely the community of scholars work to improve teaching and learning. This research is a possible third category in which Senior Lecturers can demonstrate continued growth and evidence for promotion.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of indicators for research that demonstrate support of teaching and learning.

• Receipt of grant(s) for teaching innovation(s) or improvements or for applied research on teaching in the candidate’s discipline
• Developing and presenting a campus workshop on an instructional activity or pedagogical practice
• Presenting SoTL or other teaching-related research at local, regional, or national teaching conferences
• Presenting your SoTL or other teaching-related work at other campuses as an invited speaker
• Conducting SoTL research on courses you have taught and revised multiple times
• Conducting SoTL research on newly developed courses to assess how this course is meeting departmental student learning outcomes
• Participating as a reviewer for teaching-related scholarly journals or other service to teaching-related scholarly publications
• Writing and publishing SoTL and/or other instructional publications (e.g., peer reviewed articles, book chapters, textbooks, workbooks, manuals, digital works, and edited volumes)

In addition to the above criteria for promotion from Senior Lecturer to Teaching Professor, we recommend that, when applicable, academic units, departments, or divisions create their own discipline-specific criteria to supplement our provisional and non-exhaustive criteria.

Approved by the Teaching Professor Task Force on November 8, 2019.

Stephanie Medley-Rath, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Chair of the Teaching Professor Task Force, Vice President of Faculty Senate

Melinda Stanley, Lecturer of Allied Health Sciences

Gloria Preece, Senior Lecturer of Business

Cheryl Beyioku, Lecturer in Special Education

Lenora Maze, Lecturer in Nursing

Linda Krause, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics

Brooke Komar, Visiting Lecturer of Psychology

Scott Blackwell, Lecturer in Philosophy

Yamini Bellare, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology

Teaching Professor Advisory Board

Constructed from members of the former Teaching Professor Task force is a resource for P&T committees that need help interpreting the guidelines for promotion to Teaching Professor and for Senior Lecturers looking to go up for Teaching Professor.

2020 members:

• Stephanie Medley-Rath
• Cheryl Beyioku
• Melinda Stanley
• Gloria Preece
• BrookeKomar
• Scott Blackwell