I. II. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS Date: July 8, 1981 To: Faculty Senate From: Phil Adler, Chair Membership of the Committee: Ex officio: Chancellor Thomas Brewer; Thomas Johnson, Chair of the Faculty; Myra Cain, appointed representative for Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Angelo Volpe, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Eugenia Zallen, Dean of one undergraduate professional school (Home Economics) and Walter Pories, Vice Chair of the Faculty. Philip Adler, History 1981 Thomas Eamon, Political Science 1981 Louise Sammons, Nursing 1981 Rosalie Haritun, Music 1981 Robert Graham, Psychology 1981 John Longhill, Marketing and Management 1982 Pat Pertalion, Drama 1982 Connie Tindell, Education 1983 Kenneth Wilson, Sociology/ Anthropology 1983 Meetings and Members Absent: October 1, 1980 Brewer, Volpe, Cain, Pories October. 15, Pories October 29, Brewer, Porites, Volpe, Tindell November 19 Brewer, Pories, Cain January 29, 1981 Brewer, Volpe, Pories, Zallen, Cain and Tindell February 5 Brewer, Volpe, Pories, and Cain February 19 Sammons, Brewer, Volpe, Cain and Pories March 5 Brewer; Volpe and Zallen (absences excused) ._.€ain, Pories and Graham and Pertalion April 16 June 15 (approval of Annual Report--no minutes) Reports to Faculty Senate: March 17, 1981 (see attached) Specific Instructions to Committee from Faculty Senate: The Senate Committee on Committees developed a new charge for the committee, in response to the committee's appeal dating from 1979. A previous revision of the charge was rejected by the Chancellor. The present revision is under consideration by the committee. Brief Statement of Committee Organization, Subcommittees, et.: The committee had two subcommittees, a) for Teaching Awards and Improvement, and b) for Student Evaluation Procedures. The entire committee participated in the screening of grant applications in the academic year, and six members participated in the Summer Grants Committee. Committee Accomplishments: 1. Further revised the proposed student evaluation-of-teaching questionnaire and collaborated with the University admuinistra- tion in devising final product. Determined two nominees for Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awurds Evaluated proposals for teaching effectiveness grants and recommended same to Vice Chancellor Evaluated proposals for Summer Grants, in collaboration with University Research Committee Proposed to Faculty Senate the division of the present com- mittee into two new committees:. one for the promotion of teaching effectiveness, and the other for the development of evaluation instruments and the award of grants. 6. Proposed to the administration the abolition of the present Summer Grants committee and its replacement by a standing committee. Resolutions originating with the Committee: None Proposals and Business Carried Over to Next Year: The creation of a new committee for Awards and Evaluation The proposal to the Administration for a Faculty Development Center on campus The integration of the Alumni Awards into the new evaluation instrument Evaluation of Committee Functions: A. Structure: The Committee has proposed the creation of a new committee on Awards and Evaluation. B. Duties: Under present charge, definitely too many for effective work C. Functions: There is not enough time for devising means to improve teaching effectiveness as the committee charge now stands, and a majority of the committee feels that there should be a distinction between the evaluative function and the promotion of classroom effectiveness. Personnel: Due in part to circumstances beyond anyone's control, there was insufficient participation of administrators in the committee's work. Student members were almost always absent. Suggestions for the future: The CET cannot adequately handle the various tasks it is charged with; in the conflict of demands on its members" time, & the promotion of classroom performance invariably takes a backseat to the deadlines attached to the awarding of grants and the development of ques- tionnaires. The solution of this problem can only lie in the sloughing off of those duties to another body. Phil Adler, Chair Attachment to Annual Report of the Committee for Teaching Effectiveness * TO: ECU Faculty Senate FROM: Committee for Teaching Effectiveness, Phil Adler, Chair DATE: March 17, 1981 As in recent years, the Committee has been preoccupied this year by two aspects of its charge; the award of grants for improvement of teaching by individual faculty, and the preparation and oversight of student ques- tionnaires or polls regarding teaching performance in the classroom. In connection with the first topic, the committee puts forth two semi- annual calls for applications for teaching effectiveness grants. Using funds from the Academic Affairs Office, the committee has recommended avards ranging from one hundred to two thousand dollars to various fatulty for:projects which best met the criteria developed both by the committee and the Vice Chancellor for innovative and adaptable ideas aimed at im- provement of teaching techniques and method. These criteria are the subject of continuing discussion between the committee and the Vice Chan- cellor, particularly as they pertain to the fine arts faculty. Besides the two calls for regular academic year ugrants, the CTE is a partner with the University Research Committee in the awarding of grants for projects to be completed during the summer. These grants currently are screened and recommended by an ad hoc committee composed of members of both permanent committees. The annual student poll for outstanding teachers, funded by the Office for Alumni Affairs, has just be completed, and the results will be announced at the Fall general faculty meeting via the award of two prizes of $500 each to the winners. The development of a comprehensive student questionnaire on teaching per- formance in the classroom has been completed by the CTE in the last few weeks. This questionnaire is the end result of two years of work by the committee, using various inputs from other campuses, faculty eval- uation centers, and a series of hearings of faculty opinion in the Fall of 1979. Its final form and content has been worked out in negotiation with the University administration. The questionnaire will be given a pilot run during the first summer session and distributed campus-wide in the final weeks of the coming fall semester. It will constitute one part of the evaluation process for teaching performance by campus admin- istrators and will be incorporated into the faculty member's personnel file. Every effort has been undertaken to assure the appropriateness and fairness of this questionnaire to varying teaching situations and classroom goals. Revisions will be undertaken as and when necessary, by the committee at the request of either faculty or administration. It is the understanding of the committee that the results of the question- naire will not be used for personnel actions until Appendix C of the Faculty Handbook, embracing grievance procedures and appeals, has come into force. It is also the understanding of the committee that the results of the questionnaire for any individual will be made known routinely only to the individual and to his immediate supervisor, normally the unit chair. There will be no ranking of faculty either by unit or among units. Frequency of distribution, whether annually or by semester, is yet un- decided and will depend on costs. Committee Recommendations The CTE has voted to recommend to the Senate Committee on Committees that: l. A new faculty-elected committee be formed to oversee the award of teaching effectiveness grants and awards of any type for distinguished teaching, as well as the administration and revision of the student questionnaire on teaching per- formance. The current CIE would continue to function but devote itself exclusively to what is supposed to be its pri- mary task: the assistance to the faculty in developing greater effectiveness in the classroom. The existing system of award of summer grants through an ad hoc committee be abolished, and replaced by giving the two permanent committees full jurisdiction over grants within their respective competencies. Simultaneously, we are recommending to the Vice Chancellor an immediate and intensive effort to provide funding for a Faculty Development Office which would provide at least a modest staff and space to assist faculty desiring knowledge or practice in topics related to improvement of their classroom effectiveness. We believe that such an office should begin its functions simultaneously with the use of the student questionnaire on a mandatory basis for personnel action. Finally, we will recommend to the Alumni Office that the existing awards for outstanding teachers be based upon another system of polling, pos- sibly incorporating elements of the new questionnaire, plus some type of collegial opinion-taking; and that the current student poll be abolished after this year's awards.