The Austin Community College District (ACC) values quality teaching and a learning environment that supports the continuous enhancement of the professional skills of its faculty. The purpose of faculty evaluation is to support exemplary teaching through a process that is transparent, fair, formative, and results in actionable information faculty can use for continuous enhancement of teaching and student learning and success for all students.

The following four principles which champion quality teaching and student learning form the foundation of the faculty evaluation process:

• • Adopt a 360° view of faculty teaching that includes the voices of students, colleagues (other faculty, supervisors, and deans), and self-reflection to provide formative as well as summative feedback.
  • Acknowledge the different career trajectories that faculty work takes and provide within the evaluation system greater flexibility to address these varied experiences of faculty.
  • Incorporate ACC Faculty Values to provide a better reflection of the breadth of a faculty member’s role at ACC and to develop a stronger connection to the mission and priorities of the College.
  • Establish collegewide expectations for teaching at ACC through the adoption of an exemplary teaching statement.

These four principles are supported by various parts of the evaluation process. The ACC Exemplary Teaching Statement is fundamental to the faculty evaluation process. Faculty self-reflection forms the basis for course planning and development. Student feedback can provide insight into this work as well as aiding in the continuous enhancement of faculty teaching, providing perspective on how teaching practices are perceived from the student viewpoint. Peer review and input from the Department Chair offers faculty additional specific feedback to enhance the quality of their teaching.

The faculty evaluation process is conducted primarily during the fall semester over the preceding academic year. Full-time faculty who have taught at the college for 3 years or less will be evaluated during the summer semester prior to the fall during which they would otherwise be evaluated. Additionally, supervisors or faculty themselves may request a follow-up evaluation of course materials, student feedback and faculty response, and the Faculty Reflection Form prior to the next scheduled annual evaluation, as part of a Performance Improvement Plan, for example.

The following pages are detailed explanations of the evaluation process.