Understanding WCU's Evaluation
Policies for Adjuncts
Overview
Though systematic and laid out in APSCUF’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the evaluation
process at West Chester University of PA can be confusing and feel overwhelming, especially
for those who are first going through the process. It’s important to remember that, even though
you’ve been primarily hired to teach, the CBA mandates that your hiring department evaluate
you for all three categories of professional service: teaching, scholarly development, and
university/professional service. These three sections form the backbone of the department’s
evaluation report, so keep in mind how you’ll represent yourself in all three of these categories.
If your department doesn’t provide you with a clear sense of their expectations for activities that
represent growth and contribution in scholarly/professional development and
university/professional service, it’s a good idea to ask them for that information before you
submit your materials. The evaluation process requires you to submit an updated CV, and (even
if they don’t ask for it) it’s a good idea to include a one-page list of your highlights in the
teaching, scholarship, and service categories so that your department and chair evaluators can
have a clear and efficient picture of your accomplishments for the period under review.
Here is the checklist for the evaluation procedure used for one-year, full-time adjuncts, and here
it is for part-time adjuncts with a full-year contract. Here is the checklist for adjuncts on
one-semester contracts. These will provide you a rough guide for the entire process. To see
examples of the other evaluation documents that will be used in your process, refer to the
Evaluation section of the Provost’s “Forms and Policies” webpage, and the links below.
Teaching
1. Classroom Observations
Observation Overview
As part of the contractually mandated adjunct evaluation process, all faculty who teach for West
Chester University must be observed while teaching. Adjuncts will be observed by tenure-track
faculty members and/or the chair of the department, depending on teaching load. See the
Contract Schedule for Observations located on both the Instructor D2L page and the Provost’s
page for details on what is required for each faculty member.
The observers are going to note the following aspects of your teaching: subject expertise, value
and implementation of objectives, teaching skill, and rapport with students. Ask your department
for the observation form that they use in advance, as these often vary by department. It will help
you to understand what to expect and how to prepare for the observation. To gain a better
understanding of the guidance given to departments on peer observations, see this memo from
the Provost’s Office which contains some useful examples.
For all adjunct faculty, a tenure track faculty member will schedule observation pairings (often
the schedule is sent by the chair or assistant chair). The completed observation reports are
used as data during for your annual evaluation.
Scheduling the Observations
Early the semester, you will receive an email informing you who has been assigned to observe
you. Some faculty may have more than one observation per semester. Those assigned to you
have also been notified. The faculty member may contact you, but you should be proactive and
contact your assigned observers as soon as possible, ideally within a week of getting the
assignments, in order to work out the schedule.
You should be very flexible with dates you provide the observers because in some cases they
may only be able to observe you at one class time or one day of the week. For three-hour
classes, the faculty member only needs to observe the first hour.
NOTE: If you have signed a fall-only contract, you MUST complete your observations prior to
November 1, or possibly earlier as noted by the Adjunct Evaluation Committee.
The Observation Report
The faculty member will use their notes to write an observation report. Faculty observers are
asked to complete these observations in a timely manner. The observer should email you the
observation report and ask you to meet to discuss. Discussions are strongly encouraged,
though not required by every faculty member.
After the discussion, all parties must sign the observation report.
You must make three copies for 1) yourself, 2) the observer, and 3) the chair. You will submit
copies of the signed observations as part of the annual review process, which occurs in the fall
or spring depending on your contract. You should keep copies of these reports as long as you
are employed in the department.
2. The Student Rating of Instructor Survey (SRIS)
The Student Rating of Instructor Survey (SRIS)
Each semester, the University administers paper-based course evaluations for students to
evaluate their instructors, called the Student Rating of Instructor Survey, or the SRIS. Since we
are not allowed to administer our own SRISs, instructors are placed by the department
evaluation committee based on class schedules and posted office hours so they can switch
classes for the first or last ten minutes of a mutually-agreed-upon date to administer the SRIS.
About a month before the end of the semester, you will receive an email letting you know that
the SRIS forms are ready for pickup. You’ll learn which instructor(s) you are paired with for the
exchange, as well as the deadline for the surveys.
You should then coordinate the administration of these SRISs with your partner/team. These
need to be completed by the deadline. The data is used, along with classroom observations, to
evaluate your teaching performance.
You will receive a packet by the start of the next semester with the ratings and feedback from
students.
Sample SRIS:
https://www.wcupa.edu/tlac/NFO/documents/SRISexample.pdf
Scholarship & Professional Service
Though you may feel that you were only hired to teach a few sections of a course in your
expertise, the evaluation process requires you to be evaluated on your scholarship and
professional service as well. Naturally, the expectations for these categories ought to be less
stringent than instructors on the tenure track, but it’s important that you be prepared to account
for these categories of your work. Since the contract has space in it for adjuncts to eventually
convert to tenure track if departments vote to convert you, it’s essential that you be able to
represent yourself in all these categories, albeit at an appropriate level to your appointment
status.
The department will usually rely on your CV and self-reported activity to build an understanding
of your contributions in these areas. That is why it’s essential for you to prepare an updated CV
and an accompanying highlights document that explains your activity in teaching, scholarship,
and professional service. If you’re unsure of proper activities to make note of in these
categories, ask your Chair to see the Department’s Teacher-Scholar Model (DTSM) and any
other guidance they may have developed for adjuncts to represent their contributions. Use
these departmental documents to guide your own description of your professional development
and contributions in these areas.
Department and Chair’s Evaluations
Both a department evaluation committee and the Department chair will be required to write
evaluation reports on your teaching, scholarship, and service during the period under review.
The evaluation committee will use THIS FORM, and the Chair will use THIS FORM (both of
these are linked on the Provost’s Forms and Policies page at
https://www.wcupa.edu/_admin/provost/formsPolicies.aspx).
Both the evaluation committee and the Chair will rely on the observation reports, applicable
sections of the SRISs (if available for you), your CV, and any other highlight documentation that
you’ve submitted to evaluate you in these categories. In the chair’s case, this may also include a
recommendation for whether or not to renew your contract in the future.
*This list prepared by the APSCUF Adjunct Support Committee (special thanks to Deanna Gabe), with
resource input from the Communications and English Departments. To get involved or get support,
contact our co-chairs Tim Dougherty ([email protected]) or Bill Sawyer (wsawyer@wcupa.edu).*
