PORTFOLIO EVALUATION STANDARDS
Excellent: delivers outstanding performance, significantly exceeding "good" performance standards In general, an excellent instructor has a thorough knowledge of the course content, knows how to organize discipline content for a community college survey course, and submits a portfolio that meets the following standards:
1. A syllabus that complies with all the requirements of the department and the College as outlined in the Government Faculty. Furthermore, the syllabus should be clear, concise, and relevant and considered binding on both instructor and students. Because the syllabus is for the student's benefit, an excellent syllabus should let the student know exactly what is expected day by day, week by week, for the entire semester. In addition, an excellent syllabus should be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, easy to read, and user-friendly.
2. A variety of up-to-date handouts that illustrate the instructor's effort to help the students learn. These should include learning objectives or other study tools that reflect the course goals and objectives, and supplemental materials (charts, graphs, overheads, classroom handouts) that clarify key concepts and highlight recent developments in the political system that aren't addressed in a textbook.
3. A variety of up-to-date projects or assignments that stimulate student learning and that clearly relate to the course goals and objectives as well as to students' lives. Assignments that give students the tools to take beyond the Government classroom will meet the definition of instructional excellence.
4. Assessments that reflect the course goals and objectives, that are technically proficient, and that are matched to the content of the syllabus and the learning objectives. Tests should reflect a close alignment between the course description, the course materials and handouts presented in the portfolio, and instruction. Excellent tests include a variety of question formats and reflect more than merely a reliance on a publisher's general-purpose test bank.
5. A statement of teaching philosophy that clearly states pedagogical intent. All elements of a teaching portfolio should be a reflection of the content of the philosophy statement.
6. A course commentary that clearly explains how each element of the
course fulfills the teaching philosophy.
7. A faculty input form that shows a thoughtful and detailed response to student ratings and comments.
8. A faculty development plan that is a clear, organized, and detailed statement of the specific methods the instructor will use to develop new tools or techniques for the classroom, increase his/her knowledge of the field of political science, keep up with developments in the political system, and in other ways improve as an instructor.
Very good: exceeds "good" performance standards. In general, a very good instructor has a thorough knowledge of the course content and submits a portfolio that meets the following standards:
1. A syllabus that complies with all the requirements of the department and the College as outlined in the Government Faculty. A very good syllabus lets students know what is expected of them throughout the semester and is binding on both instructor and students.
2. A variety of handouts that illustrate the instructor's effort to help the students learn and that reflect the course goals and objectives. In addition, a very good instructor provides supplemental materials that clarify key concepts and highlight recent developments in the political system that aren't addressed in a textbook.
3. A variety of projects or assignments that stimulate student learning and that clearly relate to the course goals and objectives as well as to students' lives.
4. Assessments that reflect the course goals and objectives, that are technically proficient, and that are matched to the content of the syllabus and the learning objectives. Tests should reflect a close alignment between the course description, the course materials and handouts presented in the portfolio, and instruction. Tests should include a variety of question formats and reflect more than merely a reliance on a publisher's general-purpose test bank.
5. A statement of teaching philosophy that clearly states pedagogical intent. All elements of a teaching portfolio should be a reflection of the content of the philosophy statement.
6. A course commentary that clearly explains how each element of the course fulfills the teaching philosophy.
7. A faculty input form that shows a thoughtful and detailed response to student ratings and comments.
8. A faculty development plan that clearly summarizes the methods the instructor will use to develop new tools or techniques for the classroom, increase his/her knowledge of the field of political science, keep up with developments in the political system, and in other ways improve as an instructor.
Good: performs satisfactorily, meeting minimum performance standards. In general, a good instructor has a thorough knowledge of course content and submits a portfolio that meets the following standards:
1. A syllabus that complies with all the requirements of the department and the College as outlined in the Government Faculty handbook.
2. Handouts that illustrate the instructor's effort to help the students learn and that reflect the course goals and objectives.
3. Projects or assignments that stimulate student learning and that clearly relate to the course goals and objectives as well as to students' lives.
4. Assessments that reflect the course goals and objectives, that are technically proficient, and that are matched to the content of the syllabus and the learning objectives. Tests should reflect a close alignment between the course description, the course materials and handouts presented in the portfolio, and instruction.
5. A statement of teaching philosophy that clearly states pedagogical intent. All elements of a teaching portfolio should be a reflection of the content of the philosophy statement.
6. A course commentary that clearly explains how each element of the course fulfills the teaching philosophy.
7. A faculty input form that shows a thoughtful and detailed response to student ratings and comments.
8. A faculty development plan that identifies areas for improvement and clearly maps out strategies for achieving stated goals.
Needs improvement: improvement required to fully meet minimum performance standards
The Government Department's definition of "good" sets the minimum performance standards. A rating of “needs improvement” means failure to meet some of the Department's minimum standards. Failure to meet minimum standards could include submitting a portfolio that lacks some required components and/or contains some components that do not meet the standards for a rating of "good". The instructor who receives a rating of "needs improvement" is automatically on probation and will be expected to work with the Department Chair and Faculty Evaluations Committee Chair in developing a plan designed to bring all elements of the portfolio up to minimum standards. This plan should be developed within 90 days of receiving the evaluation and will be reviewed by the instructor and the Department Chair throughout the following academic year. An instructor who receives a rating of "needs improvement" two years in a row is subject to dismissal.
Unacceptable: fails to meet performance standards. The Government Department's definition of "good" sets the minimum performance standards. A rating of "unacceptable" means that a majority of the Department's minimum performance standards have not been met. The instructor who receives a rating of “unacceptable” is automatically on probation and will be expected to work with the Department Chair and Faculty Evaluations Committee Chair in developing a plan designed to bring all elements of the portfolio up to minimum standards. This plan should be developed within 90 days of receiving the evaluation and will be reviewed by the instructor and Department Chair throughout the following academic year. An instructor who receives a rating of "unacceptable" two years in a row is subject to dismissal.