Purpose
To implement the Penn State guidance that a faculty peer evaluation of teaching “should occur no less than every five years,” the Capital College will follow these procedures.
Guidelines
Application of the Guidelines
- These guidelines apply to all full-time tenure-line and non-tenure line faculty with teaching assignments in academic schools.
- Faculty members who have submitted a letter indicating a decision to retire or to resign within a two-year period of the projected date of the five-year peer observation will be excused.
- These guidelines do not apply to faculty with teaching assignments in the Madlyn Hanes Library. The library faculty will follow the faculty peer review guidelines of the University Libraries.
- These guidelines do not apply to faculty whose performance evaluation is completed by another unit at University Park. They will follow the unit peer review guidelines at University Park.
Tenure-Track Faculty
- Tenure-track faculty currently receive peer-teaching observations according to their unit guidelines. No further teaching observations are required of tenure-track faculty members beyond those specified in their unit guidelines.
- Tenured faculty will receive a minimum of one peer-observation every five years during their AC-40 review. This policy does not prohibit a unit from having additional peer observations based on unit guidelines, faculty performance, or by request from the faculty member.
- Tenured faculty will be informed of their five-year review during their annual review in the spring prior to the five-year review.
- Tenured faculty on leave during their fifth year will be reviewed in the next academic year.
Non-Tenure Line Faculty
- Non-tenure line faculty (NTL) will receive a minimum of one peer-observation every five years. This policy does not prohibit a unit from having additional peer observations based on unit guidelines, faculty performance, or by request from the faculty member.
- Subsequent reviews of NTL faculty will occur every five years after the last five-year peer teaching review unless the faculty member seeks another peer review for promotion prior to five years.
- NTL faculty on leave during their peer review year will receive a peer review in the subsequent year.
- NTL faculty who have not received a promotion peer review or who do not seek a promotion review by their fifth year at Penn State will be assigned a review year based on the hire year of their NTL appointment.
- Those hired in years ending in 0 or 5 will receive peer reviews in years ending in 0 and 5.
- Those hired in years ending in 1 or 6 will receive peer reviews in years ending in 1 and 6.
- Those hired in years ending in 2 or 7 will receive peer reviews in years ending in 2 and 7.
- Those hired in years ending in 3 or 8 will receive peer reviews in years ending in 3 and 8.
- Those hired in years ending in 4 or 9 will receive peer reviews in years ending in 4 and 9.
- NTL faculty members scheduled for a peer teaching observation will be informed of the observation at their annual review meeting in the prior spring semester.
Timing of Reviews
- All fifth-year peer reviews will occur before annual review meetings and be noted in the annual review or AC-40 extended review.
Selection of Peer Reviewers
- Concerning the selection of peer reviewers for both tenured and NTL faculty, the school director and faculty member will collaborate in the choice of a reviewer, with the school director making the final decision.
- Faculty members under review will have the opportunity to submit the names of potential reviewers.
- Reviewers may be selected inside or outside the unit based on relevant discipline expertise.
- The faculty member under review can reject a potential reviewer after consultation with the school director, but the school director will select another qualified faculty member as a peer reviewer. The school director will make the final decision.
Approved by Penn State Harrisburg Academic Council and Chancellor on April 25, 2024