Overview
The School of Behavioral Sciences and Education (BSED) at Penn State Harrisburg offers a number of undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and certificates in Health and Professional Studies, Social Sciences and Psychology, and Teacher Education. Our faculty consists of a diverse pool of researchers, scholars, and practitioners who employ varied philosophies, epistemologies, designs, and methodologies in their teaching, research, and service.
Candidates for promotion and tenure in BSED are expected to demonstrate high-quality performance in the scholarship of teaching and learning, the scholarship of research and creative accomplishments, and the scholarship of service. The quality of a candidate’s performance is to be demonstrated by multiple criteria appropriate for their responsibilities as a BSED faculty member. The candidate provides a narrative statement in accordance with the Administrative Guidelines for AC 23. In all instances, a candidate’s performance will be evaluated in keeping with the university’s commitment to academic excellence within the context of their academic rank, academic field, and designated work responsibilities. Reviewers at all levels will provide a rating for each of the three performance areas of 1. Teaching, 2. Research, and 3. Service. The ratings are unsatisfactory, satisfactory, very good, and excellent.
Criteria for Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure
Criteria for Evaluation of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
The typical teaching responsibility is 18 credits per academic year, and where appropriate, should include both undergraduate and graduate classes. High-quality teaching is a requirement for tenure and/or promotion. Evaluative components of class instruction may include evidence of the ability to convey subject matter to students and to stimulate student interest, currency of knowledge in one’s field(s), demonstration of growth and improvement in teaching, and the ability to maintain academic standards. The primary means for documenting teaching performance shall be student evaluations and evaluations by faculty peers. Peer evaluations shall be based on class observations and review of the instructor’s course materials. The candidate will receive a minimum of two peer evaluations for each review period. In the event that peer teaching evaluations cannot be conducted in-person, they will be conducted remotely. A recommended review form is on file with the School Director’s office. Reviews are to be included in the dossier. Student evaluations shall be based on compilations of Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTE) forms. The overall quality of the instruction and quality of the course and the School Director’s summary of student responses on the SRTE forms are to be included in the dossier.
Quality in the scholarship of teaching and learning also includes, and may be evidenced by, other activities where appropriate:
- Effective academic advising of students
- Chairing or membership on undergraduate and graduate papers, theses, and dissertation committees
- Participating in curricular and programmatic development for purposes of reaccreditation and improvement
- Supervising undergraduate or graduate independent study
- Creating new courses relevant to one’s expertise
- Immersing students in content in innovative ways, including organization or involvement in conferences, panels, and field trips
- Mentoring publication of papers, books, book reviews, commentary pieces, etc., with students
- Supervising field or clinical experiences
- Assessing portfolios
- Other supporting documentation as deemed appropriate
Criteria for Evaluation of the Scholarship of Research and Creative Accomplishments
BSED values excellence in basic, applied, and interdisciplinary research as well as theoretical scholarship. The School recognizes the importance of diverse research philosophies, epistemologies, and methodologies that are represented in its faculty.
BSED faculty are expected to maintain a sustained record of quality research productivity and to develop an identifiable focus or theme(s) for their scholarly endeavors that contribute to a national reputation of academic excellence. While an international reputation is valued, a successful candidate must have earned a national scholarly reputation.
For tenure and promotion, candidates are expected to publish in scholarly, peer-reviewed nationally and/or internationally recognized professional journals in their respective disciplines. Per university policy, faculty evaluating the candidate’s research scholarship at all levels of review will exercise professional and academic judgment in their interpretation of a candidate’s scholarly achievements. The candidate’s scholarship will be evaluated in relation to their rank and year of review and within the contexts of the candidate’s field or areas of scholarship. Reviewers are charged with assessing the quality of venues in which the candidate has published. Indicators of a publication’s quality may include, but are not limited to, the indexing of the journal in major national and/or international databases, association of the journal with professional organizations, makeup of a journal’s editorial board, and/or journal readership. In non-tenure-year reviews, manuscripts in preparation may also be considered as indices of research quality and potential.
Reviewers may also consider the balance between the quantity and quality of the candidate’s research publications. Other factors to consider are the demonstration of independence and leadership as evidenced by sole and first author publications; last authored publications if following the medical model; percentage of contribution, and publications with students.
In addition to peer-reviewed scholarly articles in professional journals, a candidate may publish other material related to their disciplinary expertise that reflects excellence in the dissemination of knowledge. This includes but is not limited to:
- Authored books or monographs, edited books, or parts thereof (e.g., book chapter)
- Proceedings
- Essay reviews
- Book reviews
- Commentary articles
- Articles in non-refereed journals
- Research reports to grant sponsor
- Reports for governmental institutes or agencies
- Creative accomplishments
- Blogs
- Newspaper articles, newsletters, op-eds, columns, etc.
In addition to written work as described above, other activities demonstrating research excellence can include seeking/obtaining competitive, external grants or other monetary support for research; consulting, reviewing, and editing journals and grants; and receiving research honors and awards.
Moreover, peer-reviewed or invited presentations demonstrate development and contribution to the candidate’s reputation for excellence in their discipline. Therefore, all faculty are expected to promote and maintain currency of knowledge by attending regional, national, or international conferences/workshops and presenting research to peers, students, government agencies, accreditation and licensing boards, advisory boards, professional and industrial associations, and/or other educational entities.
Criteria for Evaluation of the Scholarship of Service to the University, Society, and the Profession
BSED values quality service to the university, society, and the profession. BSED faculty are expected to maintain a sustained record of participation in Program, Division, School, College, and University affairs and the application of specialized knowledge to the public and profession. For tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, faculty must make meaningful service contributions to the various levels of internal service, to the profession, and to society. These contributions should increase over the years. For promotion to full Professor, evidence of contribution in a leadership capacity to the Program, Division, School, College, University, and/or to the profession is expected.
Meaningful contributions in service may be demonstrated in one or more of the following categories, including but not limited to:
- Internal Service (Program, Division, School, College, or University)
- Membership on committees, councils, task forces, boards, etc.
- Membership on Faculty Senate
- Leadership roles (Division Chair, Professor-in-Charge, Program Coordinator, Committee Chair, etc.)
- Advising student organizations (academic, athletic, artistic, diversity, etc.)
- Representative for Program, Division, or School at relevant functions
- Coordination of special events
- Other responsibilities to support the program, school, college or university
- Professional Service
- Official positions
- Membership on committees, councils, task forces, boards, etc.
- Coordination of conferences/events
- Involvement in outreach activities
- Other leadership roles within professional organizations
- Public Service
- Dissemination of expertise (speaking engagements, technical assistance, etc.)
- Membership on committees, councils, task forces, boards, etc.
- Coordination of special events
- Use of expertise to benefit organizations, government agencies, communities and society
The quality of service and scholarship of service indicative of an engaged scholar is evidenced by listing activities in the dossier. Where appropriate, the listed activities should include information regarding the nature of the service undertaken and the candidate’s specific role and responsibilities. All service activities included in the dossier must be documented in the supplemental file. Documentation may take the form of committee charges, meeting minutes, letters of support from relevant agencies or parties, or other material that attest to the quality and impact of the candidate's service activity.
Criteria for Promotion to Professor
For promotion to Professor in BSED, the candidate must have achievement beyond that which is expected for promotion to Associate Professor in the areas of research, teaching, and service. This achievement can be evidenced by honors and awards and/or by the following criteria:
Candidates for promotion to Professor are expected to have established distinguished scholarly expertise that is recognized at a national level. While international recognition is valued, a successful candidate must have earned a national scholarly reputation. It should be noted that BSED is the home to scholars from a variety of disciplines who engage in many different forms of peer-reviewed scholarship, including but not limited to the following: a) original research and discovery; b) the integration of knowledge; c) the application of knowledge; and d) the scholarship of teaching and pedagogy. Some faculty members may engage in only one of these forms of scholarship while other faculty members may engage in more than one of them. The breadth of scholarship is determined by the faculty member’s discipline, training, and interests.
To be promoted to Professor, the candidate must have demonstrated leadership in their academic field of expertise and a high level of research productivity. This productivity is evidenced by continued publication in scholarly journals and/or peer-reviewed books in one’s area(s) of expertise (collaborative, solo-authored, or a combination thereof). Another indicator for achieving national/international recognition may include securing competitive, external grants awarded by state, regional, national, or international funding sources or private foundations. However, it is recognized and valued that not every type of scholarship requires funding and that sources of external funding are more readily available for some forms of scholarship (e.g., basic research) than for others (e.g., the scholarship of teaching and learning). Additional means of evidencing a high level of research productivity include holding editorships or board positions of scholarly journals, giving invited scholarly presentations, authoring published scientific works with students, and/or attaining media coverage of one’s research.
In relation to the scholarship of teaching, to be promoted to Professor, the candidate’s teaching and their work with students outside of the classroom must evidence sustained excellence. The candidate is a leader in the facilitation of the academic development of students.
Regarding the scholarship of service, to be promoted to Professor, the candidate is expected to have served one’s professional organizations in a leadership capacity in ways such as, but not limited to, holding elected officer positions, chairing task-force committees, or serving on conference planning committees. The candidate is also expected to have taken on leadership roles at the program, division, school, college, and university levels. Potential leadership roles include, but are not limited to, mentoring the teaching, research, and service work of junior faculty; program, division, school, college, and/or university committee chairing and membership; contributing to college and university governance; program and division leadership; accreditation leadership roles; and other undertakings that, through working with peers, ensure the academic rigor, ethics, professionalism, and equity in the operations of the Penn State experience for all.
Approved by Academic Council, September 24, 2020
Revised on September 29, 2021 for submission to Academic Council
Revised and approved October 8, 2021