Excellence in Teaching
The single most important qualification for any academic rank at Stockton is excellent teaching. Excellent teaching is recognizable by a consistent pattern of performance which demonstrates:
1. A thorough command of the subject matter, teaching techniques, and methodology of the discipline.
2. Continuous growth in one’s field of expertise.
3. Soundness of presentation, including thoughtful course organization, content reflecting the best available scholarship or artistic practice, and teaching techniques appropriate to eliciting a high level of student understanding in all one’s teaching assignments.
4. Current knowledge in the subject matter in which he/she teaches.
5. Ability to use technology appropriately in his/her teaching.
6. The ability to organize course material and to communicate this information effectively.
7. The capacity to relate the subject matter to other fields of knowledge when appropriate.
8. The ability to perform effectively in all one’s teaching assignments, whether at the introductory or advanced levels, or in interdisciplinary teaching.
Excellence in teaching also entails respect for students as members of the Stockton academic community: responding to student questions effectively; encouraging academic freedom; as well as positively seeking opportunities inside and outside the classroom to enhance student learning of the subject matter.
To assure that the teaching of each faculty member is judged as fairly as possible, the judgment of teaching excellence should be performed in diverse and general ways, including: self-evaluation of aims, goals, and accomplishments; the cumulative record of student evaluations; professional growth as documented in an updated, current, curriculum vitae; and any other documented evidence relative to the standards outlined above provided by the faculty member.
Excellence in Professional Service
Professional service entails the voluntary application of one’s professional skills in support of the College, one’s professional or scholarly community, or the community at large. Excellence in service is recognized by the significance of the service, that is its importance to the mission and goals of the College; the impact that one’s contribution has made in achieving these mission and goals; the scope of the impact; and the quality of leadership exercised.
Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activity
Faculty are expected to be engaged in an ongoing program of scholarly or creative activities. It is expected that these activities will be brought to conclusion by such means as: publications, papers or presentations, funded external grant proposals, juried performances, compositions, and exhibits.
1. Books should be published by reputable academic or trade presses. Reviews of the book in appropriate journals should be considered. Textbooks out to be evaluated as to the quality of the content and the contribution to the teaching of the discipline.
2. Articles, essays, and creative writings should be published in appropriate scholarly journals found in regular college libraries. Some assessment should be made as to the quality of the journal in which the piece appears; in particular, is the journal refereed and what is its scholarly reputation.
3. A presentation should be evaluated on the quality of its content and on the prestige of the meeting to which it was delivered. National and regional meetings should rank higher than local meetings. Scholarly presentations should be ranked more highly than popular ones.
4. Work in the arts should be assessed by considering its quality and the reputation of the gallery or museum or drama or musical group where it was presented. Appropriate reviews of the presentation, if available, should be consulted.
It is these means that enable competent professional peers both from the campus and the broader scholarly community to testify to the significance and the quality of the faculty member’s work.
