Promotion from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer Criteria

To be promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer, the candidate must demonstrate a record of excellence in classroom teaching and a satisfactory level of service in support of teaching.

Excellence in teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves outstanding classroom performances and satisfactory pedagogical service activities. Excellence in teaching may be demonstrated through evidence of:

Excellence in classroom teaching in the following measures,

• Carrying a teaching load that is appropriate for the department/unit;
• Development of detailed and clear course syllabi and instructional materials that are updated as appropriate;
• Professional classroom interactions and constructive engagement with students;
• Focus on learning outcomes for students that are appropriate to university and national standards;
• Adoption of innovations to improve teaching and learning outcomes;
• Results from student assessments and peer evaluations that are sufficiently strong to lend support to a conclusion that the candidate is an excellent instructor;

Satisfactory pedagogical service, such as (but not limited to):

• Active participation in curricular development and/or other relevant committee service;
• Engaged advising and mentoring of students;
• Supervision of student research and internships.

Very good teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves evidence of outstanding classroom performances and satisfactory pedagogical service activities, but the classroom teaching is not excellence in measures defined above and/or the service is not satisfactory.

Effective teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves evidence of high-quality instruction in the classroom and a commitment to student success.

Ineffective teaching is pedagogy that does not meet effective classroom performance.

The School requires six (6) solicited letters that testify to the candidate’s excellence in teaching and satisfactory service according to the above-stated criteria. The letters can be solicited from any combination of referees, internal or external to Indiana University. Internal referees should be individuals outside the department/unit who are at a rank comparable to Senior Lecturer or above. External referees can be individuals at peer institutions at a rank comparable to Senior Lecturer or above, or those holding relevant non-academic positions if they are at a level comparable to that of a Senior Lecturer. Referees should not hold any compromising relationships with the candidate (mentor, student, collaborator, former colleague, familial attachments, commercial ties, etc.). There may be exceptions to these rules but they should be justified in the chair (or dean’s) letter. The letters should come from two lists, one proposed by the candidate and one proposed by the department/unit leader (or promotion review committee), and letters in the dossier must include three from each list. Deans must approve all referees proposed in these lists before letters are solicited, and the letters must be requested and received by the department/unit leader.

To be promoted to the rank of Teaching Professor, the candidate must demonstrate a record of excellence in teaching involving pedagogical leadership outside of the home unit while at the rank of Senior Lecturer, a sustained record of excellence in classroom teaching, and a satisfactory level of service in support of teaching. Not every Senior Lecturer is expected to achieve the rank of Teaching Professor; a negative promotion decision or decision not to pursue promotion should not be viewed as a reason for non-reappointment.

Excellent in teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves pedagogical leadership, sustained excellence in classroom teaching, and satisfactory pedagogical service activities. Excellence in teaching must be demonstrated with evidence in the following three categories:

Pedagogical leadership at the school, campus, state, national, or international level, must be demonstrated through a significant corpus of activities in [four or more of] the following measures:

• Peer-reviewed pedagogical texts (e.g. articles, textbooks, and other curricular materials) in print or digital formats;
• Pedagogical papers presented at national conferences through peer review processes;
• Teaching awards beyond the department/unit;
• Leadership in a professional and/or accrediting body related to pedagogy;
• Substantial service with a non-profit or government entity related to pedagogical expertise;
• Significant mentoring of students outside the home unit (e.g. supervising honors theses or capstone papers, supervising internships, etc) with demonstrated impact after graduation;
• Developing and leading a series of pedagogical workshops for campus faculty outside of the home unit with demonstrated impact after the workshops;
• Writing and receiving grants for pedagogical innovation and/or development;
• Administrative appointments involving significant and sustained pedagogy or curriculum initiatives;
• Other pedagogical leadership activities endorsed by both the department/unit and external referees.

Sustained excellence in classroom teaching, demonstrated in the following measures,

• Carrying a teaching load that is appropriate for the department/unit;
• Development of detailed and clear course syllabi and instructional materials that are updated as appropriate;
• Professional classroom interactions and constructive engagement with students;
• Focus on learning outcomes for students that are appropriate to university and national standards;
• Adoption of innovations to improve teaching and learning outcomes;
• Results from student assessments and peer evaluations that are sufficiently strong to lend support to a conclusion that the candidate is an excellent instructor;

Satisfactory pedagogical service, such as (but not limited to):

• Active participation in curricular development and/or other relevant committee service;
• Engaged advising and mentoring of students;
• Supervision of student research and internships.

Very good teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves outstanding classroom performances and satisfactory pedagogical service activities, as defined above for excellence, but it does not include evidence of pedagogical leadership.

Effective teaching is defined as pedagogy that involves evidence of high-quality instruction in the classroom and a commitment to student success.

Ineffective teaching is pedagogy that does not meet effective classroom performance.

The School requires six (6) solicited letters that testify to the candidate’s excellence in teaching, involvng the candidate’s pedagogical leadership and the candidate’s sustained excellence in classroom teaching, including satisfactory service in support of teaching, according to the above-stated criteria. At least four of the letters should be solicited from individuals at peer institutions outside Indiana University at a rank comparable to Teaching Professor, Tenured Full Professor, and other senior ranks; no more than two can be solicited from individuals at Indiana University, but outside the department or unit, who are at a rank comparable to Teaching Professor, Tenured Full Professor, and other senior ranks. Some, but not all, of the letters may be solicited from referees holding non-academic positions if they are a leader in their field or organization at a level comparable to that of a senior faculty member. Referees should not hold any compromising relationships with the candidate (mentor, student, collaborator, former colleague, familial attachments, commercial ties, etc.). There may be exceptions to these rules but they should be justified in the chair (or dean’s) letter. The letters should come from two lists, one proposed by the candidate and one proposed by the department/unit leader (or promotion review committee), and letters in the dossier must include three from each list. Deans must approve all referees proposed in these lists before letters are solicited, and the letters must be requested and received by the department/unit leader.