CHHS Orientation Supervision Eval

CHHS Faculty Orientation, Mentoring and Overview of Performance Review Orientation

The Academic Units within the College of Health and Human Services conduct their own on-boarding and orientation for their new full-time faculty and in some cases, their part time faculty (see Unit Handbooks). The Unit Chair/Director typically plans each orientation and choses the appropriate approach (individual or group). This agenda varies but may include:

  • Unit programs, strategic goals and accreditation standards
  • Unit policies (e.g., office hours, messages, meetings, secretarial support, grading policies, expectations for presence in the Unit)
  • College policies on course & instructor evaluation & faculty evaluation
  • Unit policies on evaluation of student performance
  • Course syllabi (for assigned courses)
  • Faculty orientation to clinical agency (if teaching a clinical course)
  • Additional orientation is individually planned based on specific needs for information (e.g., testing, advising) or interests or assignment of new faculty.

The CHHS Dean’s Office organizes an annual, multi-session orientation for all new full-time faculty during the fall semester of each year. This includes orientation related to:

  • Strategic goals, mission, and vision of the College and University
  • Overview of policies and procedures relevant to faculty
  • Faculty governance committees and opportunities for service
  • CHHS Business Affairs (travel, research expenditures, purchasing, reimbursements, payroll, HR, etc.)
  • CHHS Academic Affairs and Advising
  • CHHS Research and Graduate Studies
  • CHHS Academic Technology
  • CHHS Communications and External Relations

The University, through the Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office (FADO), offers a comprehensive, University wide orientation, typically on the first day of faculty contracts.

The CHHS Dean’s Office provides pre-notification to new faculty about orientation sessions they are required to attend, as well as other activities to facilitate on-boarding during the first few weeks of the fall semester. If faculty are brought on board in January, a separate orientation will be arranged.

Mentoring

A unit level faculty mentor is assigned to each new faculty member as appropriate for their assigned responsibilities by the Unit Chair/Director. Tenure-track research faculty will also be assigned a research mentor; Lecturers and those with primary teaching responsibilities will be assigned a teaching mentor (e.g., the course Coordinator for some Nursing courses). The College participates heavily in the UNC Charlotte ADVANCE program (administrative home is FADO) who also identifies and assigns a mentor to newly hired faculty. These mentors may or may not be from the same College (they are rarely from the same academic unit to provide the mentee with additional perspective, advice and support). Unit Chairs/Directors are responsible to check in with new faculty to assess if mentoring assignments are beneficial or need to be adjusted.

Overview of Faculty Supervision and Performance Evaluation

With few exceptions, all faculty report directly and are responsible to the Unit Chair/Director or her/his designee. It is the unit Chair/Director who has full authority and responsibility for determining and setting workload (teaching, administration and service) for each faculty member. Workload for the next academic year is typically set during the spring semester of each year.

The Chair/Director conducts all annual reviews and provides written feedback to each faculty member on an annual basis. All full-time faculty are required to submit a report of their calendar year accomplishments using the Faculty Annual Review and Workload Planning Document (FAR/WPD – found in a separate file in the Faculty Handbook) by February 1st of each year. Unit Chairs/Directors are the second level of review in cases of reappointment, promotion and tenure (following the URC review and preceding the CRC and/or Dean’s review).

The College of Health and Human Services’ annual review process is aligned with published academic personnel procedures and policies which indicate that by May 1 of each year, non-tenured, tenure track faculty members must have an annual review conference with their Unit Head. Although due dates for the review of other faculty (post-tenure, Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Clinical Faculty) are not explicit in the University Handbook, it is an expectation that feedback for all faculty undergoing annual review will be provided by Unit Heads before the last day of the spring semester. Further detail from the Academic Personnel Handbook can be accessed here: https://provost.charlotte.edu/academic-budget-personnel/handbook/b-annual-review

Each full-time and part-time faculty is required to be evaluated by students after each course offering using standard and current College/Department/School policies and procedures for instructor and course evaluation. All student reviews of teaching are conducted on-line; as such, faculty and their unit leadership have access to those reports, including detailed student comments. CHHS Faculty are also required to undergo peer review of teaching on a regular basis; the Center for Teaching and Learning is also available to faculty to provide constructive support related to teaching improvement that are not part of the annual evaluation process.

Revised to enhance Scheduled Faculty Orientation: 7-12-02
Revised 5/05, 9/08, 5/17