Faculty Evaluation/P&T Guidelines

(Referred to as "Standards Document")

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OFFICE OF RECORD: Office of the President
ISSUED BY: President
APPROVED BY: 02-45-00
EFFECTIVE DATE: 08/25/94 (Revised 10/20/09)

Dakota State University Mission

In 1984, the South Dakota State Legislature identified a radical, new mission for DSU, mandating the integration of technology across the entire curriculum. The mission-change years turned what had been a small, locally focused Normal School into a high-tech institution that prides itself on innovation while ensuring a quality educational experience. Dakota State University is mission-driven -- focused on fully integrating new computer technology into all academic programs.

Our state-mandated mission (see Attachment A) is to specialize in undergraduate and graduate degree programs in computer management, computer information systems, and other related fields, with a special emphasis on the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers who have expertise in the use of computer technology and information processing in the teaching and learning process. Dakota State University also offers degrees in Sioux Falls at the University Center, a joint-use facility whose operation is shared among DSU, USD, and SDSU, at Rapid City Regional Hospital, and via the Internet.

We view our campus as a safe, friendly, open, cooperative and collaborative environment. We see ourselves as flexible, adaptable and accountable. We are proud of our graduates and the high placement levels they achieve. We have a quality and caring faculty and staff who are student-focused. These are primary characteristics of the institution that we want to carry forward into our future.

DSU's Strategic Initiatives for 2007-2012

Every five years, the university sets aside time to look at its accomplishments and plan for the future. The 2007-2012 strategic planincludes seven strategic initiatives that will drive the decision-making of the campus throughout 2007-2012.

Strategic Focus #1: Expanding Information Technology Leadership

Outcome #1: By 2012, DSU will have three new cutting-edge graduate programs and five new cutting-edge undergraduate degree programs that reflect the institution's strong focus on its information-technology mission.

Strategic Focus #2: Optimizing and Sustaining On-Campus Enrollment

Outcome #2: By 2012, DSU will attain an optimal on-campus enrollment of 1,400 undergraduate students.

Strategic Focus #3: Increasing Student Retention and Graduation Rates by Providing an Exceptional Student Experience

Outcome #3: By 2012, the first-year retention and six-year completion rates of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students will increase by 5% over the last 5-year average.

Strategic Focus #4: Advancing Applied Research

Outcome #4: By 2012, DSU will increase its research activity by doubling the number of awarded grants/contracts and increasing the value of these grants/contracts to $5 million.

Strategic Focus #5: Extending Educational Outreach

Outcome #5: By 2012, DSU will increase self-support credit hour generation by 50%.

Strategic Focus #6: Promoting National and International Visibility

Outcome #6; By 2012, DSU will achieve one nationally competitive award for academic excellence or innovation.

Strategic Focus #7: Developing New Sources of Revenue

Outcome #7: By 2012, the DSU Foundation net assets will reach $10 million, the annual phonathon will reach $150,000 in pledges, and the University will have new resources in place to support new academic programs and initiatives.

Faculty Roles Relative to DSU's
Institutional Mission and Strategic Initiatives

Dakota State University strives for excellence through accomplishment of its mission and strategic initiatives and the institution's faculty contribute to the university's success through their specific assignments and accomplishments.

The 2008-2011 Council of Higher Education (COHE) Agreement Section 9.1-9.2 indicates that all faculty (unless otherwise specified in a faculty member's contract) must be significantly active in the broad areas of teaching and advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service. A faculty member whose primary responsibility is teaching is expected to undertake an effort equivalent to that needed to deliver 30 credit hours of undergraduate instruction per academic year. However, faculty are also assigned reasonable time to support active research, scholarship or creative artistic activity and professional service obligations -- generally the equivalent of 6 credit hours of undergraduate instruction. A faculty who primary responsibility is research is expected to undertake the effort needed to maintain a research program recognized nationally for its excellence.

This document is intended to define, for the faculty, the university's qualitative and quantitative expectations for faculty. The standards provided here take into consideration the university's mission, the faculty member's discipline and the faculty member's rank and role within the university. To identify and reward professional achievement and excellence among the faculty, the university and its faculty together have developed the broad definitions of professional achievement included in this document. Further, these broad statements of professional achievement are intended to:

Bring into focus the institutional mission;
Clarify faculty roles relative to the institutional mission;
Improve the dialogue between faculty members and the university administration;
Facilitate professional development plans and activities for faculty;
Clarify faculty development needs;
Improve the process for faculty evaluation;
Improve decision-making processes relative to faculty promotion, tenure, salary, and appointment to senior/advanced positions;
Enhance opportunities for faculty recognition and reward; and
Demonstrate accountability to the public.

Clarifying and understanding the university's expectations relative to teaching and advising, scholarship, research and creative activity and service are a necessary first step in identifying and rewarding the professional behavior of faculty. As a consequence, the professional behaviors identified here are intended to help faculty understand the university's expectations. These professional behaviors are used to determine the faculty member's annual performance ratings and eligibility for a continuing contract. They are also used to determine the faculty member's eligibility for promotion and tenure and other university decisions that are naturally linked to faculty performance, such as appointment to the graduate faculty or other, similar recognitions.

Civility in working with colleagues, staff members, students and others: Faculty members are responsible for discharging their instructional, scholarly and service duties civilly, constructively and in an informed manner. They must treat their colleagues, staff, students and visitors with respect, and they must comport themselves at all times, even when expressing disagreement or when engaging in pedagogical exercises, in ways that will preserve and strengthen the willingness to cooperate and to give or to accept instruction, guidance or assistance. (See BOR Policy 4:38)

Teaching and Advising

Teaching: A fundamental mission of any university is to provide opportunities for learning and academic achievement. In their teaching roles, faculty members are expected to initiate, develop and evaluate educational programs, courses and related materials; to develop new ways of conveying knowledge, to share knowledge, and to train others; and to integrate new knowledge and research into the learning experiences. At DSU, faculty members are also expected to demonstrate professional skills in the use of technology appropriate to their discipline. These aspects of teaching are critical to professional achievement:

Content Expertise - defined as knowledge, skills and abilities in an academic discipline;
Instructional Design - defined as skills in designing, sequencing and presenting content; skills in
evaluation and assessment of student performance;
Instructional Delivery - defined as the human interactive skills that promote learning;
Course Management - defined as the organizational and bureaucratic skills needed to manage and operate a course;
Instructional Technology - defined as the use of appropriate technology by both the faculty member and by the students in the classroom and in content delivery.
Advising - defined as consulting with students to provide guidance relative to classroom performance, academic planning and scheduling, career goals and decisions.

To meet expectations in teaching, all faculty members must demonstrate professional achievement in teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses and in the evaluation of student performance. Therefore, all faculty are expected to accomplish these routine behaviors. For annual evaluation, there is no documentation required for these items, but failure to satisfactorily perform these tasks would result in an evaluation of not meeting standards.

Provide an appropriate syllabus which meets institutional, college and discipline guidelines;
Align course content to meet curricular guidelines and standards;
Use Tablet PC and course management systems;
Provide feedback on assignments, projects, and exams, based on expectations outlined in the course syllabus;
Be available to students (online, by phone, and/or during office hours) according to college standards;
Submit accurate midterm and final grades by required deadlines;
Give students an opportunity to complete a course evaluation;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

In order to meet expectations for Basic Performance in teaching and advising, the faculty member must accomplish the routine behaviors listed above and meet expectations for Basic Performance in teaching and Basic Performance in advising. In order to meet expectations for High Performance in teaching and advising, the faculty member must meet expectations for both High Performance in teaching and High Performance in advising. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit and effort expended in their teaching activities.

Teaching -- Basic Performance: The faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Basic Performance in Teaching:

Adhere to the course objectives, content, activities, etc. presented on the course syllabi;
Demonstrate teaching competence in content area;
Instruct and evaluate at levels appropriate for the discipline and course level;
Use technological resources in courses;
Meet expectations for Basic Performance in Advising.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Teaching, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors in teaching. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Develop and use appropriate instructional materials to meet course program objectives;
Engage in self-assessment of instruction and teaching materials;
Offer challenging and current courses that afford students opportunities to learn the information, methods of inquiry, and professional skills identified in the descriptions and relevant departmental or program mission statements;
Interpret and present technical information in a way the learners (public, students, other clientele) will understand;
Provide supplementary learning resources in a timely and organized manner;
Review and revise program material including textbooks, syllabi, evaluation instruments;
Facilitate evaluation of the course, program and/or instructor;
Provide for individualized instruction through courses or activities when appropriate;
Promote student-to-student, student-to-faculty, and small-group interaction;
Support university-wide program assessment;
Contribute to program development and/or review processes;
Collaborate with colleagues to improve teaching/learning;
Sponsor field trips, outside resource instructors and research projects, if appropriate and consistent with available resources;
Take classes or seminars and/or attend conferences and faculty development opportunities relevant to the teaching discipline;
Use technology-based instructional methods to aid student learning.

Teaching -- High Performance: High Performance presumes the faculty member has accomplished the routine behaviors listed above and in the section on Basic Performance and that the faculty member’s professional behavior has moved beyond this level. High Performance in Teaching may be demonstrated through attitudes and activities that convey an excitement for the course material and inspire learners to continue and excel. It may be exceptional clarity and delivery of the content or the use of innovative classroom methods that challenge the students to question, to take risks, to push themselves intellectually, and to go beyond the requirements. It may include the exceptional ability to relate abstract ideas to everyday life or actively involve students in the learning process and to demonstrate the process of learning.

Participation in faculty development efforts and the application of knowledge gained from these activities reflect a commitment to excellence by the individual. As examples, faculty development may include participation or presentation of workshops or courses in writing across the curriculum, accelerated learning techniques, student learning styles, teaching innovation, cultural diversity, strategies to improve the teaching of nontraditional students, the use of modern technology/telecommunications. It might be auditing other faculty members' classes to observe and learn teaching techniques, and many other similar activities.

Teaching excellence also requires the presentation or sharing of information with other faculty members with a goal toward improved teaching. Excellence may also include sharing with colleagues, both internal and external to the University, information attesting to the University's excellence in teaching. This may take the form of reports, presentations, or exhibits. Excellent teachers, who strive to improve, try new techniques, evaluate and share successful innovations, enhance the reputation of the University.

High Performance in teaching may be thought of as efforts to enrich the learning experience and the quality of teaching. It is an improvement in the quality of the work already provided at Basic Performance. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit and effort expended in their teaching activities.

Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term “significant”. In this context, “significant” should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc., rather than on routine elements.

In addition to accomplishing the routine behaviors listed above and the professional behaviors for Basic Performance in teaching, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for High Performance in Teaching:

Demonstrate teaching mastery in content area;
Guide, inspire and challenge learners to push themselves intellectually;
Use primary or scientifically based sources of information associated with a discipline or area of study to create opportunities to learn;
Apply theories and techniques from faculty development activities;
Evaluate teaching techniques with a variety of methods;
Meet expectations for High Performance in Advising.

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Teaching, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Require students to use advanced technological resources;
Create an environment for questioning and risk taking;
Encourage and guide students to achieve career relevant, and experiential learning outcomes;
Demonstrate exceptional skill in dissemination and delivery;
Conceive, explore, develop, implement, evaluate and refine creative, innovative instructional methods, techniques, and materials;
Foster independent learning, creative thinking and exploration of ideas;
Develop conceptual connections between fields, ideas, values;
Seek collaborative relationships in teaching;
Model excellence in scholarship and learning;
Attract students to courses by maintaining standards of excellence;
Be sought by and serve as a mentor for students and other faculty;
Involve colleagues to improve teaching methods;
Guide and evaluate student research or capstone experiences;
Develop and communicate new understanding and insights;
Publish work related to innovative teaching and advising;
Deliver presentations or papers on teaching-related topics;
Develop and use instructional materials to meet degree program objectives;
Receive fellowships for teaching activities;
Use peer evaluations to evaluate teaching techniques.

Advising: The faculty member's role as advisor is critical and essential, not only to advise students with regard to university requirements but also to assist students in identifying and developing skills and knowledge in their chosen professional field. In that respect, faculty members also serve as mentors to the students assigned to them through a formal advisor / advisee relationship and to the students in their classes or majoring in their discipline.

Academic advising includes both the formal and informal guidance provided to students to help them investigate, identify and accomplish academic and career goals. To meet expectations in advising, all faculty members must demonstrate professional achievement in both formal and informal advising. These aspects of advising are critical to professional achievement:

Formal advising - defined as providing sensitive, knowledgeable and skilled guidance to enhance the relationship between the student and the university and to help the student achieve his/her academic goals;
Informal advising - defined as providing sensitive, considerate and caring guidance to enhance the student's experiences at the university and to help the student achieve his/her personal goals.

To meet expectations for Basic Performance in Teaching and Advising, the faculty member must meet expectations for Basic Performance in Teaching and Basic Performance in Advising. To meet expectations for High Performance in Teaching and Advising, the faculty member must meet expectations for both High Performance in Teaching and High Performance in Advising. It is the faculty member's responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit and effort expended in their advising activities.

Advising -- Basic Performance: The faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Basic Performance in Advising. For annual evaluation, there is no documentation required for these items; but failure to satisfactorily perform these tasks would result in an evaluation of not meeting standards.

Be available to students on a regular basis;
Maintain advisee records and track their progress;
Process all university forms related to advising in a timely fashion;
Use Web-Advisor or Colleague in advising;
Proactively work with students to clarify graduation and major requirements;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Advising, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Help students transition into the university (e.g., registration, meet with incoming students and their families);
Inform students of university policies and procedures;
Assist students in locating available resources;
Guide students in the selection of classes to meet academic requirements;
Communicate basic career guidance to students;
Help students understand the role of general education and foundation courses in the degree program;
Provide students with recommendations for scholarships and job placement.

Advising -- High Performance: High Performance presumes the faculty member has demonstrated characteristics listed under Basic Performance and that performance moves beyond this level. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

In addition to accomplishing the professional behaviors indicated above in Basic Performance in Advising, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for High Performance in Advising.

Help students transition into the university (e.g., registration, meet with incoming students and their families);
Develop and make readily available information to assist advisees (e.g., checklists, mailing/distribution lists);

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Advising, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Initiate opportunities for interaction with students;
Encourage students to seek out university resources, policies and procedures to enable them to deal with situations before they become problems;
Recognize and adapt advising techniques for students with diverse needs;
Assist students in developing study skills and other techniques to improve their academic performance;
Help students assess their skills and interests to help them obtain their personal and career goals;
Be recognized as an outstanding advisor;
Provide training to other advisors;
Develop advising strategies to improve student retention;
Be sought by graduate students as thesis/dissertation advisor and undergraduate students as capstone experience advisor;
Assist with the Freshman Success Seminar or equivalent;
Seek out opportunities to enhance advising skills;
Assist with at-risk advising or the Early Alert Program.

Scholarship, Research and Creative Activities

Scholarship, research and creative activities, prerequisites for competent and current teaching, contribute to the expansion of knowledge and the development of the arts, and enhance the service provided to the public. The university expects that faculty make a serious commitment to scholarship, research and creative activities. (The only exception to this requirement is for faculty members who have a term contract at the rank of instructor.) Faculty members whose performance expectations include scholarship, research and creative activity must continue to learn in his/her discipline through appropriate scholarship / research / creative activities and to participate in the discipline's professional deliberations.

Scholarship, research and creative activities may take a variety of forms but, with the exception of faculty members whose only responsibility is teaching, it cannot be only for the classroom or take place only in the classroom. It must involve the presentation of one's ideas and works to one's professional peers or the learned public for debate and judgment. At a minimum, this presentation of ideas must include a proposal or invitation to present to a learned audience outside the university. Scholarship activities should result in new knowledge in a discipline, improved teaching or other knowledge enhancement, lead to publications and presentations or the development of new programs or delivery techniques, conclude in performances or exhibits, assist in developing clinical practice, or result in any of a myriad of other appropriate outcomes.

Dakota State University recognizes scholarship to include both basic and applied research as well as other forms of scholarship and creative activity. These aspects of scholarship, research and creative activity are critical to professional achievement:

Development of knowledge within the professional community - defined as sustained inquiry in the academic discipline, with productivity in the areas of publication, presentation, exhibition and/or performance.
Development of professional skills and standing within the professional community - defined as recognition among peers and others for expertise in the academic discipline.

The recognition and importance of the different forms and presentations of scholarship will vary depending upon the mission of the university, the mission of the college, the role of a discipline within the university's functions and the individual faculty member's assignment. It is the faculty member's responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit and effort expended in their scholarship, research and creative activities.

Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity - Basic Performance: To ensure competency and currency, faculty must be engaged in behaviors which exhibit sustained inquiry in their academic discipline. These activities may be demonstrated, for example, by maintaining currency in the literature of one's discipline, sustained participation in professional organizations, and/or a continuing series of research and publication.

The faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Basic Performance in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity:

Demonstrate sustained inquiry in their academic discipline;
Demonstrate scholarly productivity;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Demonstrate willingness to share expertise with university community;
Participate in professional meetings, conventions, symposiums, and conferences and share that knowledge with the campus community;
Publish / present non-peer reviewed research at professional meetings, conventions, symposiums, and conferences;
Write for discipline-related periodicals or bulletins;
Serve as a book reviewer;
Demonstrate creative application of new technologies within the academic discipline;
Deliver artistic performance of established artistic works;
Exhibit an accumulated body of artistic works;
Use research to develop new teaching methods, library or other learning tools / services / resources;
Experiment with instructional methods and techniques using one's own research;
Guide and evaluate student research projects and/or theses;
Supervise student research which results in presentations;
Submit proposals for / receive / conduct research specified in grants;
Submit design work in graphic / marketing competitions.

Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity - High Performance: High Performance presumes the faculty member has demonstrated characteristics listed under Basic Performance and that the faculty member's professional behavior has moved beyond this level. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

In addition to accomplishing the professional behaviors indicated above in Basic Performance in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for High Performance in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity:

Demonstrate significant and sustained inquiry in their academic discipline;
Demonstrate significant and sustained scholarly productivity.

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Publish research, poems, novels, plays, musical compositions, and/or works of art in significant / peer reviewed publications;
Present at peer-reviewed or significant professional meetings, conventions, symposiums, and conferences;
Deliver invited lectures and/or speeches for other universities, professional meetings, conventions and/or conferences;
Serve as peer reviewer at professional meetings, conventions, symposiums, and conferences;
Serve as an editor / peer reviewer of papers for publication;
Write chapter(s) for discipline-related books;
Develop new educational software or new curricula / degree programs;
Develop new inventions and/or patents;
Receive recognition as an expert in one's academic field;
Deliver performances of original artistic works;
Exhibit original artistic works in juried shows;
Exhibit an acccumulated body of original artistic works;
Provide consulting or creative services pertaining to one's discipline;
Supervise independent student research which results in publication or presentation to professional / learned audience;
Submit proposals / receive / conduct research specified in significant grants;
Evaluate significant grant proposals;
Receive fellowship for research or artistic activity;

Service

Dakota State University has defined service as the donation of time, effort and energy, without significant compensation, to activities that draw upon the faculty member's professional expertise and knowledge. Significant compensation is defined as more than $600. Activities that are performed as part of contracted administrative duties such as program coordinator, assessment coordinator, paid club advisor, etc. cannot be listed as service to the University.

Service is an integral facet of the profession and all faculty members are expected to demonstrate professional achievement in service to the university. Depending on the faculty member's rank and role within the university, the faculty member may also be expected to provide service to their discipline/profession and the community or public, as indicated below. These aspects of service are critical to professional achievement:

Service to the university - defined as active participation in academic and university functions and activities, committees, and other governance structures.
Service to the discipline or profession - defined as active participation in professional organizations and their activities.
Service to the community or public - defined as discipline-specific activities that benefit K-12 school districts and organizations, corporations and agencies other than the university.

Where appropriate, the faculty member is encouraged to use the mission or responsibility of a committee or organization to appropriately demonstrate the value of the service they've provided. The quality or time commitment to the service activity can be more important than the number of service activities listed. It is the faculty member's responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit and effort expended in their service activities.

At Dakota State University, all faculty members are expected to perform the routine behaviors for service as outlined below. Documentation for these behaviors is not required. However, not performing any of these behaviors would result in an evaluation of not meeting expectations.

Provide requested documents to assist in program reviews;
Provide requested documents to assist in accreditation of programs or the university;
Provide requested documents to committees necessary to discharge committee duties.

Although providing requested documents is a requirement, those making the requests must provide a reasonable amount of time for faculty to perform the request.

To meet expectations for Basic Performance in Service, a faculty member must meet expectations for Basic Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University. To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Service, a faculty member must exceed expectations in Discipline-Specific Service to the University and demonstrate professional achievement by meeting expectations for Basic Performance in at least one of the other categories - Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession or Discipline-Specific Service to the Public / Community.

To meet expectations for High Performance in Service, a faculty member must meet expectations for High Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University and demonstrate professional achievement by meeting expectations for High Performance in at least one of the other categories - Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession or Discipline-Specific Service to the Public / Community. To exceed expectations in High Performance in Service, a faculty member must exceed expectations for High Performance in Service to the University and demonstrate professional achievement by exceeding expectations for High Performance in at least one of the other categories -- Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession or Discipline-Specific Service to the Public / Community.

Discipline-Specific Service to the University -- Basic Performance: The faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Basic Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University:

Participate in academic / campus committees;
Participate in program/university assessment, evaluation or accreditation;
Participate in student recruitment and retention activities;
Participate in activities which support the university's strategic initiatives;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Share professional expertise and/or materials with the university community;
Participate in faculty, college or university governance structure;
Participate in the development of university's academic programs, curriculum and /or program modification, assessment plans, learning, or support services;
Participate in institutional projects/studies;
Provide faculty/staff development activities;
Serve as a mentor for junior faculty;
Serve as faculty representative to larger university community.

Discipline-Specific Service to the University -- High Performance: Service at a high level of performance presumes that the professional behaviors included in Basic Performance have been demonstrated and that performance has moved beyond this level. As in Basic Performance, the quality or time commitment of involvement may be more important than the number of service activities listed. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

In addition to accomplishing the professional behaviors indicated above in Basic Performance for Discipline-Specific Service to the University, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for High Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University:

Actively participate in a manner which has a significant impact on the development of university's academic programs, curriculum and/or program modification, assessment plans, learning or support services;
Sponsor or supervise student activities and/or student organizations; advise student groups;
Contribute to the development of the library or other learning resources (eg. Praxis or proficiency exam tutoring, etc.).

To exceed expectations in High Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the University, the faculty member must accomplish the professional behaviors indicated above under Basic Performance as well as demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Assume leadership role on academic / campus committees;
Assume leadership role in faculty, college, or university governance structure and/or policy development;
Serve on review boards and with accrediting agencies in a manner which has a significant impact;
Assume a leadership role in program review and accreditation self-study process;
Serve, in a significant manner, as university representative to larger university community;
Share expertise in technology with other faculty members.

Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession - Basic Performance: The faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession:

Participate in professional organizations and associated activities;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Share professional expertise and/or materials with the discipline;
Provide consulting services (or serve as resource person) within the academic discipline / professional field.

Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession - High Performance: Service at a high level of performance presumes that the professional behaviors included in Basic Performance are demonstrated and that performance moves beyond this level. As in Basic Performance, the quality or time commitment of involvement can be more important than the number of service activities listed. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

In addition to accomplishing the professional behaviors indicated above under Basic Performance for Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations in High Performance:

Contribute, in a significant manner, to professional organization(s), agencies, corporations, or school districts; or plan and implement activities for professional organizations, agencies, corporations or school districts.

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the Discipline / Profession, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Accept appointment in scholarly and/or leadership capacity to a state, regional, national or international position;
Provide educational services (or serve as resource person) within the academic discipline / professional field (i.e., edit professional journals);
Provide consulting services (or serve as resource person) within the academic discipline / professional field;
Review or edit the scholarly or creative works of others;
Evaluate grant applications;
Provide consulting services to other universities, colleges, departments, or K-12 school districts within the discipline;
Serve on review boards with accrediting agencies.

Discipline-Specific Service to the Community / Public - Basic Performance: The faculty member must demonstrate and document all of the professional behaviors included below to meet expectations for Discipline-Specific Service to the Community / Public:

Share professional expertise with the community or public;
Adhere to established college, university and BOR policies and procedures.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Service to the Community / Public, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Provide consulting services to organizations, agencies, corporations, or K-12 school districts;
Provide educational services to community organizations, agencies, corporations, or school districts;
Exercise professional judgment in evaluation of community projects, activities, etc.;
Serve as the university's representative to community organizations, agencies, corporations, or K-12 school districts.

Discipline-Specific Service to the Community / Public - High Performance: Service at a high level of performance presumes that the professional behaviors included in Basic Performance are demonstrated and that performance moves beyond this level. As in Basic Performance, the quality or time commitment of involvement can be more important than the number of service activities listed. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

In addition to accomplishing the professional behaviors indicated above under Basic Performance, the faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations in High Performance for Discipline-Specific Service to the Community or Public:

Share professional expertise with the community or public, which results in significant recognition to the university or faculty member.

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Discipline-Specific Service to the Community / Public, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Provide significant consulting services to organizations, agencies, corporations, or K-12 school districts;
Provide significant educational services to community organizations, agencies, corporations, or school districts;
Exercise professional judgment in evaluation of community projects, activities, etc., which result in significant recognition to the university or faculty member;
Serve as the university's representative to community organizations, agencies, corporations, or K-12 school districts and which results in significant recognition to the university or faculty member.

Citizenship activities that are related to the faculty member’s discipline may be included in the annual evaluation documentation provided by faculty members. Citizenship activities that are unrelated to the faculty member’s discipline should not be included. Nonetheless, faculty members are encouraged to provide these types of nonprofessional behaviors:

Participates in local, state, and/or national civic activities that promote a positive relationship between the university and the community;
Assumes a leadership role in civic activities that promote a positive relationship between the university and the community.

Librarianship

Librarians are evaluated on their librarianship rather than or in addition to their teaching skills. Since librarians are seldom involved in formal pedagogical activities with students, they are generally evaluated on professional effectiveness rather than teaching effectiveness and academic advising. To meet expectations in librarianship, librarians must demonstrate professional performance in these aspects of librarianship:

Professional effectiveness - defined as the attributes and qualifications linked to the specific position held within the library.
Professional knowledge - defined as the command and knowledge of one's specialty area and the ability to instruct in that area, as required.

Central to academic librarianship is the creation, communication, and provision of access to knowledge. DSU librarians are expected to devote most of their time and energy in exercising their skills in support of the teaching curriculum and faculty research work, developing and preserving appropriate collections, and establishing effective bibliographic control over them. They are committed to assisting students to become scholars who can effectively find, critically evaluate, and appropriately use information.

Beyond their assigned responsibilities, librarians are also expected to pursue research and creative activity and make general service contributions. Librarianship responsibilities reflect the nature of their role within the library. Librarians whose main responsibilities lie in the cataloging and acquisitions areas of Technical Services are more focused on the acquisition and organization of knowledge while librarians in the reference and instruction areas of Public Services are more focused on access and instruction. Both sides are of equal and central importance to the primary mission of the library.

It is the library faculty member's responsibility to fully describe the impact, benefit, and effort expended in their librarianship activities as reflected by their specific position description.The following is a representative list of faculty responsibilities in the areas of librarianship. The list is not all-inclusive but serves as a guide for the annual performance evaluations and promotion and tenure evaluations of faculty librarians.

Identify, select, and acquire books, serials, and other resources necessary to support the teaching, research, and service activities of the university;
Classify and catalogue books, serials, and other resources;
Provide reference services, including information desk service and telephone, email, and online services;
Provide interpretation of and instruction in the use of library and information resources, bibliographic tools, databases, and other organized guides to knowledge;
Develop, prepare, and provide instruction in and promotion of information literacy;
Provide access to, and maintain records for, information resources that support the teaching and research activities of faculty, staff, students, and others;
Analyze and develop methods of organizing bibliographic information and maintaining quality control;
Maintain and monitor the quality of library collections and services;
Collect, preserve, and provide access to archival materials;
Communicate and cooperate with faculty, staff, students, and others in the pursuit of better library services;
Analyze library needs, organize library materials, and design services to meet the present and future needs of the university community;

Librarianship - Basic Performance: The library faculty member must demonstrate and document all the professional behaviors listed below to meet expectations for Basic Performance in Librarianship:

Demonstrate level of competence equal to that of other librarians of similar experience and rank;
Demonstrate an understanding of policies, procedures, goals, and resources of the library and the ability to work effectively within this framework;
Show professional conduct conducive to a collegial work environment and a standard of professional integrity that will advance the interest of DSU and Karl E. Mundt Library;
Demonstrate competence in all skills and knowledge implied by the job requirements;
Collaborate with colleagues to improve library services, collections, instruction or learning.

To exceed expectations for Basic Performance in Librarianship, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors linked to librarianship. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Exhibit a commitment to maintaining (and increasing) the level of competence in librarianship;
Develop and use appropriate policies/procedures to meet library objectives;
Promote understanding and appreciation of diversity through collection development or instruction or other activities in librarianship;
Interpret and present technical information in a way learners (public, students, other clientele) will understand;
Participate in university efforts to implement assessment and engage in self-assessment;
Contribute to program development and review processes;
Be available for consultation with students, faculty, and staff;
Analyze library needs and design services to meet the present and future needs of the university community;
Use technology appropriate to the discipline and needs of learners;
Integrate new knowledge from professional conferences, literature, and research;
Contribute to developing a global perspective by providing cultural information through exhibits, presentations, reference work, or instruction, OR by selecting relevant library resources, OR by providing access to relevant resources.

Librarianship - High Performance: High level of performance presumes that the professional behaviors included in Basic Performance are demonstrated and that performance moves beyond this level. As in Basic Performance, the quality or time commitment of involvement can be more important than the number of activities listed. Some activities in this list differ from Basic Performance activities only by inclusion of the relative term "significant". In this context, "significant" should be interpreted as describing activities which are exceptional in terms of scope, prestige of venue, impact on the audience / profession, importance to the university, etc.

Demonstrate consistently competent performance, with evidence of activity beyond the minimum required for basic performance in assigned responsibilities;
Demonstrate mastery of all skills and knowledge implied by the job requirements;
Assist with the development of innovative services and/or work routines that enhance the library's effectiveness;
Create opportunities to learn about the sources of information associated with disciplines or areas of study;
Collaborate with colleagues to improve or redesign library services, collections, programming, instruction or learning.

To exceed expectations for High Performance in Librarianship, the faculty member must demonstrate and document additional professional behaviors linked to librarianship and their role within the Karl E. Mundt Library. The list included below is not intended to be all-inclusive; these are examples only:

Participate in significant professional development activities leading to enhanced skills and performance;
Be sought by and serve as a mentor to students, colleagues, and/or others;
Receive written or verbal testimonials of superior performance from library patrons and/or colleagues;
Provide leadership in the development of innovative services and/or work routines that enhance the library's effectiveness;
Bring an excitement for the content and study of the discipline;
Conceive, explore, develop, implement, evaluate, and refine innovative methods, techniques, and materials;
Foster independent learning, creative thinking, exploration of ideas, and lifelong learning;
Contribute to improving the understanding of subject matter and methods of teaching and learning;
Apply for and receive library related development grants in a competitive environment;
Receive professional recognition for recent or past honors, awards, or contributions;
Serve as an organizer or moderator for a symposium or conference;
Receive recognition as an expert in one's field;
Apply theories and techniques from faculty development activities.

Annual Evaluation of a Faculty Member's
Professional Performance

The evaluation process for faculty is described in Section XI of the 2008-2011 COHE Agreement. The document used to convey the information used in that evaluation is Appendix F in the Agreement. In general terms: on an annual basis, faculty members are evaluated by their immediate supervisor in the areas of teaching and advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service. At the beginning of the calendar year (or at the beginning of the academic year, for new faculty), the immediate supervisor and the faculty member establish expectations relative to these three evaluation areas and establish appropriate percentages for effort in each of the three areas. At the end of the calendar year, the faculty member's immediate supervisor examines and evaluates the documentation provided by the faculty member relative to their performance in the three areas described above, and then assigns a numerical rating to the faculty member's performance in each of the three evaluation areas.

The primary use of the annual evaluation document and the resulting performance ratings is to establish annual goals and expectations, to document progress in achieving goals, and to provide feedback on performance. This is intended to be a joint process between the faculty member and his/her immediate supervisor. The evaluation ratings are also used to support the university's salary decisions. The current guidelines for salary decisions are specified in Section XIX of the 2008-2011 COHE Agreement. And, finally, the evaluation ratings also have an impact on decisions relative to promotion and tenure recommendations.

The language in the sections on teaching and advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service in the preceding sections of this document consistently refer to "basic performance" and "high performance". Basic Performance refers to the professional behaviors that reflect an essential or indispensable level of performance for teaching/advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service. High performance presumes that all the characteristics of basic performance have been accomplished and that the faculty member's performance has moved beyond that level, in either a qualitative or quantitative sense. High performance is an expectation for promotion, tenure and discretionary salary decisions.

Failure to Meet Expectations: While not defined in detail in this document, a rating of 0 (fails to meet expectations) indicates that the faculty member has not achieved basic performance requirements for their rank in an evaluation area. These additional documents address performance expectations, performance deficiencies and/or unacceptable conduct by faculty:

Appendix E of the 2008-2011COHE Agreement
BOR Policy 4:38 Statement Concerning Faculty Expectations
BOR Policy 4:42 Academic Misconduct

Professional Development Plans

With the implementation of the 2008-2011 Council of Higher Education (COHE) Agreement, every tenured and tenure-track faculty member must have an approved Professional Development Plan (PDP). See BOR/COHE § 11.2(3)(A)-(E) and the PDP Guidelines for additional details on the Board of Regents website at http://www.sdbor.edu/administration/policy_planning/agreements/COHE_Agree/agreement.htm. Most faculty members have responsibilities in three areas: teaching and advising; research, scholarship, or creative activity; and service. But, because responsibilities vary, the professional development plan must be consistent with the expectations associated with the faculty member’s own position.

The professional development plan is intended to describe how the faculty member will organize his or her effort over a three- or six-year period in order to reach expected levels of achievement. The professional development plans for faculty members who are not tenured full professors should indicate a progressive increase in the quality and significance of planned accomplishments that, when fully and successfully implemented, will contribute toward promotion and/or tenure as described in this document. The plans for tenured full professors should indicate activities that will support their continued professional growth and leadership.

A faculty member’s professional development plan must address the standards for professional behavior provided in this document. In addition, the plans must be designed to encourage individuals to achieve:

appropriate levels of performance in all areas of professional activity (teaching, research, scholarship or creative activity, and service);
recognition for on-going scholarly accomplishment;
leadership levels that would be expected of persons holding the rank of tenured professor.

Standards for Professional Behavior Relative to Rank:
Minimum Requirements

The descriptions of Basic Performance and High Performance are directly linked to expectations for faculty members at a particular academic rank and in a particular role within the university, as described below.

Instructors: Minimum requirements for contract renewal for Instructors include:

Basic Performance in teaching or librarianship
Basic Performance in service to the university

New Assistant Professor (0-2 years of service): Minimum requirements for contract renewal for new Assistant Professors include:

Basic Performance in teaching and advising or librarianship
Basic Performance in scholarship, research and creative activity
Basic Performance in service to the university

Assistant Professor: Minimum requirements for Assistant Professors include:

High Performance in teaching and advising or librarianship*
Basic Performance in remaining roles

To earn tenure and be promoted to Associate Professor, an Assistant Professor must demonstrate performance in the areas of responsibility commensurate wth the rank of associate professor (2008-2011 COHE Agreement Section XII).

Associate Professor: Minimum requirements for Associate Professors include:

High Performance in teaching and advisng or librarianship*, and in one other performance area
Basic Performance in remaining performance area

To be promoted to Full Professor, an Associate Professor must demonstrate performance in the areas of responsibility commensurate with the rank of full professor (2008-2011 COHE Agreement Section XII).

Full Professor: Minimum requirements for Full Professors include:

High Performance in teaching and advising or librarianship*
High Performance in scholarship, research and creative activity
Basic Performance in service

*For research faculty, research is expected to be the primary performance area, rather than teaching/advising.

Table 1: Minimum Performance Standards

Faculty Rank	Performance Standard	Performance Language	Performance Rating
Instructor
Teaching or Librarianship	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Research	No requirement	NA	1
Service	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
New Asst. Prof (0-2 yrs of service)
Teaching/Advising* or Librarianship	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Second Performance Area	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Third Performance Area	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Asst. Prof.
Teaching/Advising* or Librarianship	High Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Second Performance Area	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Third Performance Area	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Assoc. Prof.
Teaching/Advising* or Librarianship	High Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Second Performance Area	High Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Third Performance Area	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Full Prof.
Teaching/Advising* or Librarianship	High Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Research	High Performance	Meets Expectations	1
Service	Basic Performance	Meets Expectations	1

*For research faculty, research is expected to be the primary performance area, rather than Teaching/Advising.

Minimum Requirements for Promotion and Tenure
of Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty

Minimum Promotion Eligibility Criteria: In addition to the minimum educational requirements for each academic rank, Section XII of the 2008-2011 COHE Agreement establishes the minimum eligibility criteria for promotion in rank. (Note: All references to years in rank refer to full-time academic year appointments.) As indicated in the minimum promotion eligibility criteria described below, faculty members must meet institutional performance standards for persons holding the rank sought in order to be awarded promotion to that rank.

Instructor to Assistant Professor: Three (3) years in rank, including at least two (2) in the institution; three (3) years of successful full-time college teaching or research experience in appropriate fields; evidence of scholarship consistent with institutional standards; performance in the areas of responsibilities commensurate with the rank of Assistant Professor.

Assistant Professor to Associate Professor: Six (6) years of successful post-doctoral or tenure-track college teaching or research experience in appropriate fields; evidence of external recognition for scholarly accomplishment; performance in the areas of responsibilities commensurate with the rank of Associate Professor; the award of tenure.

Note that, for a faculty member hired as an assistant professor in a tenure-track position, promotion to the rank of associate professor occurs upon the awarding of a tenure contract. To be eligible for tenure, assistant professors in tenure-track contracts must meet the minimum tenure eligibility criteria for tenure described in the section below as well as the minimum eligibility criteria for associate professor listed above.

Associate Professor to Full Professor: Five (5) years in rank in the institution; tenure; ten (10) years of successful post-doctoral or tenure-track college teaching or research experience in appropriate fields; evidence of external recognition for ongoing scholarly accomplishment and leadership; performance in the areas of responsibilities commensurate with the rank of Full Professor.

A faculty member must provide some evidence of discipline-specific scholarly publications or creative works in significant venues to be promoted to full professor. Research in teaching and learning alone is not sufficient for promotion to full professor unless the faculty member’s discipline is education or the faculty member teaches instructional methods courses in his/her discipline. However, faculty members can include research in teaching and learning as part of their research portfolio.

Minimum Tenure Eligibility Criteria: The 2008-2011 COHE Agreement Section XIII establishes minimum criteria for granting tenure. The institution’s recommendation for tenure is based on an assessment of the candidate’s past contributions and promise of future contributions to the goals and mission of the institution. To be granted the privileges of tenure, faculty members must:

Demonstrate that they have developed, maintained and implemented well-defined professional development plans in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service;
Demonstrate that they currently meet institutional performance standards in teaching and advising or librarianship; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service for Associate Professors and that they shall, in due course, meet institutional performance standards in teaching and advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and service for Full Professors.

Faculty unit members holding the rank of assistant professor or higher may apply for tenure during their sixth year of tenure-track service. Tenure-track service is based on full-time academic appointments or their equivalents. Part-time appointments may be recognized on a pro-rata basis. For those who were hired at the rank of assistant professor on tenure-track contracts, promotion to the rank of associate professor occurs upon the awarding of a tenure contract. To be eligible for tenure, assistant professors in tenure-track contracts must meet the requirements for tenure described above as well as the minimum requirements for associate professor listed in the previous section.

Minimum Requirements for Change in Rank
Of Term Faculty

The procedures described below are intended to assist faculty on term contracts who feel that they have met minimum qualifications for the next highest academic rank. As indicated below, faculty members must meet institutional performance standards for persons holding the rank sought in order to move to that rank.

Instructor to Assistant Professor: This change in rank is dependent on a recommendation from the faculty member’s dean. The faculty member is not expected or required to provide any documentation, other than a formal statement to the dean, indicating he/she meets the minimum qualifications for assistant professor: master’s degree plus completion of 30 additional semester hours of graduate credit or earned doctorate / terminal degree; 3 years in rank as instructor at the institution; 3 years of successful, full-time college teaching; scholarship consistent with institutional expectations for assistant professor; performance in the areas of responsibilities commensurate with the rank of Assistant Professor.

The faculty member’s dean reviews the request and submits a recommendation to the Dean’s Council prior to March 15, for review and recommendation to the president. The change in academic rank becomes effective if/when another term contract is offered.

Assistant Professor to Associate Professor: This change in rank is triggered by an Appendix F review and must be supported by the faculty member’s dean. As a follow up to the Appendix F review, the faculty member submits to the dean documentation indicating he/she meets the minimum qualifications for associate professor: earned doctorate / terminal degree; 4 years in rank as assistant professor at the institution; 6 years of successful post-doctoral teaching; external recognition of scholarship; performance in the areas of responsibilities commensurate with the rank of Associate Professor. Documentation should be submitted to the dean by the faculty member prior to March 1. The dean reviews the documentation and submits the documentation and a letter of support to the Dean’s Council prior to March 15, for review and recommendation to the president. The change in academic rank becomes effective if/when another term contract is offered.

Summary

The broad definitions and professional behaviors described in this document are representative of the breadth of activities that may be appropriate for faculty members, depending on their individual roles, rank, and assignments. Some of the professional behaviors included in the earlier sections of this document appear on more than one list or in more than one category. Because of role differences, activities that may represent research for one faculty member may more accurately describe professional behavior in service for another. It is important to remember that where the activity is placed is dependent upon the individual faculty member's role, rank, assignment and discipline.

This document restates the mission of the university as approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents. It clarifies the primary roles of faculty and reiterates the expectation that all faculty members are responsible for providing significant professional achievement in teaching and advising; scholarship, research and creative activity; and in service. The intent is that this document be used in the spirit in which it is offered, as a guide for faculty in providing the documentation required on an annual basis for performance appraisals and on a periodic basis for promotion and tenure decisions. It should also be used to help the faculty member and his/her immediate supervisor set goals and priorities for professional development, identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth, and highlight accomplishments within the parameters of the University's mission. This process should follow these principles:

Faculty roles can vary between colleges and disciplines. However, every faculty member has an assigned role that reflects the university's mission and is linked to specific assignments in teaching/advising, scholarship/research/creative activity and service.
Professional behaviors are statements of the university's expectations for faculty members relative to their assigned roles. In some categories, the document indicates that the faculty member must achieve all of the professional behaviors listed. In other categories, the list of professional behaviors is not all inclusive but is intended to provide examples.
The professional behaviors used to document professional achievement in each of the three evaluation areas are expected to reflect the faculty member's role within the university.
The standards set for professional behaviors are a function of the faculty member's rank and are specifically highlighted above.
The faculty member is responsible for providing the documentation that is used to determine the extent to which any particular professional behavior is met.
Evaluation of faculty member performance is directly related to achievement of the professional behaviors included in this document. The evaluation that is provided by the faculty member's immediate supervisor is an appraisal of how well the individual faculty member has achieved the professional behaviors highlighted in their Appendix F documentation.
Evaluation of professional behaviors is accomplished to determine promotion, tenure, contract continuation, and/or salary allocation.

Attachment A:
DSU Mission Statement

From Board of Regents Policy 1:10:5

The Legislature established Dakota State University as an institution specializing in programs in computer management, computer information systems, and other related undergraduate and graduate programs as outlined in SDCL § 13-59-2.2. A special emphasis is the preparation of the elementary and secondary teachers with expertise in the use of computer technology and information processing in the teaching and learning process.

The Board implemented SDCL § 13-59-2.2 by authorizing undergraduate and graduate programs that are technology-infused and promote excellence in teaching and learning. These programs support research, scholarly and creative activities and provide service to the State of South Dakota and the region. Dakota State University is a member of the South Dakota System of Higher Education.

Curriculum: Degrees are authorized at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels.

The following curriculum is approved for the university:

Undergraduate Programs:
- Associate degree programs are approved in allied health care, business, general studies, and information technology.
- Baccalaureate programs are approved in allied health care, business, education, information technology, mathematics, and sciences.
Graduate Programs:
- Masters degree programs are approved in education and information technology. A Doctor of Science degree in Information Systems is approved.

Attachment B:
Documentation for Promotion and Tenure

Minimum Documentation

It is the applicant's responsibility to submit documentation that substantiates his/her qualification for promotion/tenure per the guidelines outlined within the policy. Only those activities and materials that date from the faculty member's last promotion should be included in the documentation. This documentation should provide evidence of the applicant's expertise and accomplishment in each of these areas:

Teaching and advising or librarianship
Scholarship/Research/Creative Work
Service to the University, Discipline/Profession, Community or Public

The documentation should also include:

Personal statement of application for promotion or tenure, including a statement documenting that minimum promotion and tenure eligibility criteria (as described in the Board of Regents (BOR) Policy and the BOR-COHE Agreement) have been met;
Personal statement on philosophy of teaching;
At least three letters of recommendation from colleagues (at least one must be from a professional colleague of the applicant's academic unit and at least one from a professional colleague from off-campus). These recommendations should address their knowledge of the candidate's accomplishments in the areas of teaching, scholarship/research/creative works, and/or service;
Current curriculum vita;
Copies of published works: articles, papers, manuscripts, books, evaluation instruments or software, photos, slides or recordings of any creative works.
Names and contact information for current and former students who can be contacted by the Promotion and Tenure Committee for feedback on the faculty member's accomplishments relative to the evaluative criteria for teaching.

The faculty's official personnel file will be available to the Promotion and Tenure Committee.

Recognition of Other Activities

As provided in the BOR-COHE Agreement, faculty unit members and their supervisors may agree that other specific activities shall be considered teaching/advising; research, scholarship and creative activity; or service contributions. Significant performance relative to these other activities will also be recognized, provided that such specified activities are consistent with the policy goals stated in Appendix G of the COHE agreement and the professional behaviors listed above in this standards document.

To warrant recognition, other specific activities must be justified in terms of the mission of the university, the role or mission of the faculty unit member's department or discipline or the faculty unit member's specific assignment as agreed to by the faculty unit member and his/her immediate supervisor. This agreement to recognize other activities is intended to permit the modification of performance standards for individual unit faculty members, as warranted by unique circumstances.

Documentation to Demonstrate Accomplishments

The applicant should present representative evidence of accomplishments, even if some seem appropriate for promotion to a higher rank than that for which they are applying. Documentation refers to the specific materials that can be used to substantiate or illustrate a faculty member's achievement of a particular professional behavior. In general, faculty members aren't expected to provide physical documentation to substantiate the professional behaviors listed on an annual Appendix F document. However, appropriate (but not exhaustive) documentation is a necessary component in a faculty member's application for promotion or tenure. Examples of appropriate documentation are included below.

Documenting Professional Behavior in Teaching

Faculty members are responsible for explaining and documenting the impact (to themselves, to students, to their college, to the institution) of behaviors. The following are some examples of documentation which may be used in determining the impact of a behavior. The list is not meant to be all-inclusive.

Description of how course, administrator, peer, or self evaluation results (and other applicable quantitative and qualitative data) were used to improve the course or improve teaching and the outcome;
Description/documentation of attendance at faculty development sessions, seminars, workshops, courses, conferences, etc., along with an explanation of how the faculty member applied knowledge from these activities to their teaching;
Explanations of where and when presentations or training (related to pedagogy and teaching/learning) were done or publications were achieved;
Examples of good teaching (lesson plans, activities, assignment criteria sheets, rubrics, etc.);
Descriptions of changes in course syllabi assignments and projects and the significance of those changes;
Descriptions of new technologies and software utilized or developed to enhance teaching and learning;
Evidence of student learning (grades, pre/post tests, projects, comments from teaching evaluation documents, etc);
Evidence of broadened student learning (students present material related to your class at conference or workshop; student publications);
Explanations of mentoring relationships and the importance, outcome, and/or impact;
Description of individualized instruction or help session, materials and methods used, and problem areas addressed;
Explanations of the faculty member’s role in curriculum and assessment activities.

Documenting Professional Behavior in Advising

Faculty members are responsible for explaining and documenting the impact (to themselves, to students, to their college, to the institution) of behaviors. The following are some examples of documentation that may be used in determining the impact of a behavior. The list is not meant to be all-inclusive.

Evaluations by program coordinator and/or dean, self evaluations, and student evaluations;
Student files with documentation of advising activities;
Explanation of when and how advisees and/or other students were assisted, including student orientation and registration sessions;
Participation in workshops or seminars designed to improve academic advising skills;
Description of when and where innovative advising techniques were disseminated to colleagues;
Explanation of when and how technology was used and its impact on advising;
Description of the assessment techniques or materials used and the outcome;
Description of the faculty member’s role in project/dissertation or portfolio review.

Documenting Professional Behavior in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity

As indicated above, copies of published works (articles, papers, manuscripts, books, evaluation instruments or software, grant applications and awards, photos, slides or recordings of any creative works) must be included as part of the faculty member’s research portfolio. Faculty members are responsible for explaining and documenting the impact of behaviors to themselves, to students, to their college, to the discipline, and to the institution. The following are some examples of documentation which may be used in determining the impact of a behavior. The list is not meant to be all-inclusive.

Evaluation by professional peers;
Awards, prizes, commendations, honors, invited presentations;
Development of software, media, patents, inventions;
Citation counts;
Advanced degrees, certifications, etc.

Documenting Professional Behavior in Service

Faculty members are responsible for explaining and documenting the impact of behaviors to themselves, to students, to their college, to the discipline, and to the institution. The following are some examples of documentation which may be used in determining the impact of a behavior. The list is not meant to be all-inclusive.

Evaluations or ratings by program coordinator and/or dean;
Evaluations or ratings by committee members, committee chair, or supervisor of an activity;
Evaluations by an organization to which service was provided;
Evaluations by professional peers;
Citations or acknowledgements of contributions;
News articles, announcements, feature stories, photo stories, web sites;
Discussion of role in the activities of university, college, or multi-institutional committees and task forces;
Reports produced for institutional or departmental studies or projects;
Recruitment seminars and recruitment efforts;
Discussion of role in student activities;
Description / documentation of function and/or position in professional organizations;
Discussion of role in activities of city, county, state, or regional committees;
Description of efforts to promote the mission and interests of DSU;
Description of service to schools and other universities;
Description of editorial and advisory service to professional journals or review boards;
Description of advisory services to accrediting agencies;
Description of efforts to share knowledge related to application and promotion of technology;
Evidence of collaboration with colleagues in other disciplines.

DSU