This page is designed as a resource for Chairs, Deans, and others in the position of making decisions about the quality of teaching by UW instructors. Materials presented here represent the work of the Faculty Council on Instructional Quality (FCIQ), the Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR), and the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA).

A complex activity like teaching is understood best when it is viewed from more than one perspective, using multiple sources of data. Each source offers valuable information, but none by itself gives the whole picture.

These links take you to policies stated in the UW Faculty Handbook and recommendations from the Faculty Council on Instructional Quality:

1. Documentation for Promotion, Tenure, and Merit Increases
2. FCIQ Guidelines

These links take you to resources and examples related to gathering and interpreting information from a variety of sources:

3. Center for Instructional Development and Research
4. Office of Educational Assessment

Section 24-57 of the Faculty Handbook presents Procedural Safeguards for Promotion, Merit-Based Salary, and Tenure Considerations, including Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness.

This section of Faculty Handbook also makes the following statement about evaluation of teaching for promotion, tenure, and merit increases:

Teaching.  An essential qualification for the granting of tenure or for promotion is the ability to teach effectively. Some elements in assessing effective teaching are:

• the ability to organize and conduct a course appropriate to the level of instruction and the nature of the subject matter;
• the consistency with which the teacher brings to the classroom the latest research findings and professional debates within the discipline;
• the ability to stimulate intellectual inquiry so that students develop the skills to examine and evaluate ideas and arguments;
• the extent to which the teacher encourages discussion and debate within the course to enable students to articulate the ideas they are exploring;
• the availability of the teacher to the students beyond the classroom environment;
• the regularity with which the teacher examines or re-examines the organization and readings for a course and explores new approaches to effective educational methods.

A major activity related to teaching is the instructor's ability to participate in academic advising and counseling, whether this takes the form of assisting students select courses or discussing the students' long-range goals. The faculty member's concern for the progress and well being of the students is an inseparable adjunct to the classroom.

Source: The Faculty Handbook, Volume 2, Documentation for Recommendations for Promotion, Tenure, and Merit Increases

The Faculty Council on Instructional Quality has reviewed research, best practices, and UW policies and procedures to develop the following guidelines related to the evaluation of teaching:

• Recommendations for the Use of Student Evaluations in Merit and Promotion Decisions
• Guidelines for the Preparation and Use of Teaching Portfolios

The Center for Instructional Development and Research recommends a number of sources of data for the assessment of teaching. Possibilities include documentation of student learning outcomes, the instructor's self-assessment and reflection on his or her teaching, students' perceptions of their learning experiences in a course, and peer or colleague review of teaching. Follow these links for more information:

• Sources of Data for the Assessment of Teaching
• Developing a Teaching Portfolio
• Making Sense of Student Ratings
• Peer Review of Teaching

The Office of Educational Assessment provides the UW community with the Instructional Assessment System and other assessment resources:

• Course Evaluation
• Sample Course Evaluation Forms
• IAS Norms (UW Seattle users)
• OEA Research Reports