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Formal Evaluation of Adjunct Faculty

Guidelines for the Formal Evaluation
of Adjunct Faculty

Updated June 15, 2020

These guidelines provide the process for evaluating adjunct faculty members within the Klein College of Media and Communication for the purpose of being considered for promotion, pay increase or to request a multisemester appointment.

Review the guidelines. (pdf)

contents

Requesting an Evaluation

  • An adjunct faculty member with an appointment in Klein College may request an evaluation for the purpose of being considered for a multisemester appointment, a pay increase within the guidelines for adjunct faculty pay within Klein College or change in title. Consideration for change in title or pay must include an evaluation of the adjunct faculty member.
  • A request for evaluation should be made to either the department chair or program director for which the adjunct faculty member is employed. If teaching for more than one department or program, the request may be made to the head of either one. The request should include a list of courses the adjunct faculty member is currently teaching and, if relevant, has taught in the past up to three semesters of employment within Klein College.
  • An adjunct faculty member may request a formal evaluation at any time, but no more than once during any two successive semesters of employment.
  • If the request is made within the first four weeks of the fall or spring semester, the evaluation should take place during the same semester or, at the latest, during the following semester in which the adjunct faculty member is employed.
  • A supervisor, as well as other personnel within Klein College responsible for making personnel recommendations, may evaluate an adjunct faculty member’s teaching within Klein College at any time. Normally, an adjunct faculty member will be notified at least seven calendar days before a classroom observation takes place. The adjunct faculty member should provide any materials requested by the evaluator, such as syllabi, assignments and student projects to the evaluator. They should also invite the evaluator to the relevant courses’ Canvas site within 14 calendar days.

Performance Measures

Evaluation shall include multiple measures of performance. These measures may include, but are not limited to

  • classroom observation,
  • consultation with a teaching mentor or sequence head,
  • review of student assignments,
  • review of student projects,
  • review of syllabi and assignments, and
  • student feedback forms (SFFs).

In addition, the adjunct faculty member may provide student letters and emails in support of the faculty member’s teaching. Except for extenuating circumstances, at minimum, the evaluation should include a classroom observation, review of syllabi for current courses and review of SFFs.

Klein instructor speaks to class.

Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg, CLA ’14

Personnel Recommendations

  • The program supervisor is the person or persons responsible for making personnel recommendations regarding the adjunct faculty member’s appointment. Generally, the supervisor is the department chair or program director of the program in which the adjunct faculty member is employed. The supervisor shall be responsible for conducting the evaluation. The supervisor may appoint a designee to conduct the evaluation, who will provide an evaluation report to the supervisor. The evaluation report shall include a written summary of the evaluation, a copy of any materials reviewed and a report of any in-class observations.
  • Except for extenuating circumstances, the evaluation report shall be completed within two weeks of the classroom observation. If completed by a designee, the report will be submitted to the supervisor within 14 calendar days of the classroom observation.
  • Except for extenuating circumstances, the supervisor shall provide the adjunct faculty member with a written summary of the evaluation report within 30 calendar days of the classroom observation. The written summary and the evaluation report will be placed in the adjunct faculty member’s department personnel file.

Evaluation Decisions

  • Decisions resulting from the evaluation are the sole discretion of Klein College. Seeking evaluation does not guarantee change in pay, title or assignment of a multisemester appointment.
  • An adjunct faculty member who receives an unsatisfactory evaluation may provide a written response which will be placed in the personnel file. If a response is submitted, a note will be placed in the departmental file stating that a response is included in the personnel file.
  • Under exceptional circumstances, Temple University, in its sole discretion, may conduct an evaluation without notice.

Multisemester Appointments

  • Whether an adjunct faculty member is appointed for single or multiple semesters is at the discretion of the dean of Klein College. Multiple semester appointments do not need to be for consecutive semesters and may extend beyond an academic year. Appointment letters must state which semesters and which years the adjunct faculty member will have teaching assignments.
  • A multisemester contract does not need to initially specify the course assignment(s) beyond the first semester, but the contract commits to hiring for the additional semesters.
  • If an adjunct faculty member receives a multisemester contract to teach in multiple departments within Klein College, the appointment shall be coordinated by the dean’s office, which will specify which department the adjunct will teach in during each semester of the appointment.

Adjunct Faculty Title and Pay Scale Information

Adjunct Faculty Titles

Adjunct faculty members hired as adjunct instructors should list their designation on syllabi, resume and in Temple-related email as “Adjunct Instructor,” and they should be addressed by the title they use outside of the university, such as Dr., Ms. or Mr. (NAME).

Adjunct faculty members hired as an adjunct assistant professor, or higher adjunct faculty rank, should list their designation as adjunct assistant professor (or appropriate rank), and may be addressed as Professor (Name).

Adjunct faculty members hired on designated visiting appointments have a “visiting” rank: visiting assistant professor, visiting associate professor or visiting professor. This appointment is generally used when hiring an individual who has an existing faculty appointment at another college or university. Individuals hired with this designation may be addressed as Professor (Name).

Please use the correct designation for your rank on your syllabus, in your Temple email signature information and in all other reference to your appointment at Temple University, including in media or press coverage and on résumés or curriculum vitae.

Adjunct Pay Scale

The following pay scale is intended to maintain consistency in adjunct pay across departments in Klein College. Appointment to an adjunct faculty position is based on the following qualifications.

  • Adjunct instructor (BA, MA or equivalent): $1,600/cr*
  • Adjunct assistant professor (PhD or terminal degree): +$150/cr **
  • Adjunct associate professor (qualifications for adjunct assistant professor plus substantial experience in teaching, research/creative work in relevant field and relevant experience related to responsibilities as an adjunct faculty member): +$150/cr
  • Adjunct professor (qualifications for adjunct associate professor plus a substantial reputation in the relevant field, demonstrated by a significant record of publications, presentations or creative works or substantial honors or recognition with field): +$150/cr

*Per the TAUP contract, adjuncts who have a course canceled or reassigned one week or less prior to the start of classes or during Add-Drop will receive 4% of what they would have been paid for the course.

** Note: All adjunct faculty members in Klein College will be paid using the above rates, which are based on the rank to which the faculty member is appointed. Longevity increases are no longer included.

Policies and Procedures On Appointment of Adjunct Faculty Members

Adjunct faculty members shall be hired with the title for which the individual meets the qualifications as indicated below.

  1. Normally a person should hold an appropriate terminal degree for appointment as an adjunct faculty member. However, in those cases in which a person has extraordinary expertise, qualifications and/or credentials in the field of intended appointment, that person may be appointed as an adjunct faculty member without such a degree.
  2. A person may be appointed as adjunct instructor who has a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or equivalent qualifications (unless the degree is a terminal degree, see below).
  3. A person will be appointed as adjunct assistant professor who has an appropriate terminal degree or equivalent qualifications.
  4. A person may be appointed as adjunct associate professor who has the qualifications necessary for adjunct assistant professor and has substantial experience in teaching, research or creative work in the intended field of appointment, and such experience is pertinent to the duties the adjunct faculty member will perform.
  5. A person may be appointed as adjunct professor who has the qualifications necessary for appointment as adjunct associate professor and who has a substantial reputation in the person’s field as evidenced, for example, by a significant record of publications, presentations or creative works in the intended field of appointment or who has received substantial honors or recognition in the faculty member’s field of endeavor.