III. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF TEACHING, RESEARCH/SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY, AND SERVICE IN THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
The activities of College of Medicine faculty members can be divided into three partially overlapping categories: teaching, research/scholarly activity, and service.
Much of the strength of a faculty lies in its diversity. Individual faculty members vary widely in the distribution of their effort among the above activities. At the time of a proposed promotion it is the function of the faculty member's departmental Promotion and Tenure committee to advise the college Promotion and Tenure Committee of the accomplishments of the candidate relative to the departments expectations in the areas of teaching, research/scholarly activity and service. As an academician, a College of Medicine faculty member is expected to engage in creative work. Creativity can be expressed in one's teaching, research/scholarly activity, or service contributions. The results of such creative work should be communicated by an appropriate route, so that they can be utilized and evaluated by the biomedical community.
The University is a seat of knowledge, and its faculty should assign highest priority to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. No matter how a faculty member's time is divided, the overall effort must produce tangible evidence of intellectual growth and scholarship.
As a citizen of the College, a faculty person should participate in a variety of functions. Examples are patient care, committee work, administration, faculty government, professional service to the community, membership on advisory boards, participation in continuing medical education programs, holding office or chairing committees of professional societies, and membership on grant reviewing panels.
Members of the faculty must not only impart the knowledge and information needed for competent medical practice, but must also serve as models to the students under a wide range of professional settings.
These elements of medical teaching make unusual demands of some faculty members in terms of their time and energy. Therefore, substantial weight in the evaluation process must be given to documented effectiveness in teaching. Creative activity in the design, development, and implementation of portions of the medical and post graduate curricula should be recognized as a highly desirable faculty activity.
One of the primary goals of the College is the education of learners at many levels. Although the educational role varies considerably from person to person, it is expected that all faculty will be active and effective teachers.
a. Medical Students
b. Housestaff
c. Postdoctoral Fellows
d. Graduate Students
e. Undergraduate Students
f. Continuing Medical Education for Practicing Physicians
g. Public at Large
a. Lecture halls, conference rooms
b. Clinics, operating rooms, patient care rooms, clinical laboratories, and other diagnostic facilities
c. Research laboratories
d. Public Media
Criteria used to judge teaching contributions can include but are not limited to the following:
1. Quantity of Teaching Effort: The number of students, the number of hours taught.
2. Quality of Effort: Systematic evaluation by those taught, evaluation by course directors and colleagues. May include when appropriate, student performance on examinations, and professional accomplishments of one's student trainees.
3. Development of Innovative Teaching Materials: Teaching syllabi, audiovisual programs, self-teaching sets, and computer software. Development and/or enhancement of successful clinical clerkships, residency programs, fellowships, graduate and postgraduate programs.
4. Extramural Recognition (Local/National/International): Invited lectures/ guest professorships, attraction of quality students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and other trainees, and other teaching at the extra-mural level. The ability to attract recognized authorities as visiting faculty, guest lecturers, or sabbatical faculty. Organizing national or international conferences or continuing medical education programs.
5. Publications: Articles related to teaching methods.
C. GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING FACULTY RESEARCH/SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY
As an integral component of the University, College of Medicine faculty should assign high priority to the pursuit and dissemination of new knowledge. The academician is distinguished from her/his community peers by active engagement in research/scholarly activity. In evaluating a faculty member's contribution to research/scholarly activity, the Promotion and Tenure Committee must carefully consider the faculty member's commitments in teaching/clinical activities and traditional service. The extent of classical scholarly activity (publications and grants) expected of a faculty member who spends the majority of her/his time in basic or clinical research is greater than is expected from a faculty member with extensive teaching and clinical obligations. For those in basic sciences, excellence in laboratory research will be a primary factor in consideration for promotion. Whatever the nature of the research/scholarly activity, it is essential that it be communicated or published in some form.
1. Definition of Research/Scholarly Activity
The type of research/scholarly activity expected of a faculty member in large part will be determined by the faculty member's defined role within her/his department. Faculty members in basic science departments and some faculty members in clinical departments would normally be expected to perform and publish the results of laboratory-based research. Other faculty members in clinical departments will have different roles. Some will have their major role as clinical investigators while others may be primarily clinician/teachers. Whatever their role, all must show tangible evidence of research/scholarly activity and would normally be expected to conduct and communicate the results of clinically based research/scholarly activity, which includes but is not limited to, clinical investigations, case studies, innovations in diagnosis and treatment, studies of health care delivery, innovations in medical education, and integrative reviews of biomedical topics. Faculty members must have fulfilled their primary responsibility to their department.
2. Communication of Research/Scholarly Activity
All faculty members must have a record of communicating results of their research/scholarly activity in appropriate media. The appropriate media will depend upon the discipline and may include articles in peer reviewed journals, chapters in textbooks, textbooks, monographs, scholarly presentations, distributed software and audiovisual materials, etc.
3. Research/Scholarly Activity Support
The type and extent of support for research/scholarly activity that a faculty member is expected to obtain will depend upon her/his major function within the department. Many research studies, basic or clinical, will require extramural support. (For example from such agencies as the NSF or NIH.) Therapeutic trials may require funds from federal peer reviewed or other external sources (NCI, foundations, pharmaceutical firms, etc.). Some types of scholarly activity may require minimal or no external support.
4. Evaluation of Research/Scholarly Activity Contributions
Sources of information include the curriculum vitae, and letters of evaluation, both intramural and extramural. Evaluation of research/scholarly activity should be based on peer assessment. The evaluations should be based on factors such as the degree of independence, novelty, originality, productivity, and significance of the research/scholarly activity.
Consideration of professional service experience should include the need and demand for such service, whether assigned or voluntary. The importance of the service in meeting college or departmental goals, qualities of innovation or leadership in performing such activities, the degree of responsibility involved, duration and time required by the activity, the range and number of such activities, and the contribution to professional growth should all be evaluated.
a. Patient Care Activities: Type of activity, percent effort, quality, expertise, referral patterns, innovations, program vitality, growth, and evidence of successful integration with teaching activities.
b. Professional Activities: Local and national society membership and leadership, editorial contributions, manuscript reviews, membership on editorial boards, special assignments to nationally sponsored studies or task forces, membership on certification/licensure/specialty boards, and membership on committees of accreditation health institutions.
c. Administrative Activities: Appointment to positions of responsibility in the primary department, college, or university; demonstrated qualities of leadership, and facilitation of teaching and research by others.
d. Community Activities: Consultations with and guidance of community health projects, lay or professional; participation in health care planning programs--local, state, national or international; work with governmental agencies and the legislature; participation in programs of public education; membership on boards of public and private health organizations and agencies.
2. Evaluation of Professional Service Contributions
In addition to the curriculum vitae, evaluation is based on reports from individuals and groups familiar with the faculty person's work. Reports from colleagues, houseofficers, students, patients, administrative heads, community agency staff, allied health professionals, and lay organizations should be considered. When relevant, publications and reports related to service should also be evaluated.
