Reimagining Remote Teaching Volume 21
Here we are, in late February, and another Faculty Promotion cycle is coming to an end. So much has changed with the faculty promotion process that it feels important to share what has changed with everyone as a new round of Instructors are getting ready to start their first cycle to become Assistant Professors.
First, the faculty promotion process is well supported at Gateway. Time is set aside each year for training opportunities, open office hours to work on your portfolio, monthly email updates, and a video library to watch as you begin your promotion journey. For those who have worked on the state level promotion committees, we know it is not like this at other campuses. Instead, they provide a 1-page document and allow faculty to sink or swim. Gateway doesn’t.
The Teaching and Learning Center provides you mentorship throughout the entire process. And while it is not meant to be easy, you are not alone. When you think about it, completing your promotion portfolio shouldn’t be easy. It is an opportunity for you to share your best with the college and your peers so we can formally recognize your efforts and commitment to your students. It takes time and effort on your part, but it is far from impossible to complete. It should be something you complete because you deserve it. You deserve the honor. You deserve the recognition. You deserve to be called Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor.
You become eligible to seek Assistant Professor status during your third year at Gateway. If you take the steps to earn promotion during your first year of eligibility, you can seek Associate Professor during your sixth year at the college. Again, if you complete the process and are approved, you are then eligible for full professorship during your twelfth year at the college. There is a salary boost with each level of promotion. You can reach out to HR to discuss the salary differences directly.
Your promotion portfolio has a total of 13 sections. These sections are outlined below with a brief description of each one. The promotion process is now 100% online, and a template has already been created for you to follow. All you will need to do is download the 13 sections below and replace the template example with your own information.
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| 01 – Cover Sheet | Includes your name, promotion title you are seeking, and the academic year. |
| 02 – Vita |
Includes 3 parts, A, B, C and D.
|
| 03 – Transcripts |
Includes a transcript for each institution of higher education you have attended. In addition to the transcripts, you are asked to provide a 1 – 2 paragraph narrative explaining your degree and your motivations for earning the degree. |
| 04 – Philosophy |
Includes a 1 – 2 page explanation of your teaching philosophy. Sample philosophy statements and a sample outline / questions are provided to guide you through this process. Additionally, you are asked to provide artifacts which show your philosophy in action in the classroom. Examples of artifacts include lesson plans, classroom activities, sample assignments, and student communication you have received. |
| 05 – Performance Planning Agreements |
Includes the completed for the past three years. For example, if you are eligible for promotion next year, you would provide your PPE for 2021 – 2022, 2020 – 2021, and 2019 – 2020. Your portfolio will be in submitted in February of next year so you will complete your final, end of year PPE in January / February of 2022. Additionally, all information is provided in reverse chronological order, or, more simply, the most recent (2021 – 2022) to the most distant (2019 – 2020) Finally, a brief 1 – 2 paragraph narrative should be provided explaining your priorities for the year, highlighting your accomplishments, and how you used the recommendations for improvement during the subsequent year. |
| 06 – Instruction |
Justifiably, this section is your largest section of your entire promotion portfolio. As Instruction is 80+% of your job junction, it is also 80% of your portfolio. Do not be shocked if this section is 100 – 200 pages in length. Includes a 2 – 3 paragraph narrative outlining your classroom structure and approach to teaching. After this, you substantiate your teaching by providing a minimum of 5 artifact areas to represent your teaching. Potential artifact areas are listed below. Ones with an ** beside them are mandatory.
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| 07 – Student Guidance-Advising Activities |
Includes a 2 – 3 paragraph narrative explaining how you approach student advising. Additionally, you will need to substantiate your narrative with artifacts. Traditionally, most use three of the below artifacts. Those with a double ** are mandatory.
|
| 08 – Internal Service-Institutional Service |
Includes a 2 – 3 paragraph narrative explaining your internal service. Focus on major or continuous service opportunities. Additionally, explain your motivation for working within these areas for your internal service. Additionally, you will compile a Dean’s letter based on your PPE Internal Service information. You will put each activity and a brief 1 – 2 sentence description explaining each event in the document. You will then provide this letter to your Dean for signature. This letter will serve as your Internal Service artifact for your promotion portfolio. A template for this letter is provided. |
| 09 – External Service-Community Service |
This section is completed the same way as section 08, except for turning the focus to External Service. Again, you provide your Dean with an External Service Letter to sign for your portfolio document. |
| 10 – Professional Development Activities |
This section is completed the same way as section 08, except for turning the focus to Professional Development. Again, you provide your Dean with a Professional Development Letter to sign for your portfolio document. |
| 11 – Educational Leadership |
This section is completed the same way as section 08, except for turning the focus to Educational Leadership. Again, you provide your Dean with an Educational Leadership Letter to sign for your portfolio document. |
| 12 – Letters of Evaluation |
Includes multiple letters of recommendation. These letters include the following:
Peer Letters. You will need 6 letters for your portfolio. These letters must be from faculty who have obtained Professor or Associate Professor status at the college. Additionally, it is critical you also obtain letters from your own division, if possible. For example, if you teach in the English department, you need letters from all eligible English faculty. Some departments have less potential candidates to write letters, and the Teaching and Learning Center promotion mentorship and training process will assist you in obtaining your letters of recommendation. |
| 13 – Additional Information |
Includes additional artifacts outside the scope of sections 1 – 12. Some faculty have included letters of recommendation from Staff members they have worked with on projects. Some faculty have included information for major projects outside of Gateway, like starting charities, writing novels, and leading Boy Scout troops. |
Training on the new promotion process will take place in March and April of this year. For those who are new to the process, please be on the lookout for Outlook calendar invites for these events. And, for those who have been around Gateway for a while and have not moved forward in completing a portfolio for promotion, I ask you one question: please consider doing so now?
Join us in celebrating your accomplishments and what you mean to Gateway and your students.
