Journalism Unit Policy on Major Performance Review and Reappointment of Professors of Practice
Approved by Journalism Unit Faculty Vote, December 8, 2017
Professors of Practice (PoP) in the Journalism Unit are faculty members who have achieved national and international distinction in their fields of practice, including journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, and other allied areas. They bring top-notch industry experiences and professional and creative skills that will benefit students and strengthen the professional reputation and prestige of the Journalism Unit.
As The Media School Governance Document notes, Professors of Practice are primarily responsible for teaching. They are also expected to contribute to service. Some Professors of Practice may be assigned special research, creative and service duties that contribute to students’ professional development, networking opportunities, and job placement.
The Journalism Unit will follow Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) and Media School guidelines on initial contracts, contract renewals, mid-term review (third-year review), and the timing of the major performance review:
Professors of Practice are initially appointed for three years. Assuming a successful substantive mid-term review, their contracts are then renewed annually through their seventh year in rank at IU. A major performance review will take place before the end of the seven-year probationary period, and if performance is judged excellent, appointees shall be given long-term renewable five-year term contracts.
Unit Criteria for Major Performance Review and Reappointment
Following Media School guidelines, Professors of Practice seeking reappointment based on a major performance review are primarily evaluated on teaching.
The Journalism Unit’s Promotion & Tenure committee, consisting of all tenured faculty, senior lecturers, and Professors of Practice who have completed their major performance review, will evaluate the dossiers of candidates up for major performance review and reappointment. In accordance with Media School guidelines, the committee will use a four-option continuum to rate the candidate’s performance in teaching: Excellent, Very Good, Effective and Ineffective. Professors of Practice up for reappointment are expected to earn “Excellent” in teaching.
Candidates must demonstrate performance that meets the standard of Excellent in teaching at the local—Journalism Unit and Media School—level.
Teaching
The path to establishing Excellence in teaching may include–but is not limited to–the following
- A record of high quality teaching demonstrated by sustained excellence in classroom performance, including developing high quality teaching materials (for example, syllabi, assignment guidelines, grading rubrics, and lecture outlines) and providing enriching classroom experiences (for example, inviting guest speakers, organizing visits to professional media outlets, and facilitating opportunities for students to publish classrelated and independent projects in external media outlets).
- A trajectory of improved teaching skills as shown by various measures of teaching, including IUB-mandated student evaluations.
- Evidence of commitment to improving teaching through consultations with IUB’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) and participation in CITL activities.
- Keeping course materials and student mentoring skills up to date, in terms of new developments in their professional fields of expertise and in related media industries.
- Assisting students with producing high-quality work that meets current professional and industry standards.
- Involving students in ongoing professional and creative activities, as co-authors, apprentices, assistants, interns, or advisees.
- Evidence of peer observation and evaluation of teaching.
- Evidence of flexible and adaptable teaching skills (when relevant and applicable): teaching across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum within an area of expertise, teaching in different class environments (large and small class sizes), and teaching required and elective courses.
- Unsolicited letters from students in addition to those solicited by the Journalism Unit or the Media School.
- Undergraduate and graduate student advising/mentoring activities, including supervision of independent study students and membership on graduate MS and MA student MA/MS committees.
- Nominating and assisting students in securing competitive awards and helping them place their professional work in reputable regional, national and international media outlets.
- Internal (Journalism Unit, Media School and IUB) and external teaching awards, grants or awards that lead to course development or teaching innovation, and other similar recognition of pedagogical excellence.
- Participation in course and curriculum development and innovation that enables the Journalism Unit to stay competitive with peer institutions, including evidence of interdisciplinary collaborations on teaching in line with IUB’s strategic goals.
- Evidence of leadership/participation in the Journalism Unit’s instructional goals and objectives, including support of the ACEJMC accreditation process.
- Development of new teaching materials such as textbooks, case studies, instructor manuals, student guides, and instructional websites and videos.
- Participation in organized or formal teaching and learning workshops and seminars within the Journalism Unit, The Media School and beyond. [For examples, see IUB’s Mosaic Active Learning Initiative, https://uits.iu.edu/mosaic and the Faculty Learning Communities hosted by CITL, http://citl.indiana.edu/programs/flc/index.php.]
- Published peer-reviewed, non peer-reviewed, and invited reports and other media productions related to teaching.
- Competitive and invited presentations focused on teaching at local, statewide or national/international professional and academic conferences.
Service
Following the Media School guidelines, a four-option continuum is used to rate a candidate’s performance in service: Excellent, Very Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. Professors of Practice up for reappointment are expected to be at least Satisfactory in service.
Satisfactory service contributions may include—but are not limited to—the following:
- Serving on and chairing Journalism Unit, Media School, and IUB committees.
- Serving as advisor and demonstrating active involvement in Media School student groups/clubs that support student learning and professional development in journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, and other allied areas.
- Development of service learning components for the BAJ and MS in Media (Journalism concentration) curricula.
- Receipt of internal IUB or external service awards and grants.
- Taking a leadership role in national professional organizations in the fields of journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, and other allied areas (for example, SPJ, PRSA, ONA, NABJ, NAHJ, and AAF).
- Development of educational programs, workshops, and other training ventures for various Journalism Unit constituencies, including media practitioners and alumni.
- Supervision and mentorship of associate instructors with significant instructional responsibilities, including teaching students professional skills in lab settings.
- Public service to regional, national and international communities that calls upon professional expertise as a media practitioner or teacher.
- Serving as a liaison with journalism, public relations, advertising, and other professional media outlets and organizations to develop or maintain industry internships and connections, facilitate guest lectures, and pursue other activities and events that either bring prominent professionals to campus or enhance students’ networking opportunities.
Professional and Creative Practice and Management Activity
Professors of Practice may be expected to continue their publishing, production, and other related professional work as media practitioners in their chosen fields of practice—journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, branding and other allied areas—or to contribute to the management of media industry processes so they can stay current with professional and technological trends and developments. In general, Professors of Practice must demonstrate how their professional, creative, and managerial activities contribute to their teaching and service portfolios.
According to Media School guidelines, “the extent and nature of these contributions will vary based on initial expectations set forward in each contract of employment.” A four-option continuum is used to evaluate those who are reviewed formally on this dimension of activity: Excellent, Very Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. Professors of Practice who are contractually bound to contribute in professional, creative, or management areas are expected to be at least Satisfactory in this endeavor when they go up for a major performance review and reappointment.
Professional and creative activities and media management contributions may include – but are not limited to – the following:
- Participating in professional and creative activities (e.g., producing, writing, editing, or, coordinating work) with local, regional, national or international groups or media outlets.
- Writing/publishing or producing professional freelance content for local, regional, national or international groups or media outlets.
- Publishing books—based in the candidate’s area of expertise—for reputable trade and university publishers.
- Participating in the distribution of professional and creative work with local, regional, national or international groups or media outlets.
- Serving as a management expert/consultant in the professional areas of journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, and other allied areas.
- Collaborating with media practitioners or media industry leaders in innovative professional and creative projects that enhance the Journalism Unit’s professional reputation.
- Creating, organizing or heading an entity that shepherds the professional process of media production or distributes professional and creative work.
- Publishing invited or peer-reviewed papers or participating in presentations about professional/creative work, new professional techniques, or other advances in their fields of expertise.
The Journalism Unit will follow the Media School guidelines for the timeline and process of conducting both annual reviews and the major performance review and reappointment of Professors of Practice.
VOTING PROCEDURES
All tenured faculty and post-probationary NTT faculty—senior lecturers and Professors of Practice who have completed their major performance review—will vote formally on the dossiers of Professor of Practice candidates who are going up for a major performance review.
Those eligible to vote must be present for the discussion of the candidate immediately preceding the vote, and no proxy votes will be considered. Remote presence via video or audio communication technology (such as Skype) will satisfy this requirement. Arrangements for such remote participation must be made with the Unit Chair at least five working days before the meeting so that appropriate technology can be arranged. The vote of persons attending remotely will be communicated privately with the Unit Chair/Director via e- mail or phone when votes are being cast in order to protect the secrecy of the ballot
