Evaluating Teaching Project


Why are we engaging in this work?

  • We recognize our over-reliance on SPOTs data, which are also associated with their own set of limitations;
  • We understand that our faculty are essential in driving student learning and success;
  • Our processes for evaluating teaching should reflect advances in technology and the science of learning, as well as the unique characteristics of our students;
  •  We would like to complement and extend our recent investments in teaching and learning (e.g., active learning classrooms);
  • In order to align our formal faculty incentive system to support undergraduate teaching; and
  • To take advantage of the opportunity to be national leaders in this space.

 

Project Goals

  1. To encourage faculty collaboration, learning, and growth, toward learning-centered, evidence-based, and culturally responsive teaching;
  2. To provide academic leaders with data that will inform annual teaching evaluations and subsequent decision-making in a meaningful manner;
  3. To highlight the many ways our faculty foster student learning that are unaccounted for in our current teaching evaluation procedures.

Main Elements of the Project

  1. An articulated vision of teaching excellence at FIU; characterized by evidence-based practices that are both learning-centered and culturally responsive
  2. A focus on multiple sources of evidence (i.e., students, peers, and the self)

Project Approach

  • Redefining teaching evaluation practices at the departmental level on a university-wide scale
  • Improving the effectiveness and utility of the SPOTs survey
  • Aligning tenure and promotion practices with FIU's vision for teaching excellence

Key Players/Committees

Dr. Kathleen Wilson, Vice Provost, Office of Faculty Leadership and Success:

Kathleen co-leads the initiative and works as a member of both the Steering Committee and the Core Group to ensure the success of the project.

Leanne Wells, Senior Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching:

Leanne co-leads the ET project along with Kathleen and also works as a member of both the Steering Committee and the Core Group.
As the leaders of the ET project, Kathleen and Leanne focus on:
  1. Collaborating with deans and chairs to ensure that the intent of the project is met.
  2. Streamlining the path to full implementation through high-level prioritization of resources.

Steering Committee

Description & Members: The ET Steering Committee drives the broad strategy and decision-making of the Evaluating Teaching Project.
  • Kathleen Wilson, Vice Provost, Faculty Leadership & Success
  • Leanne Wells, Sr. Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching
  • Victor Uribe, Chair and Professor, History
  • Laird Kramer, Professor, Physics
  • Marci Kravec, Associate Chair and Sr. Instructor, Biology
  • Joseph Cilli, Chair and Instructor, School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
  • Rhesia Lewis, Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Leadership & Success

Core Group

Description & Members: The ET Core Group consists of staff from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and faculty who drive the day-to-day aspects of the initiative, including using feedback from previous work to improve the process, coordinating with chairs to ensure that the connection between guidelines produced and annual review is clear and understood by faculty and chairs in each department, and creating opportunities for departments that were part of earlier cohorts to update their guidelines as they more fully understand the requirements.
  • Kathleen Wilson, Vice Provost, Faculty Leadership & Success
  • Leanne Wells, Sr. Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching
  • Victor Uribe, Chair and Professor, History
  • Erica Caton, Associate Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching
  • Marci Kravec, Associate Chair and Sr. Instructor, Biology
  • David Chatfield, Associate Professor, Chemistry
  • Shenira Perez, Research Associate, Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Tenure and Promotion (T&P) Committee

Description & Members: The T&P committee consists of a group of faculty and CAT staff who are working to update the teaching language in the FIU Tenure and Promotion manual and getting the changes approved by the Faculty Senate.

SPOTs Committee

Description & Members: The SPOTs committee consists of a group of faculty and CAT staff who are working on finalizing the new version of SPOTs and getting the changes approved by the Faculty Senate.