Faculty Performance Expectations
The guidance shown below is also available as a PDF tri-fold brochure.
Faculty members are also urged to review
- the Dean's Annual Letter (a.k.a. "The Epistle"),
- the Civilian Faculty Performance Rating Report (PAR), as well as
- the Academic Dean Instructions and Notices relating to performance expectations.
USNA Faculty Performance Expectations:
Practical Guidance
Excellent USNA Teachers:
- Have a professional, positive rapport with their students
- Are respectful, encouraging, approachable, caring
- Do not engage in any demeaning, disrespectful, or unnecessary negative or unprofessional interactions with students
- Maintain appropriate learning standards
- Clearly articulate expectations
- Clearly communicate learning objectives
- Hold students to appropriate levels of accountability for learning
- Challenge students, while being supportive and fair
- Effectively prepare/organize for and manage class time, but be adaptable and flexible
- Exhibit mastery of their discipline
- Use effective teaching styles/methods
- Promote active student participation in learning activities
- Provide contextual framework of learning, whenever possible
- Engage both strong and weaker students in the class
- Adapt to diverse student needs (e.g., different student learning styles, levels of ability, intellectual interests, etc.) and emerging institutional directions
- Support unique USNA expectations in and out of the classroom (e.g., military courtesies, class attendance, class no-sleep policy, etc.)
- Maintain professional relationships with midshipmen
- Are punctual and professionally attired
- Support and respect Academy policies
- Are considerate of the many other demands placed on Midshipmen
- Use caution in pre-judging student performance
- Temper time-requirements and deadlines for course activities and assignments
- Provide effective feedback to students
- Are consistent and fair
- Provide feedback that is sufficient and timely enough to help students improve
- Offer additional instruction/interaction outside of class
- Are regularly and reliably available to students; clearly promulgate a schedule of availability to students
- Effectively advise and mentor students
- Engage in discussions beyond course registration matters (e.g., major selection, service selection, future career goals, etc.)
- Effectively engage in and contribute to their department?s teaching mission
- Contribute to assessment activities
- Exhibit collegiality when working with other faculty in department teaching-related activities or in multi-section courses
- Regularly and honestly self-assess teaching effectiveness
- Consider mid-semester informal student feedback on teaching effectiveness
- Are self-aware of demeanor and classroom atmosphere
- Engage in teaching improvement activities
- Invite observation and comments from peers
Excellent USNA Scholars/Researchers:
- Produce peer-reviewed scholarly products
- Develop a sustained record of scholarly productivity at USNA, while simultaneously fulfilling normal teaching and service duties
- Show an appropriate level of creative independence as a scholar
- Publish in quality venues with rigorous and verifiable peer-review processes
- Appropriately and willingly involve Midshipmen
- Exercise caution in building a record reliant upon classified, descriptive pedagogical, or public intellectual scholarship products
- Provide ample explanations of scholarly activity
Excellence in USNA Faculty Service
Is Characterized By:
- Positive personal engagement and collegiality
- Administrative professionalism (e.g., timeliness, reliability, etc.)
- Engagement in rank-appropriate departmental, divisional, yard-wide, or professional service, generally with increasing levels of involvement and leadership over the course of a career
- Acknowledgement that service cannot substitute for deficiencies in teaching or research
This guidance was derived from an Academic Dean and Provost-hosted off-site held 7 August 2012. Discussion participants included members of the USNA Promotion and Tenure Committee and senior academic leaders, including department chairs and Faculty Senate leaders.
Updated 3 October 2012
For more information, contact: Dr. B. A. Waite, Vice Academic Dean: waite@usna.edu.
