Department of History
Classroom Visitations
(Approved 1994)
1) Any member of the department may request a classroom visitation; no more than one per semester.
2) Non-tenured faculty will be observed and evaluated once each semester.
3) A minimum of two weeks notice is given to the faculty member whose classroom is to be visited; with respect to the course involved, that faculty member enjoys some discretion provided that at least one of the two visitation during the academic year pertain to a survey course.
4) Each visit will include two reviewers, one selected by the faculty member being visited and the other by the chair of the department; the two chosen for the spring visit must be different from those who participated in the fall visit.
5) The faculty member being reviewed may consult with the reviewers in advance of the visit, but is not obligated to do so; all arrangements pertinent to the visit are agreed upon by the parties concerned.
6) Each reviewer writes a separate evaluation in which issues related to both content and presentation are addressed.
7) The evaluations are completed within a week of the visit; one copy of each evaluation goes to the chair and the second goes to the faculty member who is the subject of the evaluation.
8) The evaluations are to be included among the material examined during the annual peer evaluation process; and they are to form part of the RTP dossier reviewed by senior members and by the chair in connection with the rendering of a judgement on the faculty member's fitness for reappointment, tenure, or promotion.
