Experience Equivalency Policy: Degree Qualifications for Faculty and Adjunct Faculty
HLC Expectation for All Faculty: Faculty members possess an academic degree in the discipline and one level above the level at which they teach, except in programs for terminal degrees or when equivalent experience is established. In terminal degree programs, faculty members possess the same level of degree and are teaching in the discipline in which he or she holds a degree. Effective September 1, 2017: If a faculty member holds a master’s degree or higher in a discipline other than that in which he or she is teaching, that faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline in which he or she is teaching.
When faculty members are employed based on equivalent experience, the institution defines a minimum threshold of experience and an evaluation process.
Where do we have issues with this?
--Baccalaureate-prepared faculty teaching in undergraduate programs
--Master’s prepared faculty teaching in master’s degree programs who have 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline he or she is teaching
--Master’s prepared faculty teaching in doctoral programs
--Applies to classroom as well as clinical and other experiential credit-bearing activities when the clinical supervisor is employed as a faculty member
How should we define equivalent experience?
--Additional professional credential (i.e. licensure or certification in a relevant area) or significant progress toward a relevant degree at the higher level, and a minimum of 2 years of professional experience working in an area closely related to course content
--If no additional credential, a minimum number of years of professional experience working in an area closely related to course content as described by the school’s standards for determining minimally qualified faculty.
What process should be used to hire someone based on equivalent experience?
--Prior to making a verbal commitment to a new adjunct or faculty member who’s been hired based on “equivalent experience,” or putting them into the FLAC pay queue, the hiring manager must get the approval of the department chair (if not the hiring manager), school dean, and the VPAA.
--Complete the form on the second page of this document, rename it something like “Jones equiv exp approval,” and forward it with the candidate’s CV to department chair (if not the hiring manager), and then to dean and VPAA in sequence for their consideration. If all approve, the form will be routed back to the originator and those in the approval chain to confirm and placed in the faculty file in the VPAA’s office.
How should we evaluate those hired based on equivalent experience?
--For first time teacher: faculty member (may or may not be the department chair) with appropriate degree and expertise to:
● review syllabi (unless using a standard syllabus)
● assess how the course is going during the first half of the semester [for example, attend one or more classes early in the term (for face-to-face classes), check in with the faculty member in an appropriate way early in the learning experience (for online courses and for clinical and internship supervision), conduct a mid-term student satisfaction survey] and
● assess how the course went at the end of the term [for example, debrief with faculty member, review end-of-term course instruction surveys].
Review the assessment data and communicate evaluation results and recommendation about continued employment of the faculty member to dean and VPAA for their review.
--Ongoing evaluation: as for other faculty members.
The College of St. Scholastica; 2012, revised May 2013, revised July 2017