Advancing Public Engagement via the

RPT Guidelines Presented by: Dr. Gail Wells

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Carole Beere

Associate Provost for Outreach (retired)

Northern Kentucky University

June 19, 2010

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WHAT IS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT?

“Public engagement involves a partnership in which there is mutually beneficial, two-

way interaction between the university and some entity within the metropolitan region or the Commonwealth.”

From: Laying the Foundation, NKU, 2006, p. 11

Reappointment, Promotion,& Tenure

and annual performance review and merit salary increase

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GOALS FOR NEW RPT GUIDELINES

Develop guidelines that clarify what work is acceptable within each of the mission dimen-sions, the criteria by which it will be evaluated, what constitutes acceptable documentation, and the process by which the documentation will be evaluated.

Create a system that recognizes and rewards behavior that advances each of the institution’s mission dimensions;

Ensure that RPT guidelines are fair and promote quality work; and

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THREE-LEGGED STOOL

Teaching Scholarship Service

TRADITIONAL

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ACTIVITY ONE

Define engaged teaching

Suggest criteria for evaluating engaged teaching

TIME: About 10 minutes

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WHAT IS ENGAGED TEACHING?

“Engaged teaching refers to course- or curriculum-related teaching/learning activities that involve students with the community in mutually beneficial ways.”

From: Laying the Foundation, NKU, 2006, p. 10

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EVALUATING ENGAGED TEACHING

STUDENTS Did the students achieve the

academic goals? Did the students develop a deep

appreciation for the course content? Are the students more interested in

the subject matter? Can the students apply what

they learned?

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California Test of Critical Thinking Skills

http://www.insightassessment.com/test-cctst.html

Center for Information and

Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)

http://www.civicyouth.org/ Others in the literature

EVALUATING ENGAGED TEACHING

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California Test of Critical Thinking Skills

http://www.insightassessment.com/test-cctst.html

Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)

http://www.civicyouth.org/

EVALUATING ENGAGED TEACHING

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COMMUNITY IMPACT

Gelmon, S. B., Holland, B. A., Driscoll, A., Spring, A., & Kerrigan, S. (2001). Assessing service-learning and civic engagement: Principles and techniques. (Rev., 3rd ed.). Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

Surveys , interviews, focus groups, document reviews, observations, journals, and critical

incident reports

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ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP

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WHAT IS ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP?

Work that satisfies the criteria for scholarship and is done in partnership with the community.

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ACTIVITY TWO

What are the criteria for evaluating scholarship?

TIME: About 10 minutes

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SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA

Relates to the faculty member’s disciplinary expertise

Reflects knowledge of the relevant professional literature, theory, and best practices

Clear goals and objectives for the work

Appropriate methods

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SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA (con’t)

Makes a significant contribution to the community and/or to the knowledge base in the discipline

The work and the results were documented, appropriately shared, and evaluated

Faculty member critically reflects on the process and product of the work

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CROSS-CUTTING CRITERIA

Highest quality standards

Reflects intellectual rigor

Makes a significant, positivedifference in the community

Achieves agreed upon goals

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ACTIVITY THREE

Define engaged service

Suggest criteria for evaluating engaged service

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SERVICE

To the institution

To the profession/discipline

To the community

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ACTIVITY THREE

Define engaged service

Suggest criteria for evaluating engaged service

TIME: About 5 minutes

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SERVICE

OutreachPublic

Engagement

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EVALUATING ENGAGED SERVICE

Role of the faculty member Significance of the activity Duration of the involvement Complexity and scope of the work Number of people who were

impacted Degree of impact Quality of the contribution

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EVALUATING ENGAGED SERVICE

Gelmon, S. B., Holland, B. A., Driscoll, A., Spring, A., & Kerrigan, S. (2001). Assessing service-learning and civic engagement: Principles and techniques. (Rev., 3rd ed.). Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

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CATEGORIES OF FACULTY WORK

SCHOLARSHIP

SERVICETEACHING

PUBLIC

ENGAGEMENT

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DOCUMENTATION

What constitutes acceptable documentation for engaged teaching, engaged service, and engaged scholarship?

How should the documentation be presented?

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DOCUMENTATION

The Academic Portfolio

Seldin, P. & Miller, J. E. (2009). The academic portfolio: A practical guide to documenting teaching, research, and service. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

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THE ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO

Emphasis is on how and why

Preparation typically takes 15-20 hours

Used for personnel decisions and self improvement

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EVALUATION ISSUES

Should faculty report all work or a sample?

What about projects with long time horizon?

Should independent review be required?

Who should participate at department level?

What role should department chairs have?

What should department send to dean?

What should dean send to CAO?

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INDEPENDENT REVIEW

Who should provide the independent review?

When should the reviewer be identified?

Who will seek the review?

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FACULTY CONCERNS

Faculty concerns about the change What will count? How will it impact me? When will the changes go into effect? Are all faculty expected to do this

work? Are we really lowering our standards?

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DEBATE AND DISCUSSION

Include time for campus debate and discussion, at the department, college, and university level.

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MINIMUM STANDARDS

Set minimum parameters for what can contribute to the RPT decision.

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DOUBLE DIPPING

Encourage “double” and “triple dipping.”

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PAID WORK

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CONSISTENCY AND VARIABILITY

Achieve a blend of consistency and variability.

Communication

Teacher Education

History

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provide professional development.

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Beere, C. A., Votruba, J. C., & Wells, G. W. (2011). Becoming an Engaged Campus: A Practical Guide for Institutionalizing Public Engagement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

wells@nku.edubeere@nku.edu