Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element #1: Faculty and other professionals appropriately prepared and qualified for the positions they hold, with roles and responsibilities clearly defined, and sufficiently numerous to fulfill those roles appropriately;

1. How does CCAC assure its students that faculty members are qualified for the positions in which they serve?
2. How are the standards set down in the college’s “Minimum Criteria for Hire” consistently observed and applied for the hire of full-time and adjunct faculty members and educational technicians?
3. Do faculty job descriptions reflect negotiated contractual obligations?

Human Resources (job descriptions)

Divisional and Departmental Records

State-wide and National Standards

Governance Structure

AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element #2:  Educational curricula designed, maintained, and updated by faculty and other professionals who are academically prepared and qualified;

1. How does the college define and implement the processes by which faculty develop, design, implement, and maintain educational programs?
2. How effective is college governance in assuring this process is effective and consistent?
3. How does CCAC assess this effectiveness? 
4. How do Advisory Committee recommendations impact program curriculum?

Program Review Records

College Council, sub-committees, and their records

President’s Council and its records

Board of Trustees and its records

Faculty members who have initiated programs and program changes

Advisory Committee Records/Case Study

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element #3: Faculty and other professionals, including teaching assistants, who demonstrate excellence in teaching and other activities, and who demonstrate continued professional growth;

Fundamental Element #4: Demonstrated institutional support for the advancement and development of faculty;

Fundamental Element #5: Recognition of appropriate linkages among scholarship, teaching, student learning, research, and service;

1. How does the college assure its students that faculty continue to demonstrate professional growth, and how effectively does the college provide opportunities for professional development?
2. What resources does the college provide for research and its implementation, and how effectively are these resources distributed and employed? Are these resources adequate? How does CCAC know this?

Professional Development Committee

Professional Development Records

Records of Faculty Participation in PD sponsored activities

PD surveys of faculty needs

Faculty interviews

Various college sponsored grants and awards and their records/Educational foundation

AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement professional development  items (tuition reimbursement, travel, and Improvement of Teaching Portfolio)

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element #6: published and implemented standards and procedures for all faculty and other professionals, for actions such as appointment, promotion, tenure, grievance, discipline and dismissal, based on principles of fairness with due regard for the rights of all persons;

Fundamental Element #7: carefully articulated, equitable, and implemented procedures and criteria for review of all individuals who have responsibility for the educational program of the institution;

Fundamental Element #8: criteria for appointment, supervision, and review of teaching effectiveness for part-time, adjunct, and other faculty consistent with those for full-time faculty;

1. How effectively does CCAC’s AFT contract provide for standards, practices and procedures for faculty in such areas as appointment, promotion, tenure, grievance, discipline and dismissal? Are these standards consistently fair?
2. What other documents support these standards, and how effective are they?
3. What are the criteria for review for faculty and educational technicians who have responsibilities for the college’s programs, and how fully are these criteria articulated? Are these criteria equitable, and effectively implemented?
4. Are the criteria for hire, supervision, and review of adjunct faculty consistent with those for the hire of full-time faculty?

Turnover rates of faculty compared to national averages

AFT contract

Human Resources

“Hiring Guidelines” packet from HR, also posted on the College’s Website

Publication “Search Committees: A Tool Kit for Human  Resource Professionals, Administrators, and Committee Members”

College’s “Minimum Criteria for Full and Adjunct Faculty Hires”

Departmental and Divisional Hiring Records

Full-time and Adjunct resumes and transcripts

Teaching Improvement records

SOSO results

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element #9: adherence to principles of academic freedom, within the context of institutional mission;

1. How does the college define principles of academic freedom, and how effectively are these principles implemented?
2. How does the college assess this effectiveness?

System syllabi

Individual faculty members syllabi, particularly for the same  course

Professional Development records

Department and Divisional minutes from meetings

Faculty Member interviews

AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Integrity, Fundamental Element #2: fair and impartial practices in hiring, evaluation, and dismissal of employees;

1. How do hiring policies and procedures at CCAC provide for fairness and equity? Are these policies and procedures the same for all constituencies? If not, to what are differences attributed?
2. How does CCAC evaluate faculty…? What characteristics of that evaluation process provide for fairness and equity?
3. What policies and procedures are in place at CCAC regarding dismissal of employees? How does the College make certain that these are fairly and equitably applied?
4. How does CCAC assess the fairness and equity of these practices? Who determines what is ‘fair and equitable’?

See Fundamental Element #6, above.

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Integrity, Fundamental Element #4: equitable and appropriately consistent treatment of constituencies, as evident in such areas as student discipline, student evaluation, grievance procedures, faculty promotion, tenure, retention and compensation, administrative review, curricular improvement, and institutional governance and management.

1. How does CCAC assure consistent treatment of all…faculty…?
2. How does CCAC assure that all governance and management is performed with fairness and consistency in mind?

See Fundamental Element #6, above.