Article 2 - Areas of Academic Evaluation

Section 2.1 Academic Expectations
Section 2.2 Areas of Distinction
Section 2.3 Scholarship
Section 2.4 Educational Activities
Section 2.5 Academic Service

This Article defines areas for academic evaluation of Faculty Members: Areas of Distinction, Scholarship, Educational Activities, and Academic Service.

Section 2.1 Academic Expectations

Faculty Members are expected to demonstrate excellence in one or more Areas of Distinction that provide a unifying theme for their Academic Activities, achievements and scholarship; to demonstrate effectiveness in Educational Activities; and to participate in Academic Service; as defined in their letter of offer and as modified through subsequent performance evaluations.

Section 2.2 Areas of Distinction

a. Health Care Delivery. The delivery of high quality health care in a hospital, ambulatory or community setting, which includes the development of diagnostic approaches, therapeutic methods and clinical services; innovations in clinical practice; and the development of programs or approaches that improve the safety, quality or efficacy of healthcare delivery.

b. Education. The facilitation of learning and the acquisition of knowledge, skills and behaviors in learners such as students, trainees, faculty, staff, patients and/or external groups and communities, through educational activities as defined in Section 2.4.

c. Investigation. The systematic generation of new knowledge in laboratory, clinical, community and other settings. Investigation includes basic, translational and clinical research, epidemiology, outcomes and health services research, and biostatistics, as well as research in social sciences, education, ethics, bioinformatics, public health, health policy and health economics. Investigation includes research conducted by individuals who bring a unique or critical expertise to research within teams (“team science”) or within multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary collaborations.

d. Population Health and Public Policy. The development, analysis, implementation and evaluation of health policy, population health relevant tools, and health interventions for local, national and/or international communities and populations.

Section 2.3 Scholarship

a. Definition.  Scholarship is a defining feature of academic excellence and is valued in each Area of Distinction.  Scholarship has three essential components: advancement of knowledge, dissemination, and impact, defined as follows:

i. Advancement of Knowledge.  Scholarship advances research, education or practice through discovery, integration, application, or transmission of knowledge. Scholarly activities include, but are not limited to, the discovery of new knowledge through investigation, the integration of knowledge to generate new understanding, the application of knowledge to provide new solutions for individuals or communities, and the development of novel educational approaches for the transmission of knowledge.

ii. Dissemination.  Scholarship must be in a form that is disseminated and evaluated, allowing critical review.Scholarly work results from a rigorous and structured approach and includes, but is not limited to, peer-reviewed publications; books, book chapters and reviews; preprints and other interim research products; innovative educational materials; peer-reviewed meeting abstracts and presentations; patents, new therapies and technologies; and/or evidence-based products such as policy statements, safety and quality studies, innovations in patient care, and clinical guidelines.

iii. Impact.  Scholarship has a measurable impact at the local, regional, national or international level on a discipline, practice or community. For example, a research discovery influences the direction of a field or provides a platform for others to build on; a meta-analysis integrates an area of knowledge for new policies or guidelines; application of knowledge to clinical practice improves the health of individuals or communities; a novel educational approach enhances learning.

b. Evaluation.  Scholarship is evaluated by the quality and quantity of a body of scholarly work and the depth and breadth of impact of the scholarship. The quality, quantity, and impact of scholarly work should be judged in the context of the field or discipline. The impact of scholarship may be assessed by measures of the influence of the work on a discipline, practice or community, including statements from evaluators. The impact of the scholarship (local, regional, national, international) and the academic reputation of a Faculty Member is expected to expand with academic rank.

Scholarship may include contributions to the scholarly work of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams. In such cases, the specific contributions of the individual to the work must be clear, substantial, and supported by statements of the individual’s role and intellectual contributions to the work.

Section 2.4 Educational Activities

a. Definition.  Educational activities include the following areas:

i. Programs and Courses. Teaching students, residents, clinical fellows, postdoctoral trainees, and/or faculty in courses, programs, formal settings, such as lectures, seminars, and small groups, and/or other educational programs, including inter-professional education, service-learning, or other community-engaged pedagogy.

ii. Research Education and Mentoring. Teaching and mentoring of students, residents, clinical fellows, postdoctoral trainees, staff and/or faculty in the research setting, including activities such as training in research skills and techniques, including community engaged research; journal clubs; service on thesis committees; graduate program membership.

iii. Clinical Education and Mentoring. Teaching and mentoring of students, residents, fellows, faculty and/or other healthcare professionals in the healthcare setting, including activities such as clinical skills education and precepting; morning report and mortality and morbidity conferences; mentoring in hospital and ambulatory settings.

iv. Educational Leadership, Administration and Service.  Educational leadership positions and service on internal and external educational committees, such as course director; residency or fellowship program director or associate director; graduate program director; membership and/or leadership of educational committees and organizations internally or externally; director of faculty development programs.

v. Educational Development.  Development of educational materials and resources, such as curricula, courses, syllabi, web-based educational materials, educational technologies (e.g., simulation), policy statements, assessment tools, service-learning or other community-engaged pedagogy.

vi. External Educational Activities.  Educational programs for the profession and public, such as continuing medical education (CME) programs; professional development and educational workshops; education of the public, including patient education, community education, and education of policy makers.

               vii.      Mentoring.  Mentoring faculty and others (such as students or professional staff), including, but not limited to, mentoring in UMMS and departmental mentoring programs, and/or external mentoring relationships.

b.Evaluation.  Educational activities are evaluated by the quality and quantity of an individual’s activities and by their performance and effectiveness as an educator and mentor.

i. The effectiveness of an educator may be demonstrated by measures such as evaluations of teaching by learners, peers, and community partners; evaluations of courses and/or programs; learner scores on standardized tests; dissemination and impact of courses, curricula, or educational materials; and letters from students and/or trainees attesting to educational effectiveness.

ii. The effectiveness of a mentor may be demonstrated by measures such as the number and current status of mentees; publications and other scholarly works with mentees; assessments of mentoring abilities and competence; and letters from mentees attesting to mentoring effectiveness.

Section 2.5 Academic Service

Academic service activities include contributions to the life and governance of UMMS, the University of Massachusetts, to the profession, and to the national/international community, as part of the Service Mission of UMMS. Academic service activities reflect a Faculty Member’s academic reputation and expertise.

In accordance with the UMW Governance Document (Doc. T03-035, as amended), academic service activities include service and administrative duties, such as:

a. Serving as member or officer of a UMMS or University of Massachusetts committee or advisory body, or in the administration of a UMMS or University of Massachusetts entity (e.g. core, section, program, division, Department, School);

b. Serving as a member of a study section, editorial board, Federal/State/Local governmental advisory body or a professionally-related scientific or educational organization; and

c. Serving as a board member of a local community organization, nonprofit agency, and/or educational institution.