Montclair State University - Carnegie Committee - FAQ Hooks

Tenure On A Half Shell

The Carnegie Committee resources can help faculty earn tenure by offering tools in the areas of teaching and pedagogy. If measurement of success or proof of educational goal achievement can enhance the chances of achieving tenure, then objective confirmation of performance in a particular promotion category can be a critical advantage especially for a faculty member on the cusp.

The committee web site offers tools for faculty to self-assess their effectiveness as educators and the performance of their pedagogy and curricula. Whether high tech or traditional, many techniques and resources can be adapted to determine what students are learning and the quality of that learning. Teaching portfolios are one such example A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that demonstrates effort, progress and achievement; a portfolio provides a richer picture of student performance than can be gained from more traditional, objective forms of assessment. Most traditional standards-based portfolios are 3-ring notebooks, organized with dividers and sections for paper-based documents demonstrating each standard. An Electronic Portfolio uses multimedia technology allowing students/teachers to collect and organize portfolio artifacts in many media types (audio, video, graphics, text) with hypermedia links connecting that evidence to the appropriate standards.

If you are reading this, you are either locked in mortal combat with your professional destiny or simply curious about enhancing your chances for tenure. One of the purposes of the Carnegie Website is to aid fledgling faculty in enhancing their chances for achieving tenure by helping them recognize and utilize pedagogical tools to both improve their pedagogy and to demonstrate its value when challenged to do so.

Tenure is a permanent status conferred on a faculty member who, after five years, has demonstrated achievement and future potential in teaching, pedagogy, scholarship, and contribution to the university community and beyond. Neither a casual decision nor an automatic process after a period of years as it is in secondary and primary public sector teaching, tenure is recognition that a faculty member has become a member of the academic community. The requirements of tenure are published in various documents. One such document is the Montclair State University Faculty Handbook. The Provost has published a very helpful document for faculty on the issue of tenure.

Obviously, tenure involves assessment. Assessment involves determination. Determination can be either either subjective or objective. The most compelling determination is done by measurement. The tenure process at Montclair State begins when faculty are hired. Teaching duties, curriculum development, committee membership, student advising, and scholarly projects may be suggested or assigned by the Department Chair or department committees. Some of these activities have more currency with respect to tenure than others. Each department has its own culture, which determines the departmental value of each activity with respect to tenure. Faculty must determine the value of each activity with respect to their tenure prospects. The university administration, which approves or disapproves departmental recommendations, may have different criteria.

Some of the tools available are:
Making and assessing teaching portfolios
How to produce a teaching portfolio
Designing Teaching portfolios

For the truly adventurous who lean toward the technical: Electronic Teaching portfolios and Creating Teaching Portfolios.