University Rules

12.01.99.C1.04

Descriptions of Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
Approved February 25, 2002

1. GENERAL

1.1 While Academic Preparation, Experience, and Professional Responsibilities form the basis for faculty competence, faculty seeking promotion and tenure must demonstrate achievements in the areas of Teaching, Scholarship, and Service. Faculty members are to take the initiative in promoting their own growth in each of these areas.

1.2 Each academic department will be responsible for accomplishing university goals for teaching, scholarship, and service; however, individual faculty members will not be required to have identical commitments to teaching, scholarship, and service. Within a department, some faculty members might contribute greater effort to scholarship than others whose efforts focus more on teaching or service. Such diversity is appropriate so long as the department is holistically accomplishing university goals in the three areas of teaching, scholarly activity, and service. Therefore, evaluation of faculty performance for promotion and tenure should be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the faculty member's assigned workload during the period under evaluation.

2.
TEACHING

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi places teaching at the apex of its mission. Teaching includes knowledge in the field, quality in teaching, and academic advisement and career counseling. Consistent with its strong commitment to instruction, the university requires that teaching effectiveness count in promotion to all ranks. Each college must develop a clear and fair process for determining teaching effectiveness which assures that the teaching which is done is done well. Student evaluation, peer review, and self-evaluation are recommended avenues for evaluating teaching performance. Teaching activities encompass classroom instruction as well as those professional development activities aimed at making one a better teacher or at enhancing one's expertise in a teaching subject area.

3. SCHOLARSHIP

3.1 Fundamental to any definition of scholarship is the expansion and application of knowledge and understanding about the world in which we live. Scholarship is particularly necessary for those faculty members who teach at the graduate level. For an endeavor to be considered scholarship, the following criteria must apply:

3.1.1 Scholarship involves a product -- a more or less tangible result; something that observers can examine. In the case of oral presentations, some material evidence of the event must be provided.

3.1.2 Scholarship involves academic peer review of both quality and quantity.

3.1.3 Scholarship implies an activity that is non-routine, novel, creative, imaginative, ingenious, or original yet not accidental. Not necessarily all of these but a least some must apply to the outcome or it is not "scholarly."

3.2 Scholarship at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi consists of three separate, yet interconnected elements: Scholarship of Discovery, Scholarship of Integration and Teaching, and Scholarship of Application.

3.2.1 THE SCHOLARSHIP OF DISCOVERY. The scholarship of discovery involves the search for new knowledge in the discipline and for a richer understanding of the academic field. Creative achievements in the fine arts are considered enterprises of discovery. Productivity may be documented in the form of scholarly books, articles, oral presentations of research, artistic productions, and performances.

3.2.2 SCHOLARSHIP OF INTEGRATION AND TEACHING. The scholarship of integration emphasizes fitting one's own research -- or the research of others -- into larger intellectual patterns. It involves making connections across the disciplines, placing the discipline in a larger context, illuminating data or concepts in a revealing way, and evaluating new pedagogical approaches. In addition to the more traditional forums for scholarship, such as academic writing, productivity may take the form of a textbook, multi-media production, writing that makes one's field accessible to a wider audience, cross-curricular innovations, and interdisciplinary instructional achievements.

3.2.3 SCHOLARSHIP OF APPLICATION. The scholarship of application brings learning and knowledge to bear upon the solution of practical problems. It flows directly from one's professional expertise. Encompassing activities that relate directly to the intellectual work of the faculty member, productivity may take the form of publications and presentations derived from consultation, technical assistance, policy analysis, and program evaluation.

4. SERVICE

4.1
Service encompasses a variety of professionally related activities through which members of the faculty employ their academic expertise for the benefit of the university, the community, and the profession. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi places primary emphasis on service to the university and its mission. A faculty member provides service to the university through active participation and leadership in college and university committees, councils, special projects, or duties for which the faculty member is held accountable.

4.2 As a comprehensive urban university located on the South Texas Gulf coast, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi also encourages community service in areas related to coastal and urban issues. It also recognizes the emerging role of the institution in business and industrial development, work force development, and community, educational, and social development. For the purposes of evaluation, however, activities must relate to one's academic field or else be clearly approved by the university.

4.3 The university encourages participation and leadership in professional activities and associations. A professional activity may be considered service when it does not include peer review. Service of all types may be documented by certificates of recognition, letters of appreciation, official minutes, newsletters, products of projects, and other tangible evidence of service rendered.

Contact for Interpretation: Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
Replaces Rule 2.5.1.1

1.	GENERAL
	1.1	While Academic Preparation, Experience, and Professional Responsibilities form the basis for faculty competence, faculty seeking promotion and tenure must demonstrate achievements in the areas of Teaching, Scholarship, and Service. Faculty members are to take the initiative in promoting their own growth in each of these areas.

	1.2	Each academic department will be responsible for accomplishing university goals for teaching, scholarship, and service; however, individual faculty members will not be required to have identical commitments to teaching, scholarship, and service. Within a department, some faculty members might contribute greater effort to scholarship than others whose efforts focus more on teaching or service. Such diversity is appropriate so long as the department is holistically accomplishing university goals in the three areas of teaching, scholarly activity, and service. Therefore, evaluation of faculty performance for promotion and tenure should be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the faculty member's assigned workload during the period under evaluation.

2.	TEACHING Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi places teaching at the apex of its mission. Teaching includes knowledge in the field, quality in teaching, and academic advisement and career counseling. Consistent with its strong commitment to instruction, the university requires that teaching effectiveness count in promotion to all ranks. Each college must develop a clear and fair process for determining teaching effectiveness which assures that the teaching which is done is done well. Student evaluation, peer review, and self-evaluation are recommended avenues for evaluating teaching performance. Teaching activities encompass classroom instruction as well as those professional development activities aimed at making one a better teacher or at enhancing one's expertise in a teaching subject area.

3.	SCHOLARSHIP
	3.1	Fundamental to any definition of scholarship is the expansion and application of knowledge and understanding about the world in which we live. Scholarship is particularly necessary for those faculty members who teach at the graduate level. For an endeavor to be considered scholarship, the following criteria must apply:
		3.1.1	Scholarship involves a product -- a more or less tangible result; something that observers can examine. In the case of oral presentations, some material evidence of the event must be provided.
		3.1.2	Scholarship involves academic peer review of both quality and quantity.
		3.1.3	Scholarship implies an activity that is non-routine, novel, creative, imaginative, ingenious, or original yet not accidental. Not necessarily all of these but a least some must apply to the outcome or it is not "scholarly."

	3.2	Scholarship at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi consists of three separate, yet interconnected elements: Scholarship of Discovery, Scholarship of Integration and Teaching, and Scholarship of Application.
		3.2.1	THE SCHOLARSHIP OF DISCOVERY. The scholarship of discovery involves the search for new knowledge in the discipline and for a richer understanding of the academic field. Creative achievements in the fine arts are considered enterprises of discovery. Productivity may be documented in the form of scholarly books, articles, oral presentations of research, artistic productions, and performances.
		3.2.2	SCHOLARSHIP OF INTEGRATION AND TEACHING. The scholarship of integration emphasizes fitting one's own research -- or the research of others -- into larger intellectual patterns. It involves making connections across the disciplines, placing the discipline in a larger context, illuminating data or concepts in a revealing way, and evaluating new pedagogical approaches. In addition to the more traditional forums for scholarship, such as academic writing, productivity may take the form of a textbook, multi-media production, writing that makes one's field accessible to a wider audience, cross-curricular innovations, and interdisciplinary instructional achievements.
		3.2.3	SCHOLARSHIP OF APPLICATION. The scholarship of application brings learning and knowledge to bear upon the solution of practical problems. It flows directly from one's professional expertise. Encompassing activities that relate directly to the intellectual work of the faculty member, productivity may take the form of publications and presentations derived from consultation, technical assistance, policy analysis, and program evaluation.

4.	SERVICE
	4.1	Service encompasses a variety of professionally related activities through which members of the faculty employ their academic expertise for the benefit of the university, the community, and the profession. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi places primary emphasis on service to the university and its mission. A faculty member provides service to the university through active participation and leadership in college and university committees, councils, special projects, or duties for which the faculty member is held accountable.
	4.2	As a comprehensive urban university located on the South Texas Gulf coast, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi also encourages community service in areas related to coastal and urban issues. It also recognizes the emerging role of the institution in business and industrial development, work force development, and community, educational, and social development. For the purposes of evaluation, however, activities must relate to one's academic field or else be clearly approved by the university.
	4.3	The university encourages participation and leadership in professional activities and associations. A professional activity may be considered service when it does not include peer review. Service of all types may be documented by certificates of recognition, letters of appreciation, official minutes, newsletters, products of projects, and other tangible evidence of service rendered.