Preparation of the Application Packet
The application packet contains the materials that form the basis for the review at all levels of evaluation. It is important that faculty members under consideration for promotion and/or tenure make every effort to ensure that the material contained in the packet is complete, accurate, and professionally presented. The preferred submission format for materials is pdf (however; please do not lock/restrict/password protect any documents).
The contents of an application packet should include the following elements:
- a statement of self-evaluation and COVID-19 Impact Checklist
- a professional curriculum vitae
- evaluations and recommendations by the various levels of review
- documentation of teaching effectiveness
- summary of course evaluations (complete template)
- peer observer's report(s)
- faculty member's report(s)
- documentation of research/scholarly/creative activities
- summary of service activities and responsibilities
- optional supplementary materials
- late materials.
The professional vitae should serve as a simple listing of professional activities, while each of the other components provides more in-depth information about those activities. The suggested contents of each of these elements should include, but are not limited, to those suggested below. The candidate is responsible for preparing items #1 – 2 and #4 – 8 above (except that the peer observer’s report(s) and the faculty member’s report(s) is uploaded by the chair); the faculty review advisory committees, chair, dean and provost are responsible for appending materials contained in #3.
Items #1 – 3 constitute the review materials utilized by each of the FRACs, the chair, the dean, the provost, and the president in reviewing the application. Items #4 – 8 are made available to reviewers at the department and college levels, but are not transmitted to the university level unless the UFRAC or the provost should specially request them. The self-evaluation and vitae (#1 and 2) plus the documentation of research/scholarly creative activities (#5) comprise the information sent to external reviews for their evaluation. The COVID-19 Impact Checklist (#1) will not be shared with external reviewers and is for internal purposes only (Department Chair/School Director and dean). This information is summarized in the table below.
|
Review Activity |
Item #1 |
Item #2 |
Item #3 |
Item #4 |
Item #5 |
Item #6 |
Item #7 |
Item #8 |
|
External reviews |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dept. review |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
College review |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Univ. review |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Items #1 - 2 and #4-8 should be posted in the official Faculty Review folder in SharePoint for review by FRAC members. Item #3 should be uploaded to SharePoint when they are completed. Each of these items is described more fully in the following sections.
Checklist
A checklist of the essential contents of the application package, as well as a checklist of possible optional supplementary materials that may be submitted by the applicant are provided on the website.
1. Statement of Self-Evaluation and COVID-19 Impact Checklist
The statement of self-evaluation should be organized in three sections, outlining the applicant’s activities, experiences, and plans in the areas of teaching, research/scholarly/creative activities, and service, respectively. In addition, the self-evaluation should explicitly address the attributes provided in the Principles Guiding Tenure and Promotion.
- For the teaching section, the applicant may wish to include a teaching statement outlining her or his philosophy/approach to teaching, and describe any innovative approaches used in delivering instruction.
- In the research/scholarly/creative activity section, the applicant can provide a context for her or his scholarly work including the impact and benefit of their work, indicating the relationship between different projects and plans for future scholarship and how those plans build on past accomplishments (if applicable).
- The service section should provide an overview of service activities and explain the applicant’s participation in key service roles, including her or his philosophy of service and how it complements teaching and scholarly activities.
The statement of self-evaluation should be no more 10 pages long.
We also recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused varying disruptions to faculty in their teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, and service goals. Furthermore, we understand that these disruptions impact individual faculty in unique ways, based on differing responsibilities and circumstances, and differing timescales and intensities. The COVID-19 Impact Checklist allows faculty to provide information on disruptions to their teaching, research / scholarship / creative activity, and/or service that provide additional, important evaluation context.
2. Professional Vitae
|
Name and Contact Information
|
This should include UTSA address, phone number, and email address, as well as current academic rank (for example, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor). |
|---|---|
|
Educational Background
|
List all institutions from which a degree was earned, including the degree received and the major field of study. Awards received while a student at an educational institution may also be listed here. |
|
Professional Employment History
|
List all positions held in sequential order, with applicable dates, since earning the baccalaureate degree, including the present position at UTSA. |
|
Awards and Honors
|
List any awards, honors, prizes, competitions, or other recognition received related to professional activities. |
|
Research/Scholarly/ |
Summarize all products of research/scholarly/creative activities, including publications, exhibitions, performances, architectural projects, reviews, or other documentation of scholarly contributions. All products should include the date and title of publication/exhibition/performance, the impact (e.g. impact factors, citations, Almetrics, etc.) the venue, and where applicable, the inclusive page numbers or size of the scholarly contribution. List separately the different types of publications (e.g. journal articles, books, reviews, etc.), scholarly products, or creative activity outcomes, providing respective listings of invited contributions, refereed contributions, and non-refereed contributions. |
|
Scholarly Presentations
|
List all external oral or poster presentations at conferences, meetings, or other institutions/universities related to scholarly work, and provide the dates and locations of presentations. Use separate listings for invited presentations, refereed contributions, and non-refereed contributions. |
|
Granting Activities
|
Provide a list of grants received, whether for research, instructional, or public service activities (indicate one of these for each grant), giving the name of the granting agency, the project dates, the project title, and the total amount awarded for each. |
|
Intellectual Property
|
Where applicable, provide a summary of any intellectual property generated and indicate any patent applications, copyright privileges, licensing, or other commercialization that has resulted. The summary should include dates, titles, and other suitable identifying information. |
|
Teaching Activities
|
List all formal courses taught, indicating the level of the course (undergraduate or graduate) and its title. Provide a list of students mentored in research/scholarly/creative activities and any theses or dissertations directed. Summarize any service on graduate committees and for student advising. |
|
Service Activities
|
Provide separate listings of all committee assignments, assigned administrative activities (for example, Department Chair/School Driector, center directorship, etc.), and professional service activities (including leadership in disciplinary organizations, service as a journal editor, manuscript or grant proposal reviewer, meetings or symposia organized, etc.). Each activity should include the dates of participation, the organizational level of the activity (for example, department, college, etc.), and any leadership roles played. |
3. Evaluation and Recommendation Materials
Note: The faculty member under review does not have access to these materials at any point during the review process. These materials can be requested upon completion of the review.
As the application goes through the review process, each level of review should append its analysis and recommendation to the packet for consideration by the next level of review. Guidelines for these various levels of review are provided in the “Review Process” section of these guidelines. The materials should be arranged in the following order, with the responsibility and timing for appending each set of materials indicated below:
|
Item |
Responsible Individual |
When |
|---|---|---|
|
External review letters |
Department Chair/School Director |
Prior to DFRAC review |
|
DFRAC analysis* Chair’s recommendation* |
Department Chair/School Director |
Upon completion Upon completion |
|
CFRAC analysis* Dean’s recommendation |
Dean |
Upon completion Upon completion |
|
UFRAC analysis* |
UFRAC Chair |
Upon completion of UFRAC review |
* UTSA is committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding interdisciplinary educational and scholarly activities. Joint appointments within UTSA create the opportunity for faculty to move across disciplinary boundaries. For joint appointments, DFRAC and CFRAC membership and analysis should follow the established Joint Faculty Appointment Agreement. The template is available on the Academic Affairs website.
4. Documentation of Teaching Effectiveness
|
Listing of Courses with Teaching Evaluation Summaries
|
Provide a table of courses taught during the evaluation period (the probationary period for tenure-track faculty, the period since the last promotion, or last post-tenure review, for tenured faculty), using the template provided below ( this template may be downloaded from the Academic Affairs’ website or the information can be run using the “UTSA Summary of Student Course Evaluations” report in Digital Measures). Do not include copies of student evaluation surveys or comments among these materials. |
|---|
|
Semester |
Course No. |
Course Type |
New prep? |
Course Enrollment |
No. of Responses |
Course rating |
Instructor rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SP2011 |
ABC nnn3 |
LD, UD, or GR |
NEW |
xxx |
yyy |
X.X |
Y.Y |
Note: LD = lower division, UD = upper division, GR = graduate-level
|
Peer Observer’s Report
|
Please refer to the Peer Observation Guidelines and the HOP, Chapter 2.20 “Peer Observation of Teaching” for more information. Provide the report to the Department Chair/School Director according to the Peer Observation Guidelines, but no later than Sept. 1st, or the first workday thereafter. |
|---|---|
|
Faculty Member’s Report
|
Please refer to the Peer Observation Guidelines and the HOP policy, Chapter 2.20 “Peer Observation of Teaching” for more information. Provide the report to the Department Chair/School Director according to the Peer Observation Guidelines, but no later than Sept. 1st, or the first workday thereafter. |
|
Teaching Portfolios
|
For each course taught, provide a portfolio containing the course syllabus, exams, handouts, problem sets and other written assignments, and other course materials developed by the faculty candidate. |
|
Instructional Development
|
List any workshops, seminars, or other related meetings attended (or organized) to increase pedagogical effectiveness. This information should include the dates, formats, locations, and names of organizers. |
|
Instructional Grants
|
List all grants related to instructional activities. This may be taken directly from relevant grants listed on the professional vitae and should contain the information indicated above for “Grant Activities.” Provide electronic copies of all funded grants and, optionally, referee comments for those grant proposals. |
|
Teaching Awards
|
List any awards received for excellence in university-level teaching. This may include both awards received at UTSA and at other institutions of higher education, and should indicate the date, award name, awarding unit (for example, college, university, etc.), and institution. |
|
Students Mentored
|
Provide a list of all students mentored in scholarly activities, indicating those who have completed degree programs under your mentorship, those who are currently enrolled, and employment outcomes for mentored students who have graduated. For undergraduate course advisement, a summary of the number of students served is sufficient. |
5. Documentation of Research/Scholarly/Creative Activities and Impact
|
Scholarly Products
|
Provide an electronic copy of all research/scholarly/creative works produced during the evaluation period. This includes full copies of any journal articles, book chapters, papers in conference proceedings, architectural projects, digital images of artwork, recordings of musical performances or compositions, and other short-format works. These may include manuscripts under review or in preparation. All relevant products should include the impact (e.g. impact factor of the journal, citation indices, Altmetrics, etc.) of the published work. Portions of books may also be scanned to create a digital image for use in the internal review— scanning services are available through the University Library. In cases where the amount of scholarly products is extensive, a representative sample of scholarly products may be submitted, after consultation with the Department Chair/School Director. |
|---|---|
|
Reviews
|
Where appropriate, provide copies of any reviews for the candidate’s scholarly and creative activity, including reviews of books published, exhibitions, performances, compositions, architectural projects, and other creative endeavors. |
|
Research Awards
|
List any awards received for excellence in research. This may include both awards received at UTSA and external to UTSA, and should indicate the date, award name, awarding unit (for example, college, university, etc.), and institution. |
|
Grant Proposals
|
An electronic copy of all funded grant proposals, as well as any proposals under review, or in preparation, should be provided with an indication of the present status of the proposal. Referee comments from funded proposals may be submitted along with the proposals themselves. If the amount of funded proposals is extensive, a representative sample of proposals may be submitted, after consultation with the Department Chair/School Director. |
|
Intellectual Property
|
Provide documentation of any intellectual property produced, including patents, copyrights, licensing agreements or other commercialization activities. Faculty are not required to divulge sensitive information concerning the intellectual property, but may document its development and potential commercialization through letters and other communications. |
6. Summary of Service Activities and Responsibilities
|
Committee Assignments
|
Separately list committee assignments at the department, college, and university levels, indicating dates of service and the name of the committee chair. Applicants should also indicate the extent of their contributions to the work of each committee listed. |
|---|---|
|
Professional Service Activities
|
List any activities, other than leadership positions, in the service of professional and disciplinary organizations. These may include committee assignments, manuscript and proposal review, journal editorship, organization of meetings, and other assistive activities. In all cases, provide dates of service, organizations served, and time committed
|
|
Leadership Positions
|
Provide a summary of any leadership positions held at the university or within a professional/disciplinary organization or society. List the dates for each applicable position, the responsibilities of the position, and the time commitment involved in executing the responsibilities of the position. Also, indicate any special accomplishments achieved while in the leadership position. |
7. Optional Supplementary Materials
Applicants for promotion and tenure may submit optional supplementary materials to highlight or document achievement in the areas of teaching, research/scholarly/creative activities, and service activities. A checklist of possible items that might be included among the supplementary materials is included with the Checklist form available from the Academic Affairs’ website. Applicants are asked to provide materials in an electronic/digital format uploaded to the official Faculty Review folder in SharePoint
Upon completion of the external review of a case, all professional work products, including copies of publications, reviews, creative works, grant proposals, reviewer comments, and other primary works, will be included among the supplementary materials. Candidates for promotion and tenure may also submit other supplementary materials in support of the application, including full sets of student teaching surveys with comments, works in progress, a statement of future research goals and directions, and other items as allowed by the department and college.
In extraordinary cases, where the supplementary materials might clarify a point in dispute from earlier reviews, the UFRAC may also request access to these materials for a given case. Once the president’s final decision concerning a candidate is made, the secure website containing supplementary materials will ordinarily be emptied. Digital supplementary materials may be retained by the university in tenure denial cases until all appeals are completed.
Please note that collecting supplementary materials in digital format is the responsibility of the faculty applicant. Assistance in creating digital archives is available through the University Library. By storing these materials online, the intent is that they are made accessible for the convenience of the DFRAC, Department Chair/School Director, CFRAC, and dean to assist in their separate deliberations.
Special Note to Faculty
These guidelines are intended to help you prepare the most compelling, well-documented case possible for promotion and tenure. With the exception of primary work products (items #5 – 7) which become a part of the supplementary materials, your application packet will be evaluated at all levels of the review. For you research/scholarly/creative activities, it is important that all products should include the date and title of publication/exhibition/performance, the impact factor of the journal, number of citations for the publication, the venue, and where applicable, the inclusive page numbers or size of the scholarly contribution. As you prepare your packet, please consider how readily a reader may access and absorb the material it contains. Repetition and verbosity will only serve to fatigue reviewers without adding substance to your packet— be as concise and succinct as possible in each section of the packet.
