Metrics for Tested Experiences

Professor speaks to his class in language lab, CAS
Professor Scott Hartley, wearing protective glasses, talks with students in the lab, CAS

When a department offers highly applied or skilled courses, it may need to hire instructional staff who do not meet traditional qualifications (i.e., one degree level related to and above the level of course that they are teaching).  In this situation, the department may create an approved Departmental Metric for Tested Experience.

Please note: For tenured and tenure-track faculty, traditional qualifications (doctorate, terminal degree) should be employed.  

Tested Experience can only be used for non-tenure-track faculty teaching highly applied or highly skilled undergraduate courses.  Tested experience generally includes a bachelor’s degree in the field related to the courses to be taught plus at least five years of significant professional experience directly related to the courses being taught as well as demonstration of teaching excellence.

The departmental metric will require departments to specify the appropriate fields of the bachelor’s degree as well as the kinds of professional experience that are appropriate.  The degree field and professional experience should directly relate to the topics of the course(s) the faculty member will be assigned to teach.

Some examples of professional experience are:

  • Managerial or executive-level professional experience or highly applied technical experience in the field of the course being taught

  • Licensure and clinical/professional experience in the field of the course being taught

  • At least 18 credit hours of graduate-level academic coursework in the field of the course being taught plus at least four years of significant professional and/or teaching experience in the field of the course being taught;

  • Professional certificate (that involves at least 18 credits) in the field of the course being taught plus at least four years of significant professional and/or teaching experience in the field of the course being taught;

  • Demonstrated fluency (using the proficiency standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) in the foreign language being taught.

Teaching excellence is typically measured by the following indicators:

  • Prior course evaluations
  • Syllabi review
  • Demonstration of teaching during the interview process.

Departmental Metric for Tested Experience - Instructional Staff for Undergraduate Courses

To create a departmental metric for tested experience, you should create a document that includes the information below. Departments should create a department metric if it anticipates hiring non-tenured or non-tenure-track instructional staff using the tested experience qualifications and the university metric for tested experience is not appropriate for your context.

Submit the proposed departmental metric to the Dean and the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs for approval. Once approved, the changes will appear on the website so that you can ensure that you are applying the tested experience qualifications consistently.

Please note: The departmental metric must be submitted and approved by the Dean as well as Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, prior to hiring any instructor using tested experience.


Date:

Name of Academic Department:

Name of Academic Program:

List of highly applied or highly skilled courses in the program where you may hire instructional staff using the tested experience qualifications:

List of relevant bachelor’s degrees for teaching each type of highly applied or skilled course:

Description of relevant and significant professional experience for instructors of each type of highly applied/skilled course:

Demonstration of Teaching Excellence:

(Note: Examples include review of syllabi, former course evaluation data, demonstration of teaching during hiring interview.)