Definition of Terms
2007-2008

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The following definitions correspond to the measures of out-of-classroom faculty activity being collected as part of an enhanced and expanded Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity. These definitions are guidelines. In addition to these guidelines, please use your own institutional conventions to complete the data collection instrument. Similar to the instructional cost and productivity portion of the Delaware Study, this portion focuses on the discipline level of analysis. In addition, this portion will collect data for a 12-month period. While most faculty work on a 9- or 10-month contract, for purposes of this data collection we are defining an academic year in terms of 12 months. Specifically, we seek information for the 12-month period that corresponds to the faculty evaluation process that was most recently completed. While there are supplemental, clinical, and other types of faculty, this portion of the study will collect data for full-time and part-time tenured and tenure-track faculty only.

In addition, we ask for your feedback on the degree of difficulty in assembling the requested information.

Full-Time Equivalent Faculty (FTE) includes all filled faculty positions. Filled faculty positions are those that have salaries associated with them. Include paid leaves such as sabbaticals wherein the individual is receiving a salary, but exclude unpaid leaves of absence. For purposes of this study, only full- and part-time tenure and tenure-track faculty should be included in the calculation (please see below for further detail).

(A) Total FTE Tenured Faculty: This number reflects all full- and part-time tenured faculty employed at your institution during the 12 months under examination. This will include faculty currently employed in this discipline, as well as tenured faculty who may have been employed at any point during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, but who have subsequently retired or left the institution. Also include faculty on paid leaves such as sabbaticals. Each faculty member who appropriately falls within this 12-month time frame should be counted only once, using the full-time equivalency listed in your institution's personnel database. Please note the activity of full- and part-time tenured faculty should be associated with the discipline(s) that provide(s) compensation to the individual faculty member. For example, if a faculty member has a joint appointment with biology and chemistry and their salary is paid by each of these departments, each department will get credit for the proportion of activity that corresponds to the particular department.

(B) Total FTE Tenure-Track Faculty: This number reflects all full- and part-time tenure-track faculty employed at your institution during the 12 months under examination. This will include faculty currently employed in this discipline, as well as tenure-track faculty who may have been employed at any point during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, but who have subsequently left the institution. Also include faculty on paid leaves such as sabbaticals. Each faculty member who appropriately falls within this 12-month time frame should be counted only once, using the full-time equivalency listed in your institution's personnel database. Please note the activity of full- and part-time tenure-track faculty should be associated with the discipline(s) that provide(s) compensation to the individual faculty member. For example, if a faculty member has a joint appointment with biology and chemistry and their salary is paid by each of these departments, each department will get credit for the proportion of activity that corresponds to the particular department.

(C) Total FTE Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Included in the Data Collected: This number reflects the total number of full-time equivalent tenured and tenure-track faculty reported above who are included in the data collected on the summary form.

Activities Related to Teaching

(1) Total Number of Separate Course Preparations during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of separate courses prepared during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This item should reflect separate courses or course selections. For example, if there is a course with two sections and one section is taught to honors students and the other section is taught to all other students and the faculty member must develop two separate course preparations, the faculty member would get credit for each course preparation.

(2) Number of Existing Courses Where Faculty Have Redesigned the Pedagogy or Curriculum Under the Auspices of a Grant or Course-Release Time during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Faculty revise courses from year to year, if not from term to term, in order to keep their material current. This item seeks the number of existing courses that have formally been redesigned, in each instance, by one or more faculty within the discipline during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. The curriculum development/redesign may be under the auspices of an externally funded instructional grant; part of a course-release sponsored by the department for the specific purpose of enhancing instructional methods and materials; or may include initiatives in distance education. The key determinant is that this goes beyond the normal updating in course preparation as part of instructional workload.

(3) Number of New Courses Which Faculty Have Created and Have Been Approved for Delivery during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: It is assumed that most faculty engage in some measure of course revision from year to year, if not from term to term, in order to keep their material current. However, this item is seeking the number of brand new courses that have been created and approved for delivery by one or more faculty within the discipline during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. The key determinant is that this goes beyond the normal updating in course preparation as part of instructional workload.

(4) Number of Courses Indicated in the Previous Items Which are Delivered Fully or Primarily Online during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of brand new courses that have been created and delivered fully or primarily online by one or more faculty within the discipline during the more recent 12-month evaluation period.

Please note: Items 1-4 are not mutually exclusive.

(5) Unduplicated Headcount of Undergraduate Academic Advisees Formally Assigned to Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report those undergraduate students formally assigned to faculty for academic advising during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This item reflects formal academic advising to assigned students, as opposed to informal advice frequently given by faculty to students.

(6) Unduplicated Headcount of Graduate Academic Advisees Formally Assigned to Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report those graduate students who in addition to thesis/dissertation advisees are formally assigned to faculty for academic advising during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This item reflects formal academic advising to assigned students, as opposed to informal advice frequently given by faculty to students.

(7) Number of Thesis/Dissertation Committees Where Faculty Served as Chairperson during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item is seeking a count of those committees (master's thesis and doctoral dissertation) where a faculty member served as chair. Specifically, for each faculty member, we are looking for those committees for which they had primary responsibility for directing the study, meeting regularly with the student, and coordinating the overall efforts of the committee.

(8) Number of Thesis/Dissertation Committees Where Faculty Served in a Non-Chairing Role during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Service on thesis/dissertation committees is time consuming, even when the faculty member is not chairing. For each faculty member, we are seeking the number of committees where service was rendered other than as primary reader or committee chair. Use the same counting convention as with the previous item.

(9) Number of Undergraduate Senior Theses That Faculty Supervised during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: A number of seniors at four-year institutions complete a senior thesis. These theses may include a traditional senior thesis as well as a senior portfolio project, recital, art show, or other capstone experience. This item seeks the number of senior theses that faculty supervised during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(10) Total Number of Students Taught Individually in Independent or Directed Studies during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: In some instances students engage in independent or directed studies. This item is seeking the total number of students who are taught individually through the experience of an independent or directed study during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This experience typically includes one-on-one student-faculty interaction for credit toward satisfying a degree requirement.

(11) Number of Undergraduate Students Formally Engaged in Research with a Faculty Mentor during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: A significant number of four year institutions across the United States have either formal undergraduate research programs or capstone courses which bring together undergraduate students and full-time faculty mentors in a formal research project. This item seeks the number of undergraduate students who have been formally engaged in research during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, in a fashion consistent with practices at your institution. This might include students engaged in independent research, honors research, research with a faculty member for credit or non-credit, or paid research assistantships or research internships. This item excludes paid or unpaid student workers and work study (e.g., students who set up laboratories). Count each student only once within the 12-month time frame.

(12) Number of Graduate Students Formally Engaged in Research with a Faculty Mentor during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of graduate students who have been formally engaged in research during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, in a fashion consistent with practices at your institution. Count each student only once within the 12-month time frame.

(13) Number of Clinical Students, Practicum Students, Internship Students, and Students in Cooperative and Service Learning Education Programs Who Are Formally Assigned to Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks to capture faculty activity associated with supervising students in various types of field experiences in clinical, practica, internship (non-research), cooperative, and service learning education programs. The students are engaged not only in formal coursework meeting at regularly scheduled times throughout an academic term, but also require on-site supervision by faculty at a formal work site as part of the educational experience.

(14) Number of Students (Undergraduate and Graduate) Who Have Co-Authored a Journal Article or Book Chapter with a Faculty Mentor during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Report the number of students who have co-authored a journal article or book chapter with a faculty mentor during the current academic year. The student must be listed as co-author in the publication. Note: The work must be in print, i.e., published either in hard copy or online during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(15) Number of Students (Undergraduate and Graduate) Who Have Co-Presented a Paper at a State, Regional, National, and International Professional Meeting with a Faculty Mentor during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Report the number of students who have co-presented a paper at a state, regional, national, and international professional meeting with a faculty mentor during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. The student must be listed as co-presenter in the meeting program.

(16) Number of Assessment Projects or Separate Assignments for Purpose of Program Evaluation (as Distinct from Individual Courses) Faculty Have Undertaken during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item should capture activities intended to assess student learning or performance in a program. Activities may be embedded in courses or conducted separately so as long as evaluation serves programmatic purposes - beyond the individual course. Faculty assignments for assessment may include design of assessment for the program as a whole or preparation of evaluative instruments or activities.

(17) Number of Institution-Sanctioned Professional Development Activities Related to Teaching Efforts during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of activities that faculty engage in order to improve their teaching efforts. The activities counted here should be sanctioned by the faculty members' institution. Examples of this type of activity are attending conferences on General Education, participating in workshops on undergraduate research, or participating in workshops offered by Center for Teaching Effectiveness.

Activities Related to Scholarship

(18) Number of Print or Electronic Refereed Journal Articles, Book Chapters, Reviews, and Creative Works Published by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Use your institution’s definition of what constitutes a refereed journal article. Single author articles are obviously counted once. In the instance of co-authored journal articles, where faculty are from different institutions, count the article once. If both faculty are from the same institution and discipline count the article twice, as it represents out-of-class activity for each individual. If the faculty are from different disciplines at your institution, count the article once for each relevant discipline. Note: The work must be published, i.e., initially published either in print or electronically during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(19) Number of Print or Electronic Non-Refereed Journal Articles, Book Chapters, Reviews, and Creative Works Published by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Use your institution’s definition of what constitutes a non-refereed journal article. Use the same counting convention as for print or electronic refereed journal articles, book chapters, reviews, and creative works. Note: The work must be published, i.e., initially published either in print or electronically during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This category may include papers (not abstracts) published in proceedings of professional associations or meetings. This item excludes self-publishing.

(20) Number of Single-Author or Joint-Author Books or Monographs Written by Faculty and Published by an Academic or Commercial Press during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item is seeking information on volumes produced by faculty. These volumes must be published by an academic or commercial press. Use the same counting convention with respect to joint authorship as was the case for journal articles and book chapters. Note: The work must be in print, i.e., initially published either in print or electronically during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(21) Number of Manuscripts Submitted to Publishers during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: There are instances where faculty spend a considerable amount of time working on manuscripts such as journal articles or books. These manuscripts are submitted to publishers and may or may not go to press. This particular item seeks the number of manuscripts submitted to publishers during the most recent 12-month evaluation period regardless of the acceptance status.

(22) Number of Books, Collections, and Monographs Edited by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of books, collections, and monographs edited by faculty. Use the same counting convention as for journal articles and book chapters. Note: The work must be in print, i.e., initially published either in print or electronically during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(23) Number of Pre-Publication Books, Journal Articles, and Chapters Reviewed by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item refers to the number of reviews of pre-publication books or journal articles in print or chapters submitted to a publisher. This includes reviews for a university press or a scholarly journal. The review must have occurred during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(24) Number of Grant Proposals Reviewed by Faculty Related to Field of Expertise during the Most Recent 12-month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of grant proposals reviewed by faculty in their relevant discipline. The grant may or may not have been awarded.

(25) Number of Editorial Positions Held by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of instances where a faculty member in this department serves as editor, associate editor, assistant editor, or member of an editorial board for a scholarly publication directly related to the knowledge content in the discipline. This item excludes ad-hoc reviews (e.g., a single book review or article review, either solicited or unsolicited).

(26) Number of Juried Shows, Commissioned Performances, Creative Readings, and Competitive Exhibitions by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item is seeking information on scholarly productions in the fine, performing, and visual arts. Implicit in this measure is the endorsement of a jury or referee. Accordingly, this item seeks an art exhibition at a gallery or museum, as opposed to an all-faculty show at the home institution. Similarly, it seeks a musical or theatrical performance where the faculty member is composer, author, performer, conductor, designer, or director. Where the faculty member is performer, he/she is an invited artist as opposed to a participant at an event sponsored by the department.

(27) Number of Non-Juried Shows, Performances, Creative Readings, and Exhibitions by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks information on scholarly productions in the fine, performing, and visual arts that are comparable in quality to juried works but in this instance there is no formal selection process. This item would include an all-faculty show at the home institution or a musical or theatrical performance sponsored by the department where the faculty member is composer, author, performer, conductor, designer, or director.

(28) Number of Digital Programs or Applications Designed by Faculty Related to Field of Expertise during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report the number of digital programs or development of applications faculty have produced related to their field of expertise. The activity might include software development or web-based learning modules. The activity must have taken place during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This item does not include updating websites.

(29) Number of Provisional or Issued Patents Based on Faculty Products during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of provisional or issued patents formally conferred by the U.S. Patent Office for faculty products directly related to scholarly research in this discipline.

(30) Number of Faculty Works in Progress during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of works such as journal articles, paintings, or musical compositions that are in progress during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(31) Number of Formal Presentations Made by Faculty at State, Regional, National, and International Professional Meetings during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of invited and contributed papers, panels, poster sessions, performances, exhibitions, etc. by faculty during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. The key determinant is that the presentation must be delivered and not merely accepted. Single author presentations are obviously counted once. In the instance of a co-authored presentation, where faculty are from different institutions, count the presentation once. If both faculty are from the same institution and discipline count the presentation twice, as it represents out-of-class activity for each individual. If the faculty are from different disciplines at your institution, count the presentation once for each relevant discipline. A co-author does not need to be present for the presentation to count for that individual. The presentation must be made to count.

(32) Number of External and Internal Grant, Contract, and Scholarly Fellowship Proposals Submitted by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of both external and internal grant, contract, and scholarly fellowship proposals that have been submitted by faculty during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. The proposal may or may not have been accepted.

(33) Number of New External Grants, Contracts, and Scholarly Fellowships Formally Awarded to Faculty or to the Institution on Behalf of Faculty (Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator) during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: Whereas the instructional cost and productivity portion of the Delaware Study examines separately budgeted research and service expenditures, this item asks for the number of new external grants, contracts, and scholarly fellowships (e.g., National Endowment for the Humanities, Guggenheim Foundation) awarded to faculty or the institution on facultys’ behalf during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, for which a formal award letter is in hand, regardless of whether the funds have been expended. While grants are often awarded for multiple years and funding is continuous, for purposes of this item, report the grant as awarded only in the year where the initial award letter is received. Please use institutional conventions to define principal and co-principal investigators.

(34) Total Dollar Value of the New Externally Funded Grants, Contracts, and Scholarly Fellowships Reported in Item 33: Report the face value of the new external grants, contracts, and scholarly fellowships cited in the previous item, whether or not the funds have been expended at the time of reporting. The face value should not include any matching institutional dollars.

(35) Number of New Internal Grants and Contracts Formally Awarded to Faculty (Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator) during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of new internal grants and contracts awarded to faculty during the most recent 12-month evaluation period, for which a formal award letter is in hand, regardless of whether the funds have been expended. While grants are often awarded for multiple years and funding is continuous, for purposes of this item, report the grant as awarded only in the year where the initial award letter is received. Please use institutional conventions to define principal and co-principal investigators.

(36) Total Dollar Value of the New Internal Grants and Contracts Reported in Item 35: Report the face value of the new internal grants and contracts cited in the previous item, whether or not the funds have been expended at the time of reporting.

(37) Number of Continuing External and Internal Grants and Contracts and Scholarly Fellowships during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: There are instances where a grant, contract, or scholarly fellowship may extend past a year and actually be multi-year. For this reason, this item seeks the number of continuing external and internal grants and contracts and scholarly fellowships during the most recent 12-month evaluation period. This means that the grant, contract, or scholarly fellowship would have been initially awarded previous to the 12-month evaluation period under examination.

(38) Number of Institution-Sanctioned Professional Development Activities Related to Scholarship during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item seeks the number of activities that faculty engage in order to improve their research efforts. Examples of this type of activity are participating in a grant writing workshop, attending a training session to learn a new research tool or software application, or enrolling in a statistics course. The activities counted here should be sanctioned by the faculty members' institution.

Activities Related to Service

(39) Number of Faculty Activities Related to Institutional Service during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report the number of activities where faculty have engaged in some form of service to their institution. Use your institution’s definition of what constitutes institutional service. The service might be committee work (e.g., faculty governance, promotion and tenure, fundraising, developing service-learning or internship opportunities), service on the institutional accreditation self-study team, supervising student organizations or student service and community projects. The activity must have taken place during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(40) Number of Faculty Extension and Outreach Activities Related to Field of Expertise during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report the number of activities where faculty have engaged in some form of extension or outreach related to their field of expertise. The outreach might include civic service, K-12 service, community workshops, invited talks to community groups, seminars, lectures, or demonstrations. This item should exclude formal presentations at state, regional, national, and international professional meetings. The activity must have taken place during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(41) Number of Faculty Activities Related to Recognized or Visible Service to Profession during the Most Recent 12-Month Evaluation Period: This item asks you to report the number of activities where faculty have engaged in high-level service to their profession. The service might be serving on a regional or national committee, service on a self-study visitation team for another institution, or serving as an invited or volunteer juror for a show, performance, or exhibition. This item includes external promotion and tenure reviews and external accreditation involvement. This item should exclude leadership positions held in professional associations. The activity must have taken place during the most recent 12-month evaluation period.

(42) Number of Leadership Positions in a Professional Association Held by Faculty during the Most Recent 12-month Evaluation Period: Membership in a professional association is insufficient for inclusion under this item; one can be a member without being active. The leadership position might include being a member of the board of directors or holding some other leadership position within a professional association (e.g., elected officer, committee chairperson, conference chair). Use your judgment as to what constitutes a leadership position.

updated: May 2008


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