Continuing Lecturer Procedures

This document summarizes the procedures to be followed by Definite Term Lecturers that wish to be considered for a continuing lectureship in the Faculty of Mathematics. The relevant UW policy is Policy 76 (Faculty Appointments) Section 3D. Candidates whose appointments are held in the Dean’s office will be reviewed by a special committee who will be elected by Faculty within the Dean’s office. For the purpose of this document, a unit head could mean a Chair, Director and the Chair of the review committee for the Dean’s Office Lecturers.

General Considerations

In the Faculty of Mathematics the expectation of faculty members in the continuing lecturer stream is that they bring a dimension of teaching excellence, outstanding service and educational innovation that enhances undergraduate or graduate education and adds significantly to the quality of the student experience. It is expected that continuing lecturers bring together expert knowledge in their field and exemplary practices in university teaching. Their role is to serve as integral members of the Faculty of Mathematics, developing, delivering and reimagining courses; identifying, devising and testing effective teaching strategies and sharing their experiences with colleagues; serving as mentors and leaders for teaching; and demonstrating, in a range of innovative and creative ways, their commitment to student learning.

Given this central and multi-faceted role within the Faculty, “teaching” for continuing lecturers incorporates all activities from which students derive a direct or indirect educational benefit. This includes, for example, in-class and online teaching; lab and practice-based teaching; coordination of multi-section courses; individual and group student mentoring and advising; course and curriculum development; undergraduate and graduate supervision; support for the teaching development of others through mentorship and other forms of educational leadership and achievement; pedagogical scholarship; discipline-based scholarship in relation to, or relevant to, the field in which the faculty member teaches; and the exploration or development of new teaching approaches.

Timetable

Timetable

By May 1

The Faculty and Departmental Tenure and Promotion and Committees (FTPC, DTPC) are elected and their membership is announced. The Dean forms a special review committee, who will be elected, for positions held in the Dean’s office.

The DTPC is chaired by the Unit Head and includes four to six tenured faculty members chosen in a manner acceptable to the department. The Chair and elected members are voting members of the DTPC. The Unit Head reports the DTPC membership to the Dean and to the unit's faculty members, and invites those who wish to be considered for continuing lecturer to apply by June 1.

The FTPC is chaired by the Faculty Dean and includes one tenured faculty member from each of the five academic units. The Dean and elected members are voting members of the FTPC; the VPA&P appoints an additional voting member who is a tenured faculty member from outside the Faculty. The University Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (UTPAC) appoints a non-voting advisor from amongst its members. 

By June 1 Faculty members who wish to be considered for Continuing Lecturer inform the Unit Head in writing, and meet with them to discuss the procedures to be followed.
By July 1 Each candidate for Continuing Lecturer must submit a candidate’s brief in support of their application (in electronic copy) to the Unit Head. The brief muswt include:
  • The CV (see full outline below)
  • Teaching and Service Dossier (see full outline below)
  • The names of at least four referees. Note that these referees do not have to be external to Faculty of Mathematics, though external referees are encouraged, if they make sense. The candidate should explain their relationship, if any, to each referee.
  • If applicable, i.e. if the candidate has a non-zero weight on research: Candidate’s Statement on Research, along with representative scholarly work, usually 1-2 selections.
Early July DTPC to consider potential referees to assess candidate’s teaching, service work and/or    research (if applicable). See comments below in the “Selection of Referees Section”.
Early July

For each Continuing Lecturer case, the Chair/department is to upload the following documents to the location specified by the Dean's Office:

  • Candidate’s CV
  • Candidate’s Teaching and Service Dossier
  • If applicable, Candidate’s Statement on Research and representative scholarly work
  • At least 8 Referee Information Sheets, each clearly indicating whether a referee is suggested by candidate or DTPC (these can be sent to Alison Zorian by e-mail and not uploaded)
Mid July Referees letters sent from the Dean’s office with a mid-September deadline.
By mid Nov The DTPC completes deliberations and submits the case files electronically (see outline) and its recommendations to the Dean. The Unit Head informs the candidate of the final departmental recommendation.
Nov/Dec Meetings of FTPC. The Dean informs each candidate of the final FTPC recommendation.


Selection of Referees

In all Continuing Lecturer appointment cases referees will be asked to assess the candidate's contributions in teaching, service and/or, if applicable, research. Care should be taken to select referees who can provide an informed evaluation of the candidate and who are of high stature with respect to teaching and service and/or research. The procedure for choosing referees is as follows:

  1. The candidate submits a list of possible referees together with completed information sheets. Informal contacts with potential referees by the Unit Head, DTPC or FTPC members, or the candidate concerning the case file are inappropriate.
  2. The DTPC considers the candidate's list of referees and normally suggests additional names. After consulting with the Dean, the Unit Head informs the candidate of the pool of potential referees. The candidate may challenge, in writing to the DTPC, a potential referee for bias, apprehension of bias, perceived conflict of interest or unsuitability. If the DTPC and the candidate do not agree on the pool of potential referees, at least half of the referees contacted must be from those approved by the candidate. The Unit Head documents the interaction with the candidate about the pool of referees.
  3. The DTPC chooses referees to be contacted (normally at least four). The names of the referees approached will not be released to the candidate.
  4. The Unit Head will discuss the choice of referees with the Dean. Letters soliciting comments from referees are sent by the Dean. Referees are sent copies of these guidelines along with the candidate’s CV, Teaching and Service Dossier and, if applicable, the candidate’s Statement on Research and sample scholarly work. They are asked to assess the candidate's teaching, service, and, if applicable, scholarly contributions.

Candidate's Brief

The preparation of the candidate's brief is the responsibility of the candidate, who should consult with their Unit Head to ensure that it is complete in all respects before it is submitted to the DTPC. The brief should include a CV, a Teaching and Service Dossier, information on at least four potential referees and, if applicable, a research statement and some sample research contributions. More details on what is expected are given below.

1. CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

The candidate’s CV should include the following information.

PERSONAL DATA

  • Name, department
  • All degrees, dates, universities, dissertation titles
  • Complete employment record, including visiting appointments, etc.
  • Awards and honours received.

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

  • Courses taught (title, level and approximate class size)
  • Curriculum development
  • Course Co-ordination
  • Other relevant teaching related activities, such as education related publications or conferences, or special teacher training.

SERVICE

  • Committees (period, name, role)
  • Administrative appointments (period, title)
  • Student advising, course coordination, high school liaison, etc.
  • Administrative involvement with centres and institutes
  • Relevant community service

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP (if applicable)

  • Areas of interest
  • Publications: Include full authorship as listed in the publication. Explain conventions used for order of authors in multiply authored papers. Give explicit page numbers, or number of manuscript pages for accepted and submitted papers. The candidate should comment explicitly on contributions to joint publications (the names of co-authors who were graduate students at the time a paper was written should be marked with (*), and PDFs with (**)). List publications by category as follows: articles submitted (listed separately from those accepted or published), articles in refereed journals, articles in refereed conference proceedings, chapters in books, books, other publications.
  • Invited addresses at conferences (year, conference, title)
  • A list of all supervised undergraduate and/or graduate students
  • Grant record (year, amount, granting agency)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (if applicable)

  • Society memberships and positions held
  • Editorial positions
  • Conference organization
  • Refereeing and reviewing for journals (name, frequency)
  • Consulting and technology transfer activities

2. TEACHING AND SERVICE DOSSIER

While the CV provides a list of what you have done in regards to teaching and service (and, if applicable, research), the Teaching and Service Dossier is an opportunity to expand on how and why you do those things. A Teaching and Service Dossier should include:

PART I: Teaching Contributions

  1. Teaching Philosophy – A statement on how you approach teaching and what drives your pedagogical choices
  2. List of Courses Taught – this can be copied from the CV
  3. Teaching Activities and Initiatives – A description of your teaching activities for the courses you have taught, as well as any teaching initiatives undertaken or planned. For example, initiatives relating to teaching methods and materials including digital assets, application and/or receipt of instructional development grants. (Include representative course outlines and materials as an appendix)
  4. Evaluations of Teaching – Summary of evaluations/perceptions of teaching from any sources available, including students, peers, CTE, awards nominated for or received, etc. May include a statement about the course evaluations that reflects on how the candidate has responded to student feedback in relation to course design, teaching approaches, etc.
  5. Educational Leadership and/or Achievement – A description of any activities and/or plans for contributions in this area. For example, presentations at pedagogical conferences, publications on teaching, community outreach, engagement with professional teaching and learning organizations/centres, and mentoring activities.
  6. Pedagogical/Professional Development – A list of any pedagogical/professional development activities undertaken with specific reference to any efforts made to improve teaching skills. May include a statement about your pedagogical/professional development goals and plans.

PART II: Service Contributions – A description of your service contributions to the department, faculty, university, or discipline/profession. Reflect on your service philosophy, initiatives, leadership, achievement and the impact of your service. Examples of service include but are not restricted to

  • Sitting on hiring committees, curriculum committees, ad hoc committees
  • Serving as an academic advisor
  • Outreach activities such as CEMC school visits, helping with campus events
  • Involvement in department, faculty, and university level governance

For additional help creating your Teaching and Service Dossier, the Centre for Teaching Excellence has information here:

Normally, a Teaching and Service Dossier (excluding appendices) should be no more than 10 pages.

3. POTENTIAL REFEREES LIST

The names and contact information for at least four referees. Note that these referees do not have to be arm’s length or external, though external referees are encouraged if they make sense. The candidate should explain the relationship to the referee if not arm’s length.

4. CANDIDATE'S RESEARCH STATEMENT (if applicable)

The candidate's statement of 1-2 pages should give a personal overview of the candidate's strengths, accomplishments and future plans in research. In addition, 1-2 sample research contributions should be provided.

Outline of the Case File

The case file for submission to the FTPC is prepared by the Unit Head and the DTPC. It consists of the Candidate's Brief, additional materials considered by the DTPC, and the Unit Head’s covering memorandum.

  1. SUMMARY REPORT FORM (.DOCX)
  2. UNIT HEAD’S COVERING MEMORANDUM (1-2 pages) & PERFORMANCE REVIEW TABLE
    • Membership of the DTPC
    • Brief employment history of the candidate, pointing out any exceptional considerations or special arrangements at the time of employment.
    • Summary of the DTPC’s assessment of the candidate in:
      • Teaching:
        • Include an explanation of how to interpret student questionnaire results, and a description of how various aspects of teaching effectiveness are evaluated.
      • Service
      • Research/Scholarship (if applicable)
    • Recommendation of the DTPC, including the voting record and explanation of negative votes.
    • Copies of all written assessments within the department made of candidates, beyond the peer teaching evaluations, are not necessary unless deemed relevant by the Unit Head for a particular reason.
    • Provide DTPC Attestation paragraph at end of memo, prior to signatures of DTPC members:  “I acknowledge that I received a copy of the memo ….”
    • Include annual performance rating table after Unit Head’s memo [teaching, research (if applicable), service, overall; 0-2 scale] last five years or since starting.
  3. CV
  4. LETTERS OF REFEREE
    • the external referee information sheet should be included first.
    • If the referee did not sign their letter, then attached the e-mail in which the letter was sent with.  The letter will then follow.
  5. TEACHING AND SERVICE DOSSIER
    • Student Evaluations listed first then peer teaching documentation
  6. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION ON TEACHING
    • A minimum of two formal peer evaluations of teaching.
    • Table of student course perception survey summaries by course for the last 5 years, or when hired; include meaningful interpretive information. The student course perception surveys themselves need not be included unless they are from another faculty (i.e. Engineering) or if the Unit Heads feels it necessary to include one for a particular reason.
  7. DOCUMENTATION ON RESEARCH/SCHOLARSHIP (IF APPLICABLE)
    • Candidate’s research statement and research samples. A statement from the chair of the committee.