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Thriving in Academe
Best Practices

First, beware of the fallacy of “best practices” in faculty evaluation and development. Well-designed systems must respond to the unique values, characteristics, history, traditions, and mission of a particular college. What works well at one institution may not work well at another. “Best” must be defined in terms of incorporating and reflecting the unique characteristics of each institution, not simply duplicating all or part of systems that work well elsewhere. With that in mind, here are some brief guidelines for good practice in the meta-profession.

• Engage in continuous dialogue. Arriving at consensus among all stakeholders is the most important first step in good practice, and the dialogue must be sustained over time.
• Build on initial commitments. It is critical to have strong support from faculty and administrators beyond the first blush of enthusiasm. Evaluation and development systems must serve both groups and provide regular evidence of success and service to those groups.
• Create useful synergy. Common wisdom often insists that evaluation and development should be separated, but total separation is a mistake. While it is reasonable to ensure that teaching improvement is a confidential process and that faculty evaluation follows clear and understood policies, these systems must nonetheless be complementary.
• Monitor the systems and make improvements. It is a mistake to assume that building systems for faculty development and evaluation is a one-time process. Creating a teaching center or an evaluation process is only the beginning, and these systems benefit from regular assessment, revision, and improvement.

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