Title: #IV-13. Faculty Qualifications
Date: August 8, 2011 (replaces,
in part, version titled, “Faculty Position Description”
dated December 9, 2005)
To be eligible for a faculty appointment to
teach credit classes, either on a full-time, adjunct, or a part-time basis, a
person must hold appropriate credentials as outlined below and must take full
responsibility for submitting verification of credentials with the Human Resources Office. Documents verifying qualifications include:
- official college transcripts of
all academic credit and earned degrees;
- licensure or certificates
validating professional status such as Registered Nurse, Certified Public
Accountant, Chartered Life Underwriter, Licensed Professional Engineer,
etc.;
- certificates indicating
journeyman status in recognized vocational fields; and,
- a criminal
background check upon offer of employment if required for program
accreditation or by agreements with external agencies.
The
Higher Learning Commission document, Commission Guidance on Determining Quality Faculty, includes the
following guidelines that are applicable to WVU Parkersburg faculty:
·
Faculty
teaching in higher education organizations should have completed a significant
program of study in the discipline they will teach and/or for which they will
develop curricula, with substantial coursework at least one-level above that of
the courses being taught or developed.
Those teaching general education courses typically hold a master’s
degree or higher and should have completed substantial graduate coursework in
the discipline of those courses.
·
Qualified
faculty are identified in part by credentials, but
there are limitations to considering only the degrees earned. In some cases,
such as practice-oriented disciplines or programs, tested experiences in the
field may be needed as much or more than formal educational preparation at a
prescribed level in determining what students should know to practice.
·
The
value of using tested experience to determine faculty qualifications is largely
dependent upon the relevance of the experience both to the degree level and to
the specific content of the course(s) for which the faculty member is
responsible. Tested experience implies
that some objective measure ensures that the individual’s knowledge and
expertise are sufficient for determining what students must learn and have
learned.
·
While
not all faculty will possess the credentials that are regarded as “hallmarks”
the overall mix of the faculty, within a given program and/or organization,
should establish a foundation for maintaining and strengthening educational
quality. Generally, the same guidelines and principles should be used for
employing part-time, adjunct, temporary, and/or non-tenure track faculty as are
used in employing full-time, tenure-track, term, or tenured faculty, whose
primary responsibility is teaching.[1]
All academic credit and degrees appropriate
to a teaching appointment must have been taken at recognized, regionally
accredited colleges or universities. All
questions regarding status of degree-granting institutions shall be referred to
the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
A.
Baccalaureate
and Transfer (AA and AS) Level Courses.
Persons who teach courses that are typically associated with baccalaureate
degree programs and are transferable to other institutions as upper division
credit, as well as courses associated with Associate in Arts or Associate in
Science degrees and are transferable to other institutions to apply towards the
baccalaureate degree, must:
§
Hold,
minimally, a master’s degree from a recognized, regionally accredited
institution2 with at least 15 semester hours graduate credit in the discipline
or other relevant educational and professional experiences as described in D.
below.
§ Meet criteria
established by discipline-related accrediting agencies.
B.
Certificate,
Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Science, and Bachelor of
Applied Technology.
·
Persons
who teach courses that are associated with the Associate in Applied Science
degree or the certificate degrees must hold, minimally, either a bachelor's
degree from a recognized, regionally accredited institution with major emphasis
in the teaching discipline, or certifying documentation of journeyman rating or
equivalent status in a recognized vocational field plus at least five years' successful
work experience in that field as described in D.1. below.
·
Persons
who teach courses that are associated with an Associate in Applied Science
degree program that transfers to an applied baccalaureate degree or persons
teaching in an applied baccalaureate program must hold, minimally, a master’s
degree from a recognized, regionally accredited institution with major emphasis
in the teaching discipline or other relevant educational, teaching, or
professional experiences. Relevant
educational/ teaching/ professional experience may be considered in lieu of the
masters degree as described in D.2. below.
In all cases, persons teaching in Associate in Applied Science or Certificate
programs transferring to baccalaureate programs and applied baccalaureate
programs must meet criteria established by discipline-related accrediting
agencies.
C.
Developmental
Courses. Persons who teach courses in
developmental areas for foundations credit must hold, minimally, a master’s degree
from a recognized, regionally accredited institution with major in the teaching
discipline or in a related field. Related experience in developmental teaching
is preferred.
D.
Degree
Equivalencies
Faculty who do not
hold at least the required baccalaureate degree minimum for the associate
degree programs may be eligible to teach with certifying documentation of
journeyman rating or equivalent status in a recognized vocational field plus at
least five years’ successful work experience in that field.
Faculty who do not
hold at least a master's degree in the discipline may be considered qualified to
teach as follows:
·
Bachelor's
degree plus professional certificates in the related discipline.
·
Bachelor's
degree plus 15 graduate hours' credit in the discipline being taught.
·
Related
bachelor's degree plus 5 years of successful employment outside the field of education
in the discipline to be taught.
·
Distinguished
professional record in a special field for persons who may be hired as visiting
or temporary faculty.