IU
Policy on Lecturer/Senior
Lecturer Appointments
Revised –
Lecturers and Senior
Lecturers are responsible primarily for teaching. They are
also expected to provide service that supports the academic mission of the IU
School of Informatics. They may also be engaged in activities
that fall under the category of the scholarship of
teaching.
Lecturer: At the entry
level, Lecturers will have completed an appropriate advanced degree or have the
appropriate credentials as determined by the IU School of Informatics and the
hiring program. Lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibility
for the courses in which they teach. They will also perform service for the
program or school. After having completed a probationary
period satisfactorily, Lecturers are eligible for long-term contracts and to be
promoted to Senior Lecturers.
Senior Lecturer: Promotion to
Senior Lecturer is based on consistent demonstration of excellence in teaching,
with at least satisfactory performance in service. Senior Lecturers are
ordinarily expected to provide leadership in teaching and to contribute to
course and curriculum development in the IU School of Informatics. Senior
Lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibilities for a course,
participate in course and curriculum development, and, where appropriate,
provide workshops for colleagues. They may oversee and provide mentoring for
other full and part-time non-tenure track faculty. Senior Lecturers may also
make contributions to the IU School of Informatics and the campus beyond the
classroom, such as campus service or other professional
activities.
The qualifications of people
hired for Lecturer positions will depend on the needs and standards of the IU
School of Informatics and its specific programs.
Considerations in evaluating qualifications may be:
1.
an advanced degree in a relevant field
2. specialized knowledge, skills or
abilities
3.
demonstrated effective teaching within the discipline,
4.
an enthusiasm for teaching undergraduates, and
5.
a commitment to developing as an educational
professional.
(Upon the adoption of this policy, current Lecturers
will be assigned a rank according to their qualifications, the quality of their
past service, and the standards of their departments.)
Lecturer positions are not
intended to lead to tenure-track ones. Appointees who have extensive
responsibilities for research or creative endeavors outside their teaching
responsibilities should be appointed to tenure-track positions. Creation of a
new Lecturer position is not intended to be a means of retaining a
tenure-probationary faculty appointee who has not been able to demonstrate the
performance levels required for tenure. In order to be
consistent with the use of clinical ranks, tenure-track faculty members who wish
to switch to a Lecturer appointment must do so within five years of their
initial tenure-track appointment.
New Lecturers should be oriented adequately to their
responsibilities during their first year in the position. The IU School of
Informatics may assign mentors to assist the Lecturers in their work and to
prepare for eventual promotion. The IU School of Informatics will have clear
reporting lines of authority for Lecturers and Senior
Lecturers.
At the time of a Lecturer’s initial appointment, the
length of the probationary period shall be specified. Reappointments will depend
on performance reviews and the educational needs of the IU School of Informatics
and its specific programs.
After a maximum of six years of a probationary
appointment, the individual’s work and contributions will be reviewed to assess
whether to promote the individual to Senior Lecturer with a renewable multiyear
contract awarded. (The probationary period may be waived or shortened as agreed
upon by the appointee and the IU School of Informatics.) Multiyear contracts
should be awarded to Lecturers and Senior Lecturers whose professional
characteristics indicate that they will continue to serve with distinction in
their appointed roles.
All Lecturers and Senior
Lecturers will be reviewed annually following standard faculty review
procedures. Senior Lecturers should participate in providing peer reviews for
lecturers. This evaluation will be based on teaching and service activities.
Appropriate evidence to
demonstrate teaching and service achievements may include:
Promotion recognizes past
achievement and indicates confidence that the individual is capable of greater
responsibilities and accomplishments. Promotion considerations must take into
account the individual’s contribution to the IU School of Informatics, campus
and university missions.
For probationary Lecturers,
notice of non-reappointment or dismissal shall be given under the same terms as
apply to tenure-track faculty during the probationary period (i.e., three months
notice if in the first year of appointment, six months notice if in the second
year of appointment, twelve months’ notice after two or more years of
service.)
The notice periods for
dismissal of Lecturers and Senior Lecturers shall be the same as for
tenure-probationary faculty.
Lecturers and Senior Lecturers
may appeal these decisions to the Dean of the IU School of
Informatics. Once all administrative levels of appeal within
the IU School of Informatics have been exhausted, Lecturers may follow the
procedures for requesting a Faculty Board of Review for their particular campus.
Salaries for Lecturers and
Senior Lecturers should be commensurate with their education, qualifications,
experience, and responsibilities within their positions. Benefits such as
retirement plans, access to health insurance, leaves of absence, and vacation
should be equivalent to those offered to tenure-track faculty members.
Lecturers and Senior Lecturers
are responsible for seeking out and keeping current with pedagogical
developments within informatics in general and in their own fields in
particular. Professional development support will contribute to developing
pedagogical practice and be equivalent to that which is provided to tenure-track
faculty members.
The Dean, Associate Dean or Program Director within
the IU School of Informatics will recommend the establishment of new Lecturer
positions. These recommendations should be based on the teaching and service
mission, goals, and needs of the department or division. The
Dean of the Faculties office for the particular campus will review and act upon
the requests.
Lecturers must follow and are
protected by university policies, including those pertaining to faculty hiring
and faculty annual reviews.
Lecturers and Senior Lecturers
have the right to petition the Dean of the IU School of Informatics and then the
respective campus Faculty Board of Review process for redress of grievances
concerning dismissal, non-reappointment, academic freedom, salary adjustment, or
other conditions of work. Lecturers and Senior Lecturers will follow the same
procedures as tenure track faculty members in doing so.