Faculty Performance Expectations
The guidance shown below is also available as a PDF tri-fold brochure.
Faculty members are also urged to review
- the Provost's Annual Letter (a.k.a. "The Epistle")
- the Provost Instructions and Notices relating to performance expectations.
USNA Faculty Performance Expectations:
Practical Guidance
Excellent USNA Teachers:
- Facilitate student learning with effective styles and methods
- Display an appropriate level of knowledge of material
- Prepare for, organize, and effectively manage class time
- Foster a respectful environment open to student ideas and inquiries
- Engage all students in the class, adapting to diverse student needs
- Are reasonably and reliably available for extra instruction
- Maintain appropriate learning standards
- Clearly articulate expectations and learning objectives
- Assign reasonable student workload and set reasonable deadlines
- Challenge students while being supportive and fair
- Provide timely, specific and actionable feedback to students
- Evaluate midshipmen consistently and fairly
- Build a professional environment that promotes learning
- Model professionalism in behavior and relationships in and out of the classroom
- Support USNA expectations in and out of the classroom (e.g. military courtesies, class attendance, honor, food/sleep, appropriate attire, etc)
- Are consistently punctual
- Self-assess teaching effectiveness and course improvement
- Engage in teaching improvement activities
- Demonstrate openness to constructive student feedback and peer evaluation
- Engage and contribute appropriately to the department’s larger teaching mission
- Serve as an effective and engaged midshipmen mentor through plebe advising, academic advising, and/or research advising, as appropriate
- Participate in rank-appropriate curriculum development
- Contribute to departmental assessment of student learning, as appropriate
- Engage collegially in course coordination and administrative efforts
Excellent USNA Scholars/Researchers:
- Produce peer-reviewed scholarly products
- Develop a sustained record of scholarly productivity at USNA, while simultaneously fulfilling normal teaching and service duties
- Show an appropriate level of creative independence as a scholar
- Publish in quality venues with rigorous and verifiable peer-review processes
- Appropriately and willingly involve
Midshipmen - May produce innovative artifacts such as classified work, pedagogical, or public intellectual
scholarship products that meet rigorous and substantive external review, are reviewed by the committee or experts in the field, and exhibit a quantifiable impact - Provide ample explanations of scholarly
activity, particularly with innovative activities and consult your Department Chair early about these artifacts
Excellence in USNA Faculty Service
Is Characterized By:
- Positive personal engagement and collegiality
- Administrative professionalism (e.g., timeliness, reliability, etc.)
- Engagement in rank-appropriate departmental, divisional, yard-wide, or professional service, generally with increasing levels of involvement and leadership over the course of a career
- Acknowledgement that service cannot substitute for deficiencies in teaching or research
This guidance was derived from an Academic Dean and Provost-hosted off-site discussion with members the USNA Promotion and Tenure Committee and senior academic leaders, including department chairs and Faculty Senate leaders.
