Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor

• Teaching
• Service
• Scholarship

Approved by the College Council, June 2021

The University of Washington Faculty Code specifies the following qualifications for appointment to Associate Teaching Professor: Associate Teaching Professor is an instructional title that may be conferred on persons who have special instructional roles and who have extensive training, competence, and experience in their discipline: [Section 24-34, B2]. The College is guided by the faculty code in assessing whether candidates’ cases provide evidence of broad and sustained contributions to instruction. This document elaborates on the scope and meaning of “extensive training, competence, and experience in their discipline” while recognizing that there is no single scale that can be used to judge the quantity, quality, and trajectory evidenced in promotion cases. The particular portfolios of candidates for promotion to Associate Teaching Professor may vary widely depending on opportunities and expectations across units within the College. Given the nature of teaching track positions, it is important to note that the activities described below are assumed to be grounded in a strong record of teaching excellence within the faculty member’s home unit. In the context of diverse Associate Teaching Professor profiles and experiences, the general principles detailed here are applied as uniformly as possible across all promotion cases by the College Council and the Dean. In keeping with the traditional functions of all faculty, we use the categories of “Teaching,” “Service,” and “Scholarship” to structure the general principles below.

The University expects a trajectory of high-quality classroom teaching from Assistant Teaching Professors. This alone, however, is not sufficient for consideration for promotion to Associate Teaching Professor. The promotion case must provide evidence of the faculty member’s “extensive training, competence, and experience in their discipline”. Some examples of evidence of “extensive training, competence, and experience in their discipline” include:

• A strong record of excellence in student and collegial teaching evaluations
• Supervision and mentoring of students in independent study, fieldwork and research projects
• A nomination for a teaching or mentorship award (e.g., from departmental/unit, college/university, or field-specific regional/national association
• Creative and effective use of innovative pedagogical strategies including new technologies
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, access and inclusion in student instruction

Service to the unit, College, University, and/or discipline can serve as evidence of a faculty member’s “extensive training, competence, and experience in their discipline”. The key to service in the promotion to Associate Teaching Professor is a sustained record of contributions to the teaching mission of the
University through greater involvement with a higher level of responsibility in unit-level teaching issues and engagement in University or discipline wide teaching programs.

Service that indicates contributions to teaching at the University level may include:

• Participation in programs including, but not limited to, the Center for Teaching and Learning, Faculty Fellows, Teaching Assistant training workshops, UW Advance, teaching workshops for faculty, and bridge/enrichment programs for students.
• Membership in division or college level advisory groups related to teaching and student affairs
• Outreach activities to the community beyond the University that is directly tied to the faculty member’s teaching expertise
• Service as faculty advisor for student associations at the university level.

Service that evidences contributions to teaching at the unit level may focus on curriculum development and/or coordination in the following ways:

• Participation in department level curricular and/or administrative activities
• Participation in department-level committees focused on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion
• Mentoring colleagues, teaching assistants, and peer facilitators in instructional matters
• Service as faculty advisor for student associations at the unit level
• Participation in student services related to teaching and learning (e.g., study centers, computing laboratories)
• Participation in academic advising and counseling

Service that evidences contributions to teaching at the field level may include:

• Participation in workshops, conferences, competitions and exhibitions
• Service to scholarly journals related to teaching and learning
• Membership in professional associations that focus on teaching and learning

The Faculty Code states that “Scholarship, the essence of effective teaching and research, is the obligation of all members of the faculty.”  Section 24-32.A] With respect to teaching faculty of all ranks, the Code further states that teaching faculty “may demonstrate their scholarship in a variety of ways, including but not limited to: introduction of new knowledge or methods into course content; creation or use of innovative pedagogical methods; development of new courses, curricula, or course materials; participation in professional conferences; evidence of excellent student performance; receipt of grants or awards; contributions to interdisciplinary teaching; participation and leadership in professional associations; or significant outreach to professionals at other educational institutions. While they may choose to do so through publication, such publication shall not be required.” [Section 24-34.B.4]

Published scholarship is thus not an explicit component of most teaching track faculty positions, nor is it a requirement for promotion to the rank of Associate Teaching Professor. However, where published scholarship is considered as part of the promotion case, such scholarship should directly enhance the faculty member’s teaching expertise. Through this work, the faculty member makes contributions to the teaching in their unit or field. Some examples might include:

• Research on pedagogy, either published or presented at scholarly conferences
• Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning, either published or presented at scholarly conferences
• Research on the content area of the faculty member’s teaching specialty, either published or presented at scholarly conferences