Issues in developing a faculty evaluation system

The increasing demands for accountability in higher education are resulting in calls for important personnel decisions--such as promotion, tenure, pay, and continuation--to be based directly on the outcomes of systematic faculty evaluations. This article provides a step-by-step procedure for developing a fair and meaningful faculty evaluation system on which such personnel decisions can be based. The procedure systematically involves faculty and administrators in the design and development of a faculty evaluation program that reflects the unique values, priorities, and heritage of an institution. The resultant faculty evaluation system integrates data from students, peers, and administrators to provide meaningful evaluative information for both faculty use in self-improvement efforts and administrative use in making personnel decisions that are based on a valid and reliable faculty performance record.