Faculty Standards

Faculty Standard F1

CEP instructors are approved by the respective college academic department and meet the academic department's requirements for teaching the college courses.

Evidence:

Concurrent enrollment instructors are approved if they meet Minnesota State system and M State's departmental faculty credentialing requirements.

Each new teacher application is considered independently. A minimum of a master's degree with 18 graduate credits in the specific discipline/field they want to teach is preferred.

New Teacher Application Process

High school instructors interested in teaching for M State's Concurrent Enrollment Program are directed to visit the New Teacher Application section on the CEP High School Instructor webpage.

The application must include the following:

· A letter of interest with summary of qualifications, including the courses, or the discipline of interest. The letter should also highlight the teacher's education, special expertise and any other relevant experience that makes them a good candidate to teach college-level courses.

· A letter of recommendation from the high school principal.

· Resume

· Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts

The new teacher application process can also be found in the M State CEP Handbook, page 5.

Instructor Applicant Review Process

· Completed teacher applications are emailed to faculty mentors to review the application and make a recommendation for approval or denial.

· Faculty feedback is provided to M State Associate Vice President of Academics for consideration and a final decision.

· Approval or denial letters are sent to the high school instructor with a courtesy copy to the principal.

· Approved instructors are sent a link to the CEP's High School Instructor webpage for immediate access to the High School Instructor Responsibilities (also outlined in the CEP Handbook, page 3), and other resources to guide them in the course development process (i.e. Syllabus Checklist and Template, M State course outlines, etc.).

Policy and Procedure Links

Minnesota State system Policy 3.32 College Faculty Credentialing

Minnesota State system Procedure 3.32.1 College Faculty Credentialing

Faculty Standard F2

The college provides new CEP instructors with discipline-specific training and orientation regarding, but not limited to, course curriculum, assessment criteria, pedagogy, course philosophy and administrative responsibilities and procedures prior to the instructor teaching the course.

Evidence:

Discipline-specific Training and Orientation

M State's Concurrent Enrollment Program requires a minimum of one planning meeting between the faculty mentor and high school instructor to occur prior to the start of the course. This meeting will involve a comprehensive New Teacher Orientation with discipline-specific training in topics including course curriculum, assessment criteria, pedagogy, and course philosophy. Other agenda items will include the CEP handbook, administrative responsibilities, programmatic policy and procedures and ongoing/annual professional development. Discipline-specific agenda items may vary based on the course, high school teacher and mentor. (Information also published in CEP handbook on page 3)

It is the faculty mentor's responsibility to document the New Teacher Orientation using the "Teacher Orientation Checklist_Agenda." The checklist and meeting notes are uploaded with the mentor report at the end of the term. This documentation, along with the rest of the completed mentor report, is reviewed by M State's Associate Vice President of Academics and the K-12 Collaboration Manager, every semester.

Attendance Reports and Agendas

Attendance reports and meeting/training agendas with mentor notes is collected at the end of each term.

Participant Evaluations

All new high school teachers are sent a New Teacher Orientation survey via Survey Monkey. CEP staff then evaluate and follow up on thoroughness of discipline-specific training, new teacher understanding of CEP policies and practices, and ensure the mentor visits are occurring within the program's required time line (e.g. minimum of one meeting between the mentor and high school instructor prior to the start of any new course).

Faculty Standard F3

The CEP provides annual discipline-specific professional development activities and ongoing collegial interaction to address course content, course delivery, assessment, evaluation, and/or research and development in the field. The CEP ensures CEP instructor participation.

Evidence:

All M State's concurrent enrollment high school instructors are provided ongoing collegial interaction to address course content, course delivery, assessment, evaluation and research and development that is discipline-specific through mentor meetings and our annual Concurrent Enrollment Day.

M State Concurrent Enrollment Day

All M State concurrent enrollment instructors are expected to participate in our annual professional development, Concurrent Enrollment Day, held on the Fergus Falls, MN campus. This annual professional development opportunity is for concurrent instructors, high school counselors, high school administrators, faculty mentors and CEP staff. The day includes: updates on the Concurrent Enrollment Program guidelines and best practices, discipline specific mentor meetings and networking, distribution of any new concurrent enrollment materials and resources, breakout sessions and panel discussions. Please see the "CE Day Agenda 2014" for a more detailed description of the event details.

Attendance Tracking

The Concurrent Enrollment Program asks for RSVP's prior to Concurrent Enrollment Day to create a registration log. On the day of the event, participants sign in next to their name. The CEP keeps record of attendance to track any non-compliance. Procedure for attendance and also non-compliance is outlined in the CEP Handbook, on page 6.

Faculty Standard F4

CEP procedures address instructor non-compliance with the college expectations for courses offered through the CEP (for example, non-participation in CEP training and/or activities).

Evidence:

Professional Development Requirements for Concurrent Enrollment Instructors

If a concurrent instructor misses consecutive years of the annual professional development day, the following will occur:

• 1 Year Absence - The instructor must notify the K-12 Collaboration Manager of his or her absence.
• 2 Years of Absences - The instructor may be put on probation as a concurrent instructor.
• 3 Years of Absences - The instructor is in jeopardy of losing approval to teach concurrent courses with M State.

The professional development requirements for concurrent enrollment instructors can be found in the CE Program Handbook (page 6).