Lecturers and senior lecturers are responsible primarily for teaching and the scholarship of teaching. They are also expected to provide service that supports the academic mission of IU Indianapolis.

Lecturer: At the entry level, lecturers will have completed an appropriate advanced degree or have the appropriate credentials as determined by the hiring department. Lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibility for the courses in which they teach. They will also perform service for the department or school. Senior members of the department will supervise and mentor lecturers, according to department policies. 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 continued improvement in and 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. Senior lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibilities for a course, participate in course and curriculum development, and, where appropriate, provide workshops for colleagues.

Appointment and qualifications

The qualifications of people hired for lecturer positions will depend on the needs and standards of the departments. Minimal qualifications may be:

1. an advanced degree in a relevant field,
2. experience and instruction in effective teaching within the discipline,
3. an enthusiasm for teaching undergraduates, and
4. 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.

Orientation, supervision, and mentoring

New lecturers should be oriented adequately to their responsibilities during their first year in the position. Mentors should be assigned within that first year to assist the lecturers in their work and to prepare for eventual promotion. Each school and department should establish clear reporting lines of authority for lecturers and senior lecturers.

Appointment contracts

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 a department.

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 department.) 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.

Evaluation practices and criteria

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:

• Student and peer evaluations of classroom teaching
• Review of classroom materials
• Demonstrated student learning
• Teaching and mentoring awards
• Review of instructional innovations
• Presentations at conferences and workshops
• Publications dealing with teaching
• Participation in conferences and workshops relevant to teaching
• Mentoring of other non-tenure track faculty
• Involvement with entry-level students in courses that assist them in transitions to the university
• Mentoring of students, especially those planning to train as teachers
• Participation in grants that fund the scholarship of teaching

Promotion considerations

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 school/campus mission as well as differences in mission of varying primary and unit levels.

Contract renewal/termination or dismissal

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 school’s faculty grievance committee once all administrative levels of appeal within the school have been exhausted. In appealing beyond the level of the school, lecturers should follow the procedures for requesting a Faculty Board of Review described in the current edition of the IU Indianapolis Faculty Guide.

Equitable salaries and fringe benefits

Salaries for lecturers and senior lecturers should be appropriate to 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.

Professional development

Schools and departments should put into place structures that provide lecturers with on-going exposure to content and pedagogical developments within their fields. Professional development support should contribute to developing pedagogical practice and be equivalent to that which is provided to tenure-track faculty members.