THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, UW COLLEGES:

GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AND DEPARTMENTAL EXPECTATIONS

            These guidelines have two purposes.  They describe the major categories of work covered by the term “professional development” together with the importance attached to a particular category.  They outline departmental expectations for professional development.

The categories of professional development

            Professional development can cover a range of activities, but for the history department it comprises the following principal activities arranged in descending order of importance:

1.         Research in history and sharing the research through publication in traditional or electronic media and conference presentations.

2.         Research in pedagogy and disseminating/applying the research through public presentation of some kind.

3.         Professional service to the history discipline.  Examples of this could be:  participating in governance of professional associations; editing journals; reading proposals for grants or manuscripts; reviewing manuscripts for publishers; consulting on projects for museums, etc.

4.         Enhancement of curricular offerings such as courses of an IS type, distance education courses and new regular courses to meet new needs.

5.         Discipline related public service such as lectures, organizing/participating in workshops and working with high schools.

Departmental expectations for professional development

Note:  These expectations do not apply to I.A.S. colleagues.  The department wishes to encourage IAS to do professional development and will even try its best to assist with projects, but professional development is not an IAS obligation.

1.         It is the strong expectation that all with tenure, or on tenure track, will show an active continuing commitment to professional development.  The department full understands that a person’s achievement will vary from year to year for a variety of reasons.  But it does expect that everyone, especially those on tenure track, will do the kind of planning so that over a period of years, they will meet the more important measures of professional development previously listed.

2.         Because the department has strong expectations for professional development, evidence of such development will carry heavy weight in all personnel decisions – merit, retention, tenure, promotion.  However, the department is most concerned not to be subjective or arbitrary in evaluating professional development.  Thus, professional development with outcomes that can be documented is most desirable.  For example, simple attending a conference or doing private professional reading will not carry the weight of activities whose results are evidenced by such means as written output, public presentations, peer review, the award of grants.