To improve teaching, the goal of Implementing a Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (IFATE), is to introduce a new strategy for assessing teaching and to explore challenges to its adoption with the intent to inform policy, practice, and future development/implementation of the framework. We envision a university educational system in which learner-centered teaching is appropriately assessed, recognized, and rewarded. An evaluation system should not force faculty into a particular pedagogy, bias one philosophy of learning over another, and should be inclusive enough to capture multiple perspectives.
Therefore, we will lay the groundwork for institutional improvement and change across disciplines while enhancing the effectiveness of undergraduate education via effective assessment of teaching, instructor professional development, and adoption of effective pedagogical techniques. The adoption of a framework to assess teaching effectiveness serves to increase the transparency of this aspect of faculty evaluation by explicitly articulating criteria and performance standards; providing a more level playing field for all faculty members around tenure and promotion decisions.
To learn about the theoretical background and rationale for developing the framework, please review the Establishing a Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness article in College Teaching.
Click on this folder to access user information for the framework and associated rubric.