REG - 10.06.1 Credentialing Requirements for Faculty Teaching Appointments

1.  Purpose

1.1   The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the accrediting body for North Carolina Central University. Within the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement (approved December 2017), Section 6.a states the following expectation of compliance for faculty credentials: “For each of its educational programs, the institution justifies and documents the qualifications of its faculty members.” It is the expectation of SACSCOC that NCCU accomplishes its mission as an academic institution by employing faculty with the qualifications needed to ensure the quality of the academic programs offered by the University.

1.2   The purpose of this regulation is to establish guidelines for academic administrators to use in determining acceptable qualifications for teaching faculty appointments in specified disciplines.

2.  Scope

This regulation applies to all appointments for full-time and part-time faculty teaching credit courses through any mode of delivery (face-to-face, online or hybrid) leading to a degree, certificate, diploma or other credential.  It also applies to faculty who teach courses through a dual employment agreement with an external agency or institution.

3.  Definition

3.1    Instructor of Record

The instructor of record is defined as the person qualified to teach the course and is responsible for development and delivery of the course content, pedagogy, and assignments or assessments. This individual is identified on the course schedule and determines grades for students in the course and records grades. The instructor of record may be assisted by other faculty, guest lecturers and graduate teaching assistants, but this individual is accountable for delivery or the majority of the course content.

3.2   Full-Time Fixed-Term Faculty

A full-time fixed-term faculty appointment is full-time non-tenure track appointment. The appointment may be for one or more years; it is not a permanent appointment. (See Section 3.9.3 of the 2017 NCCU Faculty Handbook for more information.)

3.3.   Adjunct Faculty

An adjunct faculty appointment is a part-time (less than 0.75 FTE) appointment that is not permanent. (See Section 3.9.3.4 of the 2017 NCCU Faculty Handbook for more information).

4.  Required Credentials

Each academic unit is responsible for documenting and justifying the qualifications of its faculty. Highest priority is given to highest degree earned in the discipline.

4.1    Faculty teaching general education courses at the undergraduate level are required to have a doctoral or master’s degree in the teaching discipline or a master’s degree with a concentration of at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline.

4.2    Faculty teaching baccalaureate courses are required to have a doctoral or master’s degree in the teaching discipline or a master’s degree with a concentration of at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. 

4.3    Faculty teaching graduate and post-baccalaureate course work are required to have an earned doctorate/terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline.

4.4    Academic credentials must be documented on the Verification of Faculty Credentials Form in the review of the official transcript of the highest earned degree and the curriculum vita.

5.  Other Acceptable Qualifications    

5.1    When determining faculty teaching qualifications, the institution also considers a faculty member’s competence, effectiveness, related work experience in the field, professional licensure, certifications, honors and awards, and continuous documented excellence in teaching or other relevant demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes.

5.2    The academic unit is responsible for justifying and documenting the use of qualifications listed in section 4.1. The justification must be documented on the Verification of Faculty Credentials Form, including an explanation of how the qualifications support the selection of the faculty member as an instructor for the course(s).

6.  Adjunct Faculty and Full-Time Fixed-Term Faculty

6.1    Adjunct faculty and full-time fixed-term faculty are not permanent faculty but are required to have the same academic credentials delineated in Section 4.1 through Section 4.3 of this regulation.

6.2    Criteria applied to the requirements for the use of other acceptable qualifications, as delineated in Section 4.1, to determine teaching qualifications for adjunct faculty and fixed-term faculty must be the same as those applied to tenured and tenure-track faculty. The justification must be documented on the Verification of Faculty Credentials Form, including an explanation of how the qualifications support the selection of the faculty member as an instructor for the course(s).

7.  Verification of Faculty Credentials Form

7.1    Submission and Approval

7.1.1   The Verification of Faculty Credentials Form must be submitted and approved before the faculty member is hired and before the faculty member delivers instruction.

7.1.2    Approval of the form is required by the department chair, dean of the school or college, and the Office of the Provost. 

7.1.2.1 Initial review of the form will commence with the department chair, who will, upon his or her approval, forward the form to the appropriate dean. 

7.1.2.2 Following the dean’s review and approval, the form will be forwarded to the Office of the Provost for final review and approval.

7.1.3    If either the department, dean or the Office of the Provost does not approve of the form, the faculty member will not be permitted to deliver instruction.

7.2       Requirement to Update Form

7.2.1    Should a faculty member be assigned to teach a new course in the department or school, (course never offered before by the department or school), the faculty member’s Verification of Faculty Credentials Form must be updated to include the faculty member’s credentials to teach the new course. 

7.2.2    After updating the form, the faculty member must submit the updated form and receive approval of the form in accordance with the Submission and Approval process set forth in Section 7.1.

7.3       Compliance Report

7.3.1    The Office of the Provost will issue a compliance report regarding faculty credentials prior to the start of classes each semester.

7.3.2    Non-compliance issues will be remanded to each respective dean for resolution. A faculty member will not be assigned to teach a course who does not have the requisite credentials to teach a particular course.

8.  Graduate Teaching Assistants

8.1    Graduate teaching assistants are required to have a master’s in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, direct supervision by a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training, and planned and periodic evaluations.

8.2    The faculty member supervising the graduate teaching assistant must be an approved instructor of record on the course schedule and in the learning management system.