Faculty Qualifications

1.0 Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for determining qualification for all faculty who deliver instruction for Casper College credit.

2.0 Revision History

3.0 Persons Affected

3.1  Faculty who deliver instruction for Casper College credit.

4.0 Policy

The policy of Casper College is to ensure the following.

4.1  All faculty who deliver instruction for credit meet established and consistent qualifications for the course(s) they deliver regardless of employment status or course delivery.

4.2  The college has reliable, valid accreditation standards and processes for qualification of all faculty before any instructional assignment.

5.0 Definitions

5.1  Faculty. This job classification includes academic or clinical jobs hired on a faculty contract. Faculty jobs are exempt from the Fair Labor and Standards Act.

5.2  Adjunct Faculty. Employees who hold these faculty jobs are regularly scheduled to teach 15 or fewer credit hours per semester or fewer than 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month and are subject to demand each semester. Time in this job does not count toward continuing contract status.

5.3  Concurrent Adjunct Faculty. High school employees who are regularly scheduled to teach courses approved for Casper College credit. They teach these courses under the supervision of Casper College faculty. They are adjuncts for the college but not college employees. Time in this job does not count toward tenure. 

5.4  Standards and Processes for Qualification. All faculty must hold a degree at least one level above that of the level in which they are teaching. Courses that may become part of a bachelor’s degree by transfer typically require faculty to hold a master’s degree or higher. Faculty who hold a master’s degree or higher in a discipline other than that in which the faculty member is teaching should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline in which the faculty member is teaching before beginning any instructional assignment.

5.4.1 In limited circumstances, faculty without a master’s degree or the required 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline may be deemed qualified based on expertise developed through other means. This may include a combination of equivalent tested experience, alternative credentials, or progress toward academic credentials. 

Such qualification pathways must be clearly articulated in the Faculty Qualifications Table. Requests for these determinations must document that the alternative minimum   qualifications are equivalent in depth, rigor, and relevance to standard academic credentials and sufficient to support appropriate student learning outcomes.

5.5  Tested Experience. Verified related experience or industry certifications that the college may use as acceptable faculty qualification for a non-transfer course where an academic degree is not typical. 

5.6  Alternative Credentials. The sum of equivalent experience acquired by faculty that clearly contributes to subject matter expertise and student learning outcomes and can, under certain circumstances, be considered in lieu of formal academic preparation.

5.7 Progress Toward Academic Credentials. Demonstrable, current, and consistent progress toward the academic credential(s) deemed relevant by the institution for an instructor to be qualified. It is expected that an instructor who is qualified as a result of progress toward academic credentials will not permanently be qualified on that basis; rather, the instructor will eventually be qualified on another basis. Progress plans must be approved by the dean, include specific, documented milestones and the academic credential should be earned within a 3 year (six semester) timeframe.

5.8  Faculty Qualifications Table. This table details faculty qualifications for each Casper College course prefix.   

5.9  Faculty Qualifications Review Form. Academic deans and department chairs/program directors use this form to verify faculty qualification based on official transcripts and the Faculty Qualifications Table.

5.10  Official Transcripts. An official transcript includes the registrar’s signature, graduation date, the college or university seal, and issue date. The issuing institution delivers an official transcript in a sealed envelope or via email directly to Casper College.

5.11  Accredited Institution. An institution accredited by one of six regional accreditors under the authority of the U.S. Department of Education to verify the quality of education and service.  

6.0 Responsibilities

6.1  The Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for maintaining compliance with this policy.

6.2  Faculty and/or the faculty chair are responsible for requesting updates to the Faculty Qualifications Table as part of their annual program review.

6.3  The Dean’s Council is responsible for approving or denying requested updates to the Faculty Qualifications Table.

6.4  The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for updating the Faculty Qualifications Table.

6.5   Academic chairs/program directors and deans are responsible for reviewing and approving faculty qualifications before any instructional assignment.

6.6   Faculty are responsible for requesting official transcripts be sent to Human Resources (HR) before any instructional assignment.

6.7   The Dean’s Council is responsible for maintaining the procedures associated with this policy.

7.0 Procedures

7.1  Pre-approval

7.1.1  Faculty, adjunct faculty, and concurrent adjunct faculty submit official transcripts from accredited institutions or tested experience documentation to HR before any instructional assignment.

7.1.2  Deans and department chairs/program directors review the prospective faculty’s official transcripts, equivalent experience, alternative credentials, or progress toward academic credentials documentation and complete the Faculty Qualification Review form.

7.2  Post-approval

7.2.1  The Academic Affairs Office uses faculty HR files to update the instructors’ directory on the college’s website to include documented and approved faculty qualifications by the census date of each semester.

7.2.2  Deans and department chairs/program directors review faculty’s updated official transcripts, tested experience, alternative credentials, or progress toward academic credentials documentation during the tenure process, in faculty evaluations, or upon request of the faculty member. They update the Faculty Qualification Review form. 

Deans and department chairs/program directors review adjunct and concurrent adjunct faculty’s updated official transcripts, tested experience, alternative credentials, or progress toward academic credentials documentation when instructional assignments change or upon request of the faculty member. They update the Faculty Qualification Review form.