A2300.05 Faculty Qualifications

 

Purpose Statement
Definitions
Standards
Frequency of Faculty/Instructor Qualifications Review
Faculty/Instructor Qualifications Audit Process
Conclusion

 

Purpose Statement

---

The College values the pursuit of excellence in all of its programs and services. As such, the College is committed to ensuring that all instructors are appropriately qualified to meet both ICCB and HLC criteria.

These faculty qualification procedures are established to provide a clear and consistent administrative framework by which the College will use to ensure all faculty members possess the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to establish rigorous academic standards, effectively teach their subject matter, and create an inclusive learning environment that promotes student engagement and success. These procedures are developed to serve the following needs:

• Ensuring Competence – confirm faculty have the ability to deliver instruction in ways that lead to high-quality learning experiences for students.
• Uphold Academic Standards – ensure faculty meet the requirements expected in their respective fields; thereby, preserving the integrity of all academic curricula and enhancing the College’s reputation throughout the community.
• Facilitate Faculty Development – encourage faculty members to engage in self-reflection, continuous learning, and professional research aimed at improving their professional practice and increasing academic quality.
• Promote Equity and Inclusion – facilitate faculty recruitment and retention efforts in ways that reflect the College’s commitment to provide a diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic community where students engage in unique learning activities created by culturally aware faculty role models.
• Compliance with Accreditation Standards – protect the College’s accreditation status, which enhances institutional credibility throughout our community and promotes confidence in the quality of our academic courses/programs.
• Compliance with Legal Requirements – ensure compliance with various legal and regulatory requirements related to faculty qualifications, such as State licensure or certification standards for various career programs.

 

Definitions

---

Baccalaureate- Transfer instruction; programs and courses associated with the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science

PCS Code	CIP Codes
1.1	01.xxxx, 03.xxxx-05.xxxx, 09.xxxx, 11.xxxx, 13.xxxx-14.xxxx, 16.xxxx, 19.xxxx, 22.0001 (Curriculum CIP only), 23.xxxx-24.xxxx, 26.xxxx- 28.xxxx, 30.xxxx-31.xxxx, 36.0108, 38.xxxx, 40.xxxx, 42.xxxx-45.xxxx, 50.xxxx, 51.xxxx, 52.xxxx, 54.01xx

 

Career and Technical- Occupational instruction; programs associated with career certificate and Associate of Applied Science degrees

PCS Code	CIP Codes
1.2	01.xxxx, 03.xxxx, 09.xxxx-12.xxxx, 13.1501, 15.xxxx, 19.xxxx, 22.xxxx-27.xxxx, 30.xxxx, 31.xxxx, 40.xxxx-52.xxxx

 

Adult Education- Includes Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language, when offered

PCS Code	CIP Codes
1.7 1.8 1.9	32.0101 32.0202 32.0109

 

Dual Credit- College courses offered by the college taken by a high school student during the regular school day for credit at both the college and high school level

 

Pre-Employment Transcript Audit Form- SCC internal form used to verify the following for any individual requesting to teach a course:

• All official employment forms regarding faculty qualifications are on file (i.e., letter of application, resume, official transcripts, proof of licensure(s))
• Specific courses requested by the applicant
• Degrees obtained
• Coursework for 18-graduate semester hour requirement, when applicable
• Verifiable Work Experience requirement, when applicable
• Recommendation of Specific Course(s) Eligible to Teach
• Approval Signatures of Chair, Dean, and VPAA
• Justification for Denial of Approval

 

Standards

---

1. Baccalaureate Courses (generally those courses that fall in PCS 1.1): Master’s degree with eighteen (18) graduate hours appropriate to the academic field of study or discipline in which they are teaching is required. A master’s degree in the appropriate discipline is preferred.

 

2. Career and Technical Courses (generally those courses that fall in PCS 1.2): the appropriate credential in the field (e.g., for welding, AWS certifications) and 2000 hours of work (not teaching) experience in the field being taught. All work experience must be outlined in a resume and verified with each employer by Human Resources.

 

3. Adult Education Courses (generally those courses that fall in PCS 1.7 and 1.8): All adult education instructors are required to have a BS/BA degree in education or related field (excluding CTE-only instructors).

 

4. Dual Credit Courses:

• High school instructors teaching dual credit teaching baccalaureate courses (generally those courses that fall in PCS 1.1): Master’s degree with eighteen (18) graduate hours appropriate to the academic field of study or discipline in which they are teaching is required. A master’s degree in the appropriate discipline is preferred.
• For instructors teaching career and technical education (1.2 PCS) courses, these qualifications shall include 2,000 hours of work experience and appropriate recognizable credentials and demonstrated teaching competencies appropriate to the field of instruction.
• High school instructors teaching dual credit transfer courses who do not meet the faculty credential standards may teach dual credit courses if the instructor has a professional development plan to raise his or her credentials to be in line with these credentials The following requirements are in effect:
  • The instructor shall qualify for a professional development plan if the instructor has a master’s degree in any discipline and has earned 9 graduate hours in a discipline in which he or she is currently teaching or expects to teach; or is a fully licensed instructor in career and technical education who is halfway toward meeting the institution’s requirements for faculty in the discipline to be taught and agrees to demonstrate his or her progress toward completion as outline in the professional development plan.
  • The college shall have 30 days to review the plan and approve an instructor professional development plan that is in line with the credentials appropriate to the discipline being taught.
  • These approvals shall be good for as long as satisfactory progress toward the completion of the credential is demonstrated, but in no event shall a professional development plan be in effect for more than 3 years from the date of its approval or past January 1, 2028, whichever is sooner.

 

5. Acceptable Coursework: All undergraduate coursework must be earned from a regionally accredited institution in courses associated with the discipline in which the instructor will teach. All graduate coursework must be earned from a regionally accredited institution in courses at the graduate level in either the specific discipline or professional education studies. Graduate-level courses taken as part of and counting towards an undergraduate degree do not qualify to be counted toward the minimum eighteen (18) graduate hours, as they have already been counted towards another degree.

 

Frequency of Faculty / Instructor Qualifications Review

---

Instructors shall be evaluated at the time they submit their material for review. All materials, including official transcripts and resume, must be submitted through Human Resources in order for the process to begin. No instructor (contractual, adjunct, dual credit, or full-time) may be assigned to a course without first being formally evaluated according to the procedures set forth below and ensuring that the individual is qualified to teach. All official transcripts must be on file prior to the hire of any instructor. Dual credit faculty must be notified of the results of their qualification review within 14 days of their complete initial submission.

 

Faculty / Instructor Qualifications Audit Process

---

1. Department of Human Resources
   • Individuals interested in teaching for the College must apply through the Department of Human Resources. Applications may slightly vary depending upon the position to which one applies. While unofficial transcripts and resumes may be submitted for an initial review, official transcripts and employment verifications must be on file before the time of hire and/or course assignment in the case of dual credit. Employment verification denotes those individuals in the Career and Technical areas have the minimum number of required hours in the field to be qualified to teach in a particular discipline. A complete application includes a listing of courses, or at least the discipline, in which the individual desires to teach.
   • Upon receipt of the application, the Executive Director of Human Resources (EDHR) will scan the materials into Etrieve (the College’s electronic filing system) and initiate the evaluation process, electronically sending the Pre-Employment Transcript Audit form and the transcripts to the Departmental Chair for review. If application is incomplete, the EDHR will contact the applicant.

 

2. Academic Affairs Qualifications Review
   • Department Chair (or Director) – The Department Chair or appropriate Director will complete a first review of the interested instructor’s application materials. The Chair will ensure that the instructor meets the qualifications set forth in the above standards before electronically signing the Pre-Employment Transcript Audit form, saving in the Academic Affairs Network drive in the appropriate folder (instructor type and discipline), and emailing the Divisional Dean (and copying the EDHR) for subsequent review. ALL courses for which the instructor is approved must be listed individually on the form and not just those courses for which the instructor is seeking approval. If the individual is denied, the reasons, including the number of hours deficient, must be listed.
   • Divisional Dean – The Divisional Dean will complete a second review of the interested instructor’s application materials. The Dean will ensure that the instructor meets the qualifications set forth in the above standards before electronically signing the Pre-Employment Transcript Audit form, saving in the Academic Affairs Network drive, and emailing the Vice President of Academic Affairs (and copying the EDHR) for subsequent review. Note: Save over the existing form completed by the Chair to eliminate multiple copies.
   • Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) – The VPAA will complete a final review of the interested instructor’s application materials. The VPAA has final authority on the faculty/instructor qualification evaluation, as they are the individual directly responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the institution. The VPAA will ensure that the instructor meets the qualifications set forth in the above standards before electronically signing the Pre-Employment Transcript Audit form, saving in the Academic Affairs Network drive, and emailing the Executive Associate to the VPAA and the EDHR for logging and notification of potential employment. Note: Save over the existing form completed by the Dean to eliminate multiple copies.
   • Executive Associate to the VPAA – Upon receipt of the completed Pre-Employment Transcript Audit, the Executive Associate to the VPAA will log the instructor, qualifications (highest degree earned, discipline), and courses qualified to teach on the Faculty Roster in the Academic Affairs network drive. This is the official roster that should be consulted when assigning instructors to courses.
   • Additional Notes:
     • The Pre-Employment Transcript Audit Form must be completed each time an instructor is evaluated for a new course or discipline. Do not add to an existing form.
     • Place the Pre-Employment Transcript Audit Form in the appropriate folder (instructor type and discipline), even if the instructor has a form in another location.
     • The Faculty Roster in the Academic Affairs network drive is the official roster that should be consulted when assigning instructors to courses and not the individual Pre-Employment Transcript Audit Forms, as the roster is the consolidated record of all audit forms.

 

3. Notification of Faculty/Instructor
   • Executive Director of HR – Upon receipt of the completed Pre-Employment Transcript Audit form, the EDHR will scan into a HR Etrieve folder and ensure official transcripts and verification of employment are on file before an official offer of employment. These documents will be kept on file in the HR Department. Upon verification of necessary documentation, the EDHR will notify the interested individual of the results of their review. An email will provide notice to the individual regarding whether they are qualified to teach and if they would receive an offer to teach for a particular semester. At this point, inquiries regarding course assignments should be directed to the appropriate Department (Discipline, Adult Ed, Dual Credit, etc.).
   • Coordinator of High School Partnership and Pathways – In case of dual credit instructors, the ED HR will notify the Coordinator of High School Partnerships and Pathways of the decision. The Coordinator of High School Partnerships and Pathways will communicate with the school district regarding the results of the potential instructor qualifications review. Dual credit instructors must be notified of the review decision within 14 days of their initial complete submission. If the instructor was denied approval, the Coordinator of High School Partnerships and Pathways will look at the eligibility for a Professional Development Plan and initiate this with the instructor.

 

Conclusion

---

These standards provide a transparent and consistent framework which assists with maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of College’s academic programs, supports the continuous improvement of faculty, and promotes a learning environment where equity and inclusivity is valued.

 

Change Log
Date	Description of Change	Governance Unit
04.25.24	Initial Adoption	Acad. Affairs Council