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SECTION 339: NDSU POLICY ON COMMUNICATION PROFICIENCY

SOURCE:

University Senate Policy
SBHE Policy Manual, Section 609
N.D.C.C. Section 15-10-13.1

1. PURPOSE: NDSU has established a process for verifying communication skills for all personnel whose appointments include classroom instruction. Communication, both oral and written, is, by definition, an interchange involving both the sender and the receiver. The NDSU Task Force on Communication Proficiency has taken both sender and receiver into account when developing communication skills verification. The policy affirms the university commitment to cultural diversity, as articulated by the NDSU mission statement, general education outcomes, and proposed strategic themes.

   The policy is supportive of all NDSU instructional personnel and their efforts to continuously improve their communication skills.

2. PROCESS AND STANDARDS FOR VALIDATING AND ASSESSING PROFICIENCY

   2.1

   New Faculty and Other Instructional Staff:

   Every faculty recruiting committee will include faculty from the unit and at least one student. A unit may wish to include both an undergraduate and a graduate student on the committee. The minimum qualifications for the position will include "effective oral and written communication skills." To assist the recruiting committee, each unit must have procedures for obtaining faculty and student input concerning communication proficiency of each candidate who is formally interviewed. Faculty involvement should be unit wide at this point in the process. Student(s) should be selected by the unit and should be representative of the type(s) of student(s) that the candidate will be teaching if he/she is hired. Comments and evaluations concerning communication proficiency received by the recruiting committee from faculty and students from the unit should be stated on the interview form. Academic Deans will verify that these procedures have been followed prior to forwarding a Request to Offer.

   2.1.1

   Validating written communication proficiency:

   Candidates who are formally interviewed must provide materials suitable for evaluating written communication proficiency. Such materials should include a letter of application and samples of their written work(s). In addition, the recruiting committee may wish to specifically request that letters of reference include comments concerning communication.

   Members of the recruiting committee, with assistance from faculty and students as described above, will use categories of excellent, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory in evaluating written communication proficiency. An overall rating of satisfactory is considered to be a minimal qualification.

   2.1.2

   Validating spoken communication proficiency:

   Candidates who are formally interviewed will make an oral presentation suitable for evaluating communication proficiency. Members of the recruiting committee, with assistance from faculty and students as described above, will use categories of excellent, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory in evaluating spoken communication proficiency. An overall rating of satisfactory is considered to be a minimal qualification.

   2.2

   Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs):

   Before an academic unit assigns a teaching responsibility to a graduate student (or an undergraduate student in unusual cases), the Graduate School and University requirements described below must be met. There may be additional requirements in units with special needs.

   2.2.1

   Comprehensive English Language Proficiency:

   All potential teaching assistants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of comprehensive English language proficiency. Evidence may consist of the results from a standardized test of English language proficiency. Specific requirements will be determined by the NDSU Graduate School and posted in the Graduate Bulletin.

   2.2.2

   Requirements for spoken communications proficiency:

   All potential teaching assistants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of spoken communication proficiency in the English language. Evidence may consist of the results from a standardized test of English spoken language proficiency. Specific requirements will be determined by the NDSU Graduate School and posted in the Graduate Bulletin.

   2.2.3

   Requirements for written communication proficiency:

   All potential teaching assistants must provide evidence of their proficiency in written communication skills in the English Language. Evidence may consist of previous coursework in the English composition or technical writing, the results of a standardized test of English written language proficiency, or successful completion of an intensive English language program. Specific requirements will be determined by the NDSU Graduate School and posted in the Graduate Bulletin.

   2.3

   Temporary Instructional Staff:

   Departments/units are responsible for determining and documenting the communication proficiency of temporary or part-time instructional staff who are not hired through an open search process (see Section 1 above).

3. DETERMINATION OF PROFICIENCY PRIOR TO EMPLOYMENT:

   As described within Section 2, potential teaching assistants and faculty are evaluated for proficiency prior to employment.

4. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNICATION PROFICIENCY

   Each NDSU instructor is evaluated annually within the unit in which he/she works, using specific procedures developed within the unit. The head of the unit is always involved, but others may be involved as well.

   All instructors provide course evaluation forms to the students in each class that they teach. These forms include an item concerning the evaluation of communication proficiency of the instructor. This item was developed by the Teaching and Professional Service Committee at NDSU. The student response to this item can be associated with a numerical score, for which a mean and variance can be calculated. In general, annual evaluation procedures within units must include quantitative assessment measures and should include the student evaluation information.

   Other procedures that units might employ in evaluation of communication proficiency include classroom visits, consideration of materials generated for classroom use and other purposes, seminars and other presentations, and solicitation of input from peers and students. Based on the results of the evaluation within the unit, an instructor may chose to or be required to participate in an improvement program.

   The University is continuously engaged in programs and mechanisms to improve communication proficiency. Example means of improvement may include:

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   Mentoring

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   Workshops sponsored by the Teaching Support Center, the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research, the Institute for the Study of Cultural Diversity, and other campus organizations

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   Personal and professional development materials and initiatives, such as video and audio tape, training software (e.g., Speech works), and audio cassette training materials.

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   Programs led by persons with training in improving articulation, intonation, rhythm, and other presentation skills

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   Programs led by persons with training in diminishing accents, stuttering, stress, and other barriers to effective presentation

5. REGISTRATION OF CONCERNS

   The resolution of conflicts concerning communication proficiency is best solved as close to the source as possible. Students are urged to contact the instructor to discuss concerns. If the conflict cannot be resolved with the instructor, the student may meet with the chair of the department, the dean of the college, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or the Provost and Vice President's designee. Administrators who receive formal complaints must respond and take appropriate action within 15 days. Students should move from one level to another only if an acceptable resolution cannot be reached at the lower level.

   At any time, the student may contact the Associate Director, Student Rights and Responsibilities for advice concerning how to register a communication proficiency complaint, or for assistance if the process above cannot be utilized for any reason. The Associate Director, Student Rights and Responsibilities will report complaints to the appropriate chair and to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

   The ultimate responsibility for the resolution of such complaints will reside with the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. This office will be responsible for verifying the appropriate remedial action, if needed, is carried out. At the direction of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or the designee, the Associate Director, Student Rights and Responsibilities will convey a summary of any actions taken to the student complainant.

   A statement describing the process will be included in the document Rights and Responsibilities of Community: A Code of Student Conduct and in the NDSU Bulletin.

6. REVIEWING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICY

   This policy will be reviewed periodically but at an interval of not less than every two years by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee.

7. COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS

   Employees who feel that they may have been discriminated against by the application of this policy may utilize the Equal Opportunity grievance process at the University.

HISTORY: June 1994, May 2004, March 2006, October 2007