Guidance from CUNY Regarding Classroom Observations, Office Hours, Annual Evaluations, Tenure/Promotion
Item
From: Academic Affairs
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 3:42 PM
To: FullTimeFaculty; adjunctfaculty@csi.cuny.edu
Cc: 'NinaDelgatto8@gmail.com’'; Jessica Stein
Subject: Guidance from CUNY regarding classroom observations, Office Hours, Annual
Evaluations, Tenure/Promotion
All:
Information from CUNY regarding faculty office hours, teaching observations, annual
evaluations, and promotion/tenure processes under our current telecommuting situations. More
information should be forthcoming in the near future.
Distance Learning and Contractual Obligations: The following guidance is in response to
questions pertaining to faculty office hours, classroom observations, annual evaluations, and the
reappointment, tenure, and promotion process. This guidance is based on consultation with
several provosts and in discussion with the Professional Staff Congress at a recent labor
management meeting with the Chancellor and his executive team. For more information,
contact: Pamela Silverblatt, pamela.silverblatt@cuny.edu
Both full-time faculty and adjuncts who are responsible for, and paid for, office hours will hold
office hours through distance technology and will notify their students and their department chair
regarding how they plan to hold the hours. These notifications should be made on or before
Friday, March 27.
Classroom teaching observations that have not yet been conducted during the Spring 2020
semester, will only be conducted if requested by the employee to be evaluated. The department
may use the new protocol for observations in online settings (Article 18.2(b)3), where the course
was changed to a distance modality mid-semester, provided the employee is made aware and
has the option to proceed with the observation. Teaching observations for those who have been
teaching online since the start of the semester, and who were otherwise contemplated to be
observed pursuant to the new provision in Article 18.2(b)3 for online observations, will have their
observations conducted.
Annual evaluations which include the conference and confirming memorandum will have the
conference conducted through distance technology, which may include telephone and/or
videoconferencing.
Decisions on tenure, promotion, reclassification and discretionary assignment salary differentials
that are currently in process shall be completed.
Faculty and staff shall be permitted to retrieve personal belongings and materials needed to
work remotely
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 3:42 PM
To: FullTimeFaculty; adjunctfaculty@csi.cuny.edu
Cc: 'NinaDelgatto8@gmail.com’'; Jessica Stein
Subject: Guidance from CUNY regarding classroom observations, Office Hours, Annual
Evaluations, Tenure/Promotion
All:
Information from CUNY regarding faculty office hours, teaching observations, annual
evaluations, and promotion/tenure processes under our current telecommuting situations. More
information should be forthcoming in the near future.
Distance Learning and Contractual Obligations: The following guidance is in response to
questions pertaining to faculty office hours, classroom observations, annual evaluations, and the
reappointment, tenure, and promotion process. This guidance is based on consultation with
several provosts and in discussion with the Professional Staff Congress at a recent labor
management meeting with the Chancellor and his executive team. For more information,
contact: Pamela Silverblatt, pamela.silverblatt@cuny.edu
Both full-time faculty and adjuncts who are responsible for, and paid for, office hours will hold
office hours through distance technology and will notify their students and their department chair
regarding how they plan to hold the hours. These notifications should be made on or before
Friday, March 27.
Classroom teaching observations that have not yet been conducted during the Spring 2020
semester, will only be conducted if requested by the employee to be evaluated. The department
may use the new protocol for observations in online settings (Article 18.2(b)3), where the course
was changed to a distance modality mid-semester, provided the employee is made aware and
has the option to proceed with the observation. Teaching observations for those who have been
teaching online since the start of the semester, and who were otherwise contemplated to be
observed pursuant to the new provision in Article 18.2(b)3 for online observations, will have their
observations conducted.
Annual evaluations which include the conference and confirming memorandum will have the
conference conducted through distance technology, which may include telephone and/or
videoconferencing.
Decisions on tenure, promotion, reclassification and discretionary assignment salary differentials
that are currently in process shall be completed.
Faculty and staff shall be permitted to retrieve personal belongings and materials needed to
work remotely
Title
Guidance from CUNY Regarding Classroom Observations, Office Hours, Annual Evaluations, Tenure/Promotion
Description
Sent to faculty on March 25, 2020, from the Office of Academic Affairs at CUNY's College of Staten Island (CSI) to faculty, this email offered administrative responses to looming questions at the center of City University of New York's (CUNY) "current telecommuting situation," with guidance related to office hours, teaching observations, annual evaluations, as well as reappointment, tenure, and promotion practices. The email also highlighted the subject of "Distance Learning and Contractual Obligations" for departments to conduct classroom observations of faculty instruction before describing updated expectations, logistics, and protocol pertaining to these issues.
This item is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) Distance Learning Archive, a group project developed as part of Prof. Matthew K. Gold's Spring 2020 Knowledge Infrastructures seminar in the Ph.D. Program in English at The Graduate Center, CUNY, in partnership with the Interactive Technology and Pedagogy Certificate Program. The project's goal was to resist or trouble the discourse of catastrophe around the shift to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by documenting the lived experiences of students, faculty, and staff across CUNY's 25 campuses. Further, the project wanted to document the moment of crisis response by taking a critical approach to educational technology.
This item is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) Distance Learning Archive, a group project developed as part of Prof. Matthew K. Gold's Spring 2020 Knowledge Infrastructures seminar in the Ph.D. Program in English at The Graduate Center, CUNY, in partnership with the Interactive Technology and Pedagogy Certificate Program. The project's goal was to resist or trouble the discourse of catastrophe around the shift to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by documenting the lived experiences of students, faculty, and staff across CUNY's 25 campuses. Further, the project wanted to document the moment of crisis response by taking a critical approach to educational technology.
Creator
University Office of Academic Affairs
Date
March 25, 2020
Language
English
Publisher
University Office of Academic Affairs
Rights
Public Domain
Source
CUNY Distance Learning Archive
University Office of Academic Affairs. Letter. “Guidance from CUNY Regarding Classroom Observations, Office Hours, Annual Evaluations, Tenure Promotion.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1841