Faculty, Tenure Track - Biology

Division Specific Requirements:A Master’s Degree (M.S.) in biology, or a biological science required. Doctorate degree in a biological science, or its equivalent, and at least two years of experience teaching anatomy and physiology at an institute of higher education is preferred.Faculty will be primarily responsible for teaching lecture and laboratory sections of various human anatomy and physiology courses (e.g., musculoskeletal, A&P I and II). Other courses may be included in responsibilities to complete faculty load assignments depending on qualifications. Faculty must be able to provide instruction by face to face, online, or hybrid methods as required for a particular course. Several of these courses require the faculty member to instruct students on the hands-on dissection of organisms and/or organs. Faculty are responsible for setting up and tearing down labs and for informing their course lead and/or laboratory coordinator of equipment or supply needs. A working knowledge of Microsoft applications and experience with learning management systems is also required.

All Faculty General Description:Teaching and learning is the primary activity of faculty. As such, Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) cultivates a climate that enhances teaching and learning, and that supports the activities that foster a learning-centered college. At ACM, our vision of teaching excellence is one that: motivates students to develop pride, passion, and personal responsibility in their education; demonstrates content expertise; creates academic processes and experiences that positively impact student learning; engages students in meaningful learning; and that connects students, faculty, and staff in an academic community that fosters lifelong learning and student success.
The primary responsibility of faculty is to effectively teach courses within their discipline area(s). An effective, professional educator will plan, organize, teach, assess, advise, remediate, and provide timely feedback to promote and guide student learning in alignment with ACM learning-college values. Additionally, faculty will meet their obligations to their division, and will be empowered to choose opportunities relevant to their professional development and service to the institution and community.

Teaching and Learning:

1. Knowledge and understanding of learning-centered values with the ability to develop and implement diverse teaching and learning strategies that optimize the learning of all students and promote both acquisition and applications of knowledge and understanding (Learning-Centered Teaching Strategies).
2. Prepare and deliver instruction to students in assigned modalities (classroom, hybrid, online, etc.). Prepare instructional materials. Provide feedback on students' progress, including evaluation of student mastery of course and program outcomes.
3. Use consistent, timely, formative and summative assessment measures to enhance learning (Assessment).
4. Technological competence--knowledge of, ability to develop, and commitment to using emerging technologies appropriate to the discipline.
5. Use alternative instructional methods, such as online delivery, hybrid course options, and flexible learning modalities.
6. Continuously examine the effectiveness of teaching and assessment methodologies in terms of student learning by engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning).
7. Design learning opportunities that acknowledge, draw upon, and are enriched by all students in the learning environment.
8. Prepare and submit required documentation: student attendance checks, midterm/final course grades, and other information as requested or required by the college.
9. Required to use the college’s LMS (Learning Management Systems) to post course syllabi, record attendance, and other information as requested or required by the college.
10. Treat students with respect and be responsive to their needs.
11. Participate in, and contribute to curriculum development by planning, developing, and evaluating new and existing courses and curriculum.
12. Conduct assigned classes in accordance with the catalog, course descriptions, student learning outcomes, and program goals.
13. Complete the annual Faculty Success Plan (FSP) to reflect on their individual performance during the past year, based on evidence of teaching effectiveness, commitment to teaching excellence, commitment to being a valued colleague, setting goals, reviewing of the prior year's goals, and charting a direction for the upcoming year.

Division Responsibilities

1. Design and implement curriculum that aligns with student learning outcomes, program learning outcomes, and general education learning outcomes and participate in departmental assessment reporting.
2. Participate in department/division meetings, committees, and other activities.
3. Become familiar with and maintain behavior and actions consistent with college policies.
4. Collaborate and cooperate in the fulfillment of the goals of the department/division and the College in order to contribute as a valued member of both.
5. Maintain timely communication with Program Director or Division Chair.

Academic Advising:

1. Fulfill ACM’s culture of advising, that advising is teaching. Advisors will engage students in achieving their educational, career, and personal goals.
2. Work in collaboration with Admissions and Registration, the Advising Center, Financial Aid and other college services to ensure student planning, success, and completion. Examples of collaboration include student compliance plans, academic alerts, student services referrals, etc.
3. Fulfill responsibilities outlined in the Advising Syllabus.

Professional Development:

1. The Faculty Success Plan (FSP) is an essential component of planning and budgeting for professional development opportunities. Faculty are required to identify their professional development goals in their FSP.
2. Remain current and continually improve knowledge and understanding of the discipline.
3. Professional development may encompass attending/completing internal professional development opportunities or attending external conferences, seminars, or workshops. Professional development may also include authoring articles or books, formal graduate study or other relevant courses, internships or clinical practice or other activities that serve to enrich the professional development of faculty knowledge and expertise.
4. Complete required internal professional development trainings that are essential for accreditation, compliance, or advancing learning-centered principles.
5. All newly hired full-time faculty must attend and complete The Teaching and Learning Community (TLC) year-long training within the first three years of service in order to be eligible for tenure and advancement in rank. An extension may be provided by the Senior Vice President of Instructional and Student Affairs in consultation with the Division Chair or Program Director. It is highly recommended and encouraged for all faculty.
6. All newly hired full-time faculty will be assigned a mentor for the first year of employment. Attendance and participation in mentoring events are required.

Service to the Institution and Community
Service to the college and the community are long-held cultural values of ACM. College and community service can be the faculty member’s contribution to the improvement of the institution and/or the larger community. Faculty members will have choice in determining the content and context of their service contributions in collaboration with the Program Director/Division Chair. Service to the institution and Community will provide evidence for further consideration in faculty promotion and tenure deliberations by the Status Committee.

1. Provide service to the College on an annual basis. The minimum requirement is serving on one college-published committee/taskforce assignment. This requirement is waived during the first year of full-time tenure-track employment. Additional service considered for tenure and promotion includes, but is not limited to: additional committee(s), task-forces, workgroups, department or college-wide assessment special projects, college sanctioned student club advisor, acceptance of overload assignments, acceptance of travel to other instructional sites, serving as a Middle States evaluator or external program evaluator, etc.

Further service to the institution can be demonstrated during Middle States self-study or during individual program accreditation renewal—when not a required duty of the position. Examples include, but are not limited to, leading or participating in a self-study chapter, collecting and analyzing data, and writing and editing the report.

1. Provide service to the College through community engagement that aligns with the College’s Mission/strategic priorities. The choice of this service includes, but is not limited to: incorporating service learning/civic engagement in classes, serving on community boards, serving on non-profit boards, volunteering at area K-12 schools, and other community service activities.
2. Attend All-College Assembly meetings.
3. To effectively participate in shared governance, faculty should review curriculum and academic standard changes.
4. Participate in shared governance by developing, reviewing, and implementing college-wide documents, plans and processes. Participation can occur through informational forums, providing feedback to the President’s Advisory Team, and/or participation in Faculty Association.

Faculty Workload and Load Assignment:
Meeting the essential duties and responsibilities of a full-time, tenure track teaching appointment at Allegany College of Maryland requires at least 40 hours per week on average, including work on and off campus, during the contract period. Much of the faculty work occurs at designated times each week (such as classes, office hours, meetings, etc.) However, the very nature of the workload of a professional educator at the college level means that the hours a faculty member fulfills their non-scheduled responsibilities are based on individual judgment. The College offers learning opportunities in a variety of settings and at various times throughout the day, including weekends. As such, relegating faculty to an 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday schedule is impractical. A typical faculty work schedule varies from semester to semester and week to week to accommodate student learning, professional development and service to the college/community.
The faculty member will:

1. Accept responsibilities and obligations as a professional educator. The primary duty of faculty is the instruction of assigned classes. This duty must take precedence over all other activities.
2. Teach a minimum load of 30 credits per academic year with the exception of designated release and/or reassignment time as defined by the faculty release and reassignment policy.
3. Work off-schedule hours, when necessary, for the benefit of their students or department: e.g., evening and/or weekend hours instructing classes, grading assignments, travel between campuses or recruitment activities.
4. Be accessible to students in a variety of days, times, and modalities consistent with student needs. Faculty will maintain published office hours for a minimum of 3 hours per week over multiple days consistent with course modalities and campus location or instructional site.
5. Attend winter and spring commencement/graduation ceremonies.
6. Perform other reasonable duties as assigned by supervisor.

Faculty members are also obligated to abide by, and thus support, all college policies and procedures. Faculty must be committed to the learning centered philosophy, as well as the strategic priorities of the college as identified through the Strategic Plan and the Educational Master Plan. Master’s Degree (M.S.) in biology, or a biological science required. Doctorate degree in a biological science, or its equivalent, and at least two years of experience teaching anatomy and physiology at an institute of higher education is preferred. Ability to work collaboratively with others, set up and tear down labs and teach face to face, online and hybrid courses required.Must possess effective leadership, interpersonal communication and team building skills. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite applications and experience with or ability to use learning management systems is also required. Ability to work collaboratively with others, set up and tear down labs and teach face to face, online and hybrid courses.