Digital Arts Guidelines

This document qualifies these College-wide criteria in a manner consistent with the past practices and continuing expectations in the Digital Arts Program. We intend this document to provide guidance to (1) members who will stand for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, (2) the ad hoc committee which will evaluate candidates standing for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, and (3) the mentor(s) who help guide the candidate(s) along the path to reappointment, tenure, and promotion. The procedures for reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions are to be found in the Faculty Handbook, Section VI, G, 3, 7, and 8 respectively. Candidates standing for reappointment, tenure, or promotion should prepare their dossier in a manner consistent with the following criteria and standards.

General Criteria for Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion Decisions

Teaching

For purposes of judging a member’s qualifications for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, the Faculty Handbook identifies three criteria for the evaluation of teaching. These are:

• Commitment to teaching
• Knowledge and mastery of the discipline
• The ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students.

1. We take commitment to teaching to mean a consistent effort to develop and offer courses that contextualize the digital arts within an interdisciplinary framework that contributes towards the College’s studio, performative, and/or curatorial arts departments/programs (including Art, Music, Theatre, Dance and Movement Studies, Cinema and Media Studies, and/or Art History, hereafter referred to collectively as the creative arts departments).  Commitment to teaching further reflects efforts to experiment with methods of instruction that engage and challenge students. A candidate’s commitment to teaching is exemplified by the following:

• Thorough and punctual preparation of courses
• Consistently offering courses with creative, rigorous assignments and high standards that challenge students, improve their skills, and cultivate their intellectual and artistic growth.
• Participation in curricular design and planning
• Teaching introductory and advanced courses required for the Digital Arts Program

• Supervising senior projects as may be appropriate and participating in other courses as may be appropriate (for example teaching courses for other departments, team teaching with other members of the faculty, or giving guest lectures in another faculty members’ course). The candidate should consult with their ad hoc committee regarding such matters.
• Regular self-evaluation of pedagogy and teaching philosophy, as demonstrated in the candidate’s annual reports and by other means such as participation in college-sponsored or college-approved programs for pedagogical development.
• New course design that serves the needs of the program and demonstrates a willingness to incorporate new methods of instruction and to diversify and broaden the range of course offerings.
• Fostering collaboration between the Digital Arts Program and the creative arts departments or departments/programs outside of the creative arts, and contributing courses through cross-listing when possible.

2. We consider knowledge and mastery of the discipline to mean a candidate’s commitment to keep abreast of contemporary developments in the digital arts, including innovative interdisciplinary and experimental approaches. A candidate’s knowledge and mastery of the discipline is exemplified by the following:

• Course content and pedagogy that reflects current developments in the digital arts and that includes contemporary foundational digital skills, including those related to interactive media, integrated media and/or performance and technology (as defined under Scholarship, below)
• Course topics that effectively contextualize contemporary issues within the digital arts and the creative arts disciplines

3. We consider the ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students to mean that a candidate should strive to develop effective written, oral, and digital communication pedagogies and materials and to continue to improve upon those materials over time. A candidate’s ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students is exemplified by the following:

• Clear articulation of course expectations
• Clear articulation of course content
• Clearly organized presentations
• Acknowledgment of student views on topics and willingness to engage with students in thoughtful discussion
• Thoughtful and punctual evaluation and grading of students’ work that is designed to foster the improvement of each student’s work over time
• Clearly articulated grading criteria and thorough explanation of why particular grades are given to students so that they are given feedback in order to have the opportunity to improve. 

The ad hoc committee evaluates the candidate’s teaching on the basis of the following sources of information, as appropriate to particular procedures: reports on class visits by senior colleagues that take into account classroom pedagogy, the course syllabus, and the assignments in the course; the candidate’s own representation and explanation of their teaching in annual reports and any other materials that they may choose to submit for reappointment, tenure, or promotion; student course evaluations; grade distributions; letters solicited from former students; and the observations of external reviewers who may choose to comment on the teaching statement and course syllabi included in the reappointment, tenure, and promotion files.

Effective teaching is a critical dimension of a faculty member’s contribution to the Digital Arts Program and must be demonstrated if a candidate is to receive a positive evaluation for reappointment, tenure, or promotion.

Scholarship

The Faculty Handbook indicates that the College expects its faculty to be productive scholars of high quality, and it acknowledges the salutary influence of research and scholarship on teaching. Original research and its equivalent expression in the performing and creative arts are the principal forms of scholarship to be considered in reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions. Scholarship may furthermore include the interpretation of a scholarly field to a general audience. Original research and work in the performing and creative arts must be subjected to the criticism of professional peers who are in a position to evaluate it.

Members of the Digital Arts Program are expected to participate in significant and continuing programs of research, to be engaged in the professional discourse of their research specialties, and to be committed artistic scholars that produce regular forms of creative work. Thus, each member is expected to share the results of their research on a regular basis with colleagues outside the College in the form of peer-reviewed publications. Publication is a flexible and evolving term defined according to the norms and production timetables typical of Digital Arts practitioners. It includes creative and artistic work that is presented in public venues as well as traditional scholarship as discussed below in Groups A, B, and C.

The content and impact of research in areas of the Digital Arts should be evidenced by the quality of a candidate’s research portfolio through their participation in competitive and/or invited virtual, local, regional, national and international opportunities. Virtual opportunities may range from hosted virtual events or live streams by recognized organizations and galleries to works invited or commissioned to exist solely online, including but not limited to gaming spaces, websites, and XR environments.  The candidate’s bibliography from third-party reviewers (for example newspapers, journals, interviews, and other media coverage) can play a role in evaluating the quality of the candidate’s creative activities.

A successful creative practice may be demonstrated by a combination of the following, with Original Creative Work having the greatest weight (this list is suggestive rather than exclusive):

Group A – Original Creative Work, such as:

• Solo exhibitions or performances
• Group exhibitions or performances
• Commissions
• Exhibition in nontraditional forms, such as installations and public artworks
• Publication in traditional forms, such as journals, exhibition catalogues, and album releases

Group B – Peer Recognition, such as:

• Grants and residencies
• Honors and awards

Group C – Other Forms of Scholarship and Creative Work, such as:

• Curating of exhibitions
• Collections and acquisitions
• Conference papers or presentations

Note that this list will serve as a general guideline recognizing that one must take into account other factors such as the type of exhibition or performance and quality and reputation of the venue.

It is recognized that collaborative scholarly output is normal practice in the Digital Arts. In the case of such collaborative efforts, the candidate should make clear the role, effort, and specific contribution they had in the collaboration. 

The Digital Arts Program encourages candidates to dedicate their time to one or more of the following research areas:

1. Interactive Media, such as experimental storytelling; interactive and/or augmented realities
2. Integrated Media, such as sound art/installation and design; installation art; experimental art; experimental filmmaking; acoustic ecology; data sonification
3. Performance and Technology, such as movement-based live performance (motion capture, projection mapping); technology and choreography; live digital performance and improvisation.

This preceding list of areas is not exhaustive, and as new forms of technology emerge, new areas of inquiry may also develop. Should the candidate have questions regarding their research plans, they should consult with their ad hoc committee regarding new areas of inquiry in their scholarship or creative work and should be discussed in their annual reports. This realization should be considered in future versions of these guidelines and also when a candidate is under review for tenure and/or promotion.

Professional Service

The Faculty Handbook indicates that a faculty member should contribute to the life of the College as an advisor, colleague, administrator, and participant in campus decision-making and governance. Service can therefore take various forms, including contributions to the Digital Arts Program, to the community, and to one’s professional field and organizations. A candidate standing for reappointment, tenure, or promotion should make explicit the details of their professional and community service in their personal statement.

Specific Standards for Reappointment

Teaching

At the time of reappointment, a candidate should have developed courses at the introductory and advanced level, and worked to refine and improve them, based upon student and colleague feedback. The candidate should have demonstrated a strong commitment to teaching, clear progress toward establishing knowledge and mastery of the discipline, and the ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students.

Scholarship

At the time of reappointment, a candidate should demonstrate a significant program of scholarly activity since hire, including a minimum of several competitive, juried, and/or invited group exhibitions or performances at the local, regional or national level, either in person or virtual; a minimum of one demonstrated or planned solo exhibition or performance; and plans for their post-reappointment leave that correspond clearly with the standards for tenure. Additional creative activities (as outlined in the criteria above) can serve to supplement these core expectations.

Service

During a candidate’s first several years at Hamilton (prior to reappointment) most of their efforts will be devoted to course development, refining teaching skills, research, and scholarship. During this time we encourage service only at the interdisciplinary program level. A candidate should consult with their ad hoc committee regarding requests to serve on college-wide committees before reappointment.  A member must regularly attend program meetings convened by the Director, and the cross-listing of courses in other creative arts departments will also be considered as a form of college service. Following the first year of appointment, the member must serve conscientiously as an academic advisor for students.

Specific Standards for Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Teaching

A candidate for tenure should demonstrate an evolving teaching portfolio of Digital Arts courses that reflect innovative pedagogical practices and demonstrate continued refinement and improvement based on student and colleague feedback. The candidate should have demonstrated a strong commitment to teaching, knowledge and mastery of the discipline, and a strong ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students.

Scholarship

At the time of review for tenure, a candidate should demonstrate a significant, on-going program of peer-reviewed scholarly activity that corresponds with the criteria above. This program should include two competitive, juried, and/or invited group exhibitions or performances at the local, regional, national, or international level, either in person or virtual, on average per year; a minimum of one solo exhibition or performance; and appropriate plans for continuation of their scholarly program post-tenure. A preponderance of scholarship at the local level is not sufficient for tenure. Additional creative activities (as outlined in the criteria above) can serve to supplement these core expectations.

Service

We encourage, but do not require, that a candidate stand for election to a college committee following their first reappointment (normally after year 3). A candidate standing for tenure should demonstrate more extensive service contributions, such as taking on a larger role in integrating the Digital Arts interdisciplinary program with the creative arts departments, serving on a hiring committee, or participating on an appointed or elected committee. Continued service as an academic advisor is expected.

Promotion to Professor

Teaching

A candidate for promotion to Professor must show continued, successful teaching, but scholarly success takes a more important place in the evaluation of the candidate at this stage.  A candidate for promotion to Professor should have established a distinguished teaching record, based upon a sustained, strong commitment to teaching, knowledge and mastery of the discipline, and a strong ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students. The candidate should particularly demonstrate continued participation in course development, a commitment to teaching required courses, advising, student project supervision, and curricular planning.

Scholarship

Scholarly success takes a more important place in the evaluation of the candidate in promotion to Professor. At this time, a member’s scholarship should have advanced decisively beyond the works that qualified the candidate for tenure, and the candidate’s body of work should be recognized by others in their disciplinary field as a significant contribution to the scholarly discourse of that research specialty. The candidate should furthermore demonstrate external, expert recognition that they have established a distinguished regional or national reputation in their field.

Service

In preparing to stand for promotion to Professor candidates should make, on average, one significant service commitment on an annual basis, such as participation on (1) a standing committee, (2) an ad hoc curricular committee, (3) a college-wide search committee, or (4) service as the Digital Arts Program Director. A faculty member should also regularly engage in less significant service commitments that demonstrate they are an active member of the community. Continued service as an academic advisor is expected.

As much as the department and College needs the dedicated service of its faculty, a member’s contribution to service, no matter how substantial, will not substitute for continuing achievement in teaching and scholarship.

Revision Fall 2021