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For parity, recognized educational activities within each Education Category below are assigned a credit value. AC, CE, and Tenure track faculty must earn 100 credits/year. Clinical faculty must earn 50 credits per year.

The credit value assigned to specific educational activities is defined by PSOM, rather than by individual teachers, course directors, or departments. Credit reflects time spent in preparation, exam grading/feedback, and evaluation of education related activities. Educational activities (specifically online educational activities) receiving royalties are not eligible for credit.

 Where do you contribute the most to the education mission? (Click each category to see associated credits.)

Faculty are encouraged to track their credited educational activities with the PSOM Education Activities Workbook. The Education Activities Workbook contains all of the reference information below. 

 

Teaching Credits

  • Lecture: 4/Hour: Live or pre-recorded presentation that is intended to teach and is delivered to learner groups of any size. Assumes preparation time, regardless of whether the content is new or revised.
  • Facilitating a Learning Activity (FLA) 4/Hour: Individual or group activity conducted in-person, electronically or through simulation in which the teacher engages the student(s) through discussion, cases, questions, etc. to enhance learning such as small groups, faculty precepted case conferences (e.g., pathology case conferences, radiology case conferences), directed journal clubs, scholarly pursuit, etc. Assumes preparation time, regardless of whether the content is new or revised.
  • Clinical Teaching: Supervision and teaching of one or more trainees in clinical settings including outpatient practices, inpatient services, procedure units, diagnostic sessions such as sign out, operating rooms, etc. Credit will be given based on total number of sessions in the ambulatory, diagnostic and procedural areas, total number of days for OR and inpatient service time, and being called in from home. There is no difference in credit for number or level of trainees present. There is no credit for nighttime phone calls & advice. 
    • 1 credit for a half-day clinic, half-day procedure session, half day diagnostic session, weekend inpatient service day spent and being called in from home with trainees.
      • Ex: 40 credits for 40 weeks of a weekly half-day clinic or diagnostic session
      • Ex: 1 credit for being called into the hospital overnight and spending at least 4 hr with a trainee
    • 2 credits for an inpatient service weekday or an 8-12-hour shift in the ED. 
      • Ex: 144 credits for a faculty member who is on an inpatient service 12 weeks per year with various trainees will receive 2 credits per weekday of service time and 1 credit per day for weekend/holiday service time
      • Ex. 80 credits for 40 weeks of weekly full day in the OR/procedure suite
      • Ex: 60 credits for 30, 12-hour ER shifts in a year
    • 3 credits for an 18-hour shift.
    • 4 credits for a 24-hour period spent in-house on clinical service with trainees.
      • Ex: 40 credits for ten 24-hour days in an ICU
  • Lab Rotations/Pre-Thesis Research, Short-Term Research-Related Mentoring and Supervising: Specifically applies to BGS where students rotate through different labs for a predetermined period of weeks, where post-baccalaureate students, undergraduates and high school students are mentored on research projects for defined durations, and where graduate students and postdocs receive formal training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR). Applies to the direct supervision of learners in the following settings:
    • graduate students on lab rotations: 25 credits per student
    • undergraduates performing longitudinal research projects for at least 3 months or as part of a summer program: 25 credits
    • post-bac students for 1 year: 50 credits

 

Learner Assessment Credits

  • Applies to faculty who spend time grading exams or participating in various assessments of learners (i.e., direct observation, prelim qualifying exams): 2 credits/assessment hour.
  • Applies to classes in which learning is evaluated by problem-solving exams (i.e. not multiple choice), or research proposals, and where grading is performed by the lecturer
  • Assessment credit may be granted in addition to credit for Lecture/FLAs
  • Applies to situations where faculty serve as direct observers such as occurs during remediation/coaching of a learner, or assessment of peer teaching

 

Mentoring, Advising, & Supervising Scholarship Credits

  • Includes relationships that are intended to facilitate learner career development, such as advising of students on selections of courses and rotations, capstone projects, thesis committee chairs, qualifying exam (“prelim exam”) membership, etc.
  • Includes activities designed to promote success of underrepresented learners in medicine, such as career fairs, panel discussions, etc.
  • Does not include informal mentoring, which involves occasional meetings with learners; mentoring performed in the context of a supported role in medical education (i.e., course director, program director, etc.); and colleague mentoring.
    • Each longitudinal mentoring relationship with a trainee of >8 hours per year: 5 credits
  • Supervision of a learner scholarly project that leads to a product such as a manuscript, abstract, poster, platform presentation, lecture, workshop, curriculum, grant proposal to an external funding agency, etc. Includes working directly with learners and heavily participating in the design, conduct, analysis, and drafting that leads to a scholarly product.
    • Each product can only be claimed once, for the year in which it is submitted
    • If the learner has left Penn, credit can still be claimed
    • Multiple faculty can take credit for a single learner’s scholarly product, as long as each has participated heavily in the design, conduct, analysis and drafting of the scholarly products
    • Learner must be an author
      • Accepted abstracts, posters, oral presentations (internal or external): 5 credits/yr
      • First submission of a manuscript: 10 credits
      • Thesis/Postdoc advisors: 50 credits/yr
      • Grant proposal to an external funding agency: 10 credits

 

Curriculum Development Credits

  • The development and implementation of curriculum at any learner level
  • The creation of a course or program that is subsequently taught online or in person (i.e. MOOC, Certificate or master’s program)
    • 4 credits per hour for each course hour of content including pre-recorded video, live online stream delivery, and in-person modes of delivery.
      • Ex: 24 credits for 6 hours of course content 

 

Educational Leadership and Administration Credits

  • Applies to faculty serving in leadership roles for UME courses, GME, BGS and masters programs, and those participating on key educational committees. For course and program directors, this credit shall recognize contributions above and beyond their course/program administrative responsibilities.
  • Education related committees that require substantial investment of time are eligible for 5 credits per activity per year:
    • Curriculum committees
    • PSOM, BGS, Masters programs admissions committees
    • Residency and fellowship selection committees
    • Program level evaluation, graduate group reviews and clinical competency committees
    • Thesis committees
  • Education Leadership activities
    • Year-long courses or programs (ex-doctoring, program director, clerkship director, BGS director, graduate group chair)
      • Directors: 50 credits
      • Co-Directors: 50 credits
      • Associate Directors: 25 credits
    • Non-year-long courses (ex-course in module 1, 2, elective directors (when trainees have been enrolled in the elective during the AY), master’s directors, T32 program directors)
      • Directors: 25 credits
      • Co-Directors: 12 credits
      • Associate Directors: 12 credits
      • Clinical electives: 25 credit

Educational effort within one of the categories above must be with one of the learner populations below; this includes instruction, assessment, and other educational effort provided to any learner population affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine, CHOP, and any educational programs or activities sponsored by Penn. 

  • Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students
  • Medical students
  • Residents and fellows (including non-Penn trainees rotating to Penn Medicine or CHOP sites)
  • Post-doctoral fellows (or trainees)
  • Graduate students
  • Preprofessional students (NPs, PAs, Pharmacists, etc.)
  • Community members taught at secondary schools, community centers, places of worship, etc.
  • Peers when taught on behalf of PSOM Advance Faculty development programs or CME programs sponsored by Penn or CHOP
  • Interdisciplinary lectures to and facilitating small groups for non-trainees can be used to meet up to 50% of the teaching requirement per year

Teaching Evaluation Database

The Teaching Evaluation Database (TED) is a reporting tool that reflects learner evaluations of faculty from several learner evaluation databases across the university and the school. Twice a year, you will receive your TED data via email, but you can access your TED data anytime by using your Pennkey to log in to My.Med and clicking on the TED link.

Note: You will not see the TED link until you have at least three evaluations from learners.

TED Data and Your Career Track Reviews

AC, CE, and Tenure Track faculty members should review their TED data at least twice a year. Department Education Officers should review their faculty TED data at least once a year. When a faculty candidate is proposed for promotion on the AC, CE, and Tenure Track, Education Officers analyze and summarize their faculty's TED data, and include this information as part of the Education Portfolio, a critical component of the promotion dossier. 

When AC, CE, or Tenure Track faculty have significant and exemplary TED data, the Education Impact case may be made based on one Education Category: Teaching. If TED data is available, but is not significant and exemplary, an additional Education Category should be included for review of Education Impact. If no internal teaching data is available via TED, a candidate will need to demonstrate trajectory and impact in at least 2 other Education Categories.

Alternative Evaluations

In recognition that not all teaching events (lecturing, facilitating, clinical teaching) are reported via TED, the Perelman School of Medicine Office of Academic Programs provides a templated Evaluation Form that faculty can give to learners. 

At PSOM, a holistic evaluation of education impact means that each faculty member is evaluated within the context of their overall career focus, with considerations of contributions to recognized Education Categories that may be so specialized as to be unique to a given candidate, and as evidenced by materials that are provided by and through department education leads (Education Officers), learners, and candidates' own self-reflections of growth as educators.

Rather than a single evaluative standard, fundamental to this holistic evaluation is the totality of the impact of a candidate’s educational activities as measured by high-quality engagement, and a trajectory of excellence over time. Further, for promotion to full professor on the AC, CE, and Tenure tracks, faculty candidates will need to demonstrate impact as an educator that extends to the local, national, or international level. 

At time of promotion review, faculty will be evaluated holistically via an Education Portfolio, a component of the dossier, which includes the PSOM Education Activities Workbook (quantifying credits), the Education Impact Statement, the EO Report, and learner evaluation data.

 For candidates with significant, exemplary internal teaching data, promotion could be considered on the basis of impact in the Teaching category alone. If the internal teaching data is less than exemplary, an additional category of education should be included for review. If no internal teaching data is available, a candidate will need to demonstrate trajectory and impact in at least 2 categories below.

 

Teaching

  • Lecture: Live or pre-recorded presentation that is intended to teach and is delivered to an audience of any size.
  • Facilitated Learning Activity (FLA): Individual or group activity conducted in-person, electronically or through simulation in which the teacher engages the student(s) through discussion, cases, questions, etc. to enhance learning such as small groups, faculty precepted case conferences (e.g., pathology case conferences, radiology case conferences), directed journal clubs, scholarly pursuit, etc.
  • Clinical Teaching: Supervision and teaching of one or more trainees in clinical settings including outpatient practices, inpatient services, procedure units, diagnostic sessions such as sign out, operating rooms, etc.

Learner Assessments

  • Applies to faculty who spend time grading exams or participating in various assessments of trainees (i.e., direct observation, prelim qualifying exams)

Curriculum Development

  • The development and implementation of curriculum at any trainee level.
  • The creation of a course or program that is subsequently taught online or in person (i.e. MOOC, Certificate or master’s program)

Mentoring, Advising, & Supervising Scholarship

  • Includes relationships that are intended to facilitate trainee career development such as advising of students on selections of courses and rotations, capstone projects, thesis committee chairs, qualifying exam (“prelim exam”) membership, etc.
  • Includes activities designed to promote success of underrepresented trainees in medicine such as career fairs, panel discussions, etc.
  • Includes supervision of learner scholarly projects that lead to products, such as manuscripts, abstracts, posters, platform presentations, lectures, workshops, curriculum, grant proposals to an external funding agency, etc.
  • Includes working directly with learners and heavily participating in the design, conduct, analysis, and drafting that leads to scholarly products.
  • Lab Rotations/Pre-Thesis Research, Short-Term Research-Related Mentoring and Supervising: Specifically applies to BGS where students rotate through different labs for a predetermined period of weeks, where post-baccalaureate students, undergraduates and high school students are mentored on research projects for defined durations, and where graduate students and postdocs receive formal training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR).

Educational Leadership and Administration

  • Applies to faculty serving in leadership roles for UME courses, GME, BGS and masters programs and those participating on key educational committees.
  • Applies to faculty providing significant contributions to professional development in education for PSOM colleagues.

Educational Scholarship

  • Publishing in educational scholarship 

 

 

ED Diagram

 

When proposed for promotion, faculty members will be asked to contribute to their Education Portfolio, which is a component of the promotion dossier. 

 

Provided by the Candidate

  • PSOM Education Activities Workbook to document credits earned over the previous 3 years

  • Education Impact Statement (1 page) that identifies and describes impact made in most relevant Education Category/ies in order of overall impact. For each category addressed, include a 

    • description of high-quality engagement

    • brief reflection on how one has incorporated feedback from teaching evaluations to evolve as an educator

    • description of growth over career in each category identified

      • for promotion to Professor, specific examples demonstrating impact in categories identified (locally, nationally, and/or internationally) must be provided

 

Provided by the EO

  • Education Officer Report,* which provides an assessment of the overall engagement and impact of a faculty member across three sections:
    • Description of high-quality engagement. This must include a review of the PSOM Education Activities Workbook, and an attestation that the faculty member is in compliance with the required education effort (credits) per year.
    • Demonstration of Education Impact
      • review of any available quantitative or qualitative data. EOs should interpret and provide useful context for data, including possible mitigating factors for low learner evaluation scores, and critical feedback in comments. Any coaching plans and subsequent improvement should also be addressed.
      • other impact metrics from lists above (high-quality engagement and excellence in education), and at EOs discretion, other applicable metrics as well
    • Summary Statement of the education engagement and impact
  • Internal Evaluation Data** (i.e., TED, Blue etc.).For candidates with significant, exemplary internal teaching data, promotion could be considered on the basis of impact in the Teaching category alone. If the internal teaching data is less than exemplary, an additional category of education should be included for review. If no internal teaching data is available, a candidate will need to demonstrate trajectory and impact in at least 2 other Education Categories.

 

 What Does High Quality Engagement Look Like?
  • Engaging with learners in any of the defined Education Categories
  • Leadership roles in teaching or educational programs
  • Innovation in local classroom teaching methods or novel application of existing teaching methods
  • Developing educational products such as curriculum, assessment tools or programs, policy statements, technologies such as simulation etc.
  • Leading or substantive participation in committees related to education
  • Involvement in local mentoring programs, particularly outreach programs related to inclusion and diversity, and those that promote health equity
  • Participation in CME, research, and inter-professional meetings
  • Participation in the development of scholarly products related to education

 

 How is Excellence in Education Demonstrated?
  • Internal and external evaluations
  • Outcomes of successful mentorship such as scholarly products, regional and national presentations by trainees, trainee career trajectory, etc.
  • Course or program evaluations that reflect educational leadership roles
  • Awards for teaching, mentoring, contributions and/or innovation related to education.
  • Invited lectures to disseminate new knowledge related to successful education programs, interventions, curricula that have been generated by the candidate.
  • Funding or scholarship specifically related to education.
  • National leadership roles in education/training committees and professional societies

 

 

*EOs may opt to consult additional materials to inform their reports, For example

  • letters from BGS graduate group chairs
  • letters from former learners

**For questions about TED reports, please contact PSOM Academic Programs Education and Assessment.