Procedure

Western Piedmont Community College faculty must satisfy prescribed credentialing guidelines or provide evidence of alternative qualifications before teaching curriculum course. Academic divisions must complete an electronic Faculty Credentialing Approval Form to document how an instructor’s credentials and experience align with the criteria that the College has set for the courses they teach.

Generally, the College employs faculty who are credentialed to teach based on their formal academic transcripts from accredited institutions. In some cases, academic departments may consider other qualifications in lieu of formal academic preparation. These alternate qualifications include relevant undergraduate and graduate coursework, related work experiences in the field (as verified by employer references, background checks, portfolios, etc.), professional licensure and certifications related to the teaching assignment, pertinent honors and awards, professional development, relevant peer-reviewed publications, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes as justification. In all cases, the College must document and justify faculty qualifications. With assistance and consultation from Human Resources, Academic Compliance and Quality, and the College’s SACSCOC Liaison, the appropriate department head and dean will evaluate a faculty member’s credentials, which the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Workforce Development must ultimately approve.

For most disciplines, teaching criteria span all courses, but WPCC has noted cases where specific courses require different qualifications (see Faculty Credentialing Requirements by Teaching Discipline).

Academic departments that comply with programmatic accreditation standards may exceed the typical criteria set for transfer (T), non-transfer (N), and developmental (D) courses.

• Faculty Credentialing Approval Procedures (https://intranet.wpcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Faculty-Credentialing-Approval-Form-Instructions.pdf)
• Faculty Credentialing Requirements by Teaching Discipline (https://intranet.wpcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Faculty-Credentialing-Requirements-by-Teaching-Discipline.pdf)
• Faculty Credentialing Approval Form (In Etrieve at https://etcentral.wpcc.edu)