The Tenure and Promotion Standards Used to Evaluate Creative Scholarship in the Media and Communication Fields

Abstract

The tenure and promotion system influences whether, how, and the extent faculty members produce creative scholarship. A thematic analysis of 69 media and communication departments’ documents was carried out to systematically assess creative scholarship standards. The results showed most documents formally recognized creative scholarship and equated it to traditional research. Results showed less concreteness in comparison with traditional research standards. Artistic and professional peer review criteria such as securing awards, exhibitions, and festivals were the primary evaluative approaches. One implication is that leadership and senior faculty members need to rethink how to evaluate impact because scholars often seek to engage local nonacademics.