Performance Evaluation

Providing employees, both faculty and staff, with feedback and direction is essential to fulfilling Wright State University’s mission as well as guiding employees in their growth and development and engaging them in the success of the university. 

The performance evaluation process is a powerful tool to help employees understand the importance of their contributions and to better align their own work with their unit goals as well as University goals. Further, the process creates open communication and allows for feedback to flow between employees and their supervisors.

The university’s strategic plan, along with the university’s mission and vision statements, can be found ​​​on the Strategic Plan website.

The recommended model can be found in the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

The evaluation cycle for 2025-2026 runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Exceptions to this time period will only be considered for significant business reasons and will be granted on a limited basis. Any exception must be approved in advance by Human Resources.

All employees (including all staff and all non-bargaining unit faculty) are expected to have an annual Performance Evaluation Form completed. A significant part of the process is forward-looking and this communication engages them in the success of the university. All employees with a hire date prior to April 1 will be included on the compliance reports that are sent by Human Resources to the Deans/VPs.

It is encouraged that all employees of the university have regular communication about performance and the purpose of their position. However, employees who have a full-time equivalency (FTE) of less than 15% will not be included in the compliance reports that are sent from Human Resources to the Deans/VPs.

Yes, Wright State University uses two different types of forms for the annual performance evaluation process – the Self-Appraisal Form and an official Performance Evaluation Form (Formal or Alternative). For information about the purpose and differences of all the forms, please see the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

As stated in the guidebook, you may supplement the required forms if there is relevant information that would be useful to record. Exceptions to the forms will be considered only for significant business reasons and will be granted on a very limited basis. Any exception must be approved in advance by Human Resources.

Many questions can be answered by the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process developed by Human Resources. Additional assistance and/or training can be requested from your unit’s respective HR Business Partner.

While every employee must have the opportunity to discuss, read and sign their evaluation, there is no requirement that they actually sign it. If this occurs, the supervisor should note on the form that the employee refuses to sign and forward it to Human Resources after obtaining the second level signature.

If the previous supervisor is still at the university, the previous supervisor should provide input for the current supervisor to add to for completion. If the previous supervisor is no longer with the university, the current supervisor should complete the form with the information available and add any pertinent information for the next evaluation period.

The appeals process is listed in the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

The Self-Appraisal Form is provided as an instrument for employees to share their perspective on their job duties and any challenges they might be facing in completing those duties. In addition, it provides a way for employees to document their accomplishments and strengths and to reflect on how their supervisor and other work relationships may have impacted their performance. Finally, it gives employees a venue to discuss their long-term career interests and to develop ideas for growth and professional development.

While it is not required that any employee complete the self-appraisal, it is required that every employee be given the opportunity to complete one. Refusal to complete must be solely the employee’s determination.

The Self-Appraisal Form is not intended to be a complete job description or a listing of every detailed job responsibility. It is intended to be a starting point for discussion of the primary job duties to make sure that the employee and supervisor have a similar understanding of the employee’s work.

Please try to group similar duties into the five sections listed. If absolutely necessary, the form should allow for additional lines to be added if you use the ‘tab’ function in the last line of the table. If that does not work, please use additional paper and attach it to the Self-Appraisal Form.

Additionally, please make an effort to use the numerical scale (1 being highest). If you are unable to rank them using each number only once, please discuss them with your supervisor to help you understand what priority should be given to each of your job duties.

You should complete the Self-Appraisal Form using any information that might be relevant to your current position. If there were challenges or achievements in your last role that would be applicable to your current role, please share them.

Please try to group similar goals and objectives into the five sections listed. If absolutely necessary, the form should allow for additional lines to be added if you use the ‘tab’ function in the last line of the table. If that does not work, please use additional paper and attach it to the Formal Performance Evaluation Form.

Remember the Formal Performance Evaluation Form is not intended to be all-inclusive. Goals and objectives should be reviewed regularly for progress and relevance. They may change, grow or be removed as the evaluation period progresses.

The core competencies and expected behaviors were specifically selected because they are ones that the university wants every position on campus to have the opportunity to exhibit for at least some portion of the employee’s time.

If employees are unsure of how a particular competency or behavior can be achieved in their role, they should ask their supervisors for input. If supervisors are unsure of how a competency or behavior could apply to their employees, they should contact the respective Human Resources Business Partner for input.

If the supervisor and employee agree that a particular competency/behavior cannot be exhibited in a particular position, and they can show that consideration was given to how it might be achieved, the field can be left blank.

Explanations and examples of the level of performance expected for each of the rating categories can be found in the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

A brief explanation of the differences between a Development Plan and a Performance Improvement Plan can be found in the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

Information about setting goals and objectives can be found in the Guidebook for the Wright State University Performance Evaluation Process.

From 2014 to 2019, Wright State University used only the combination of the Self-Appraisal Form and the Formal Performance Evaluation Form. In 2019, due to changes in leadership as well as financial difficulties and other challenges, university leadership elected to offer the option of the Alternative Performance Evaluation Form to streamline the process while still helping employees connect their day-to-day work to the broader work of the university.

Both forms are available as options for departments/units to choose from based on their operational needs and performance management styles. There are some essential differences and uses for each of the forms.

The Formal Performance Evaluation Form is more detailed and specific in the items covered. It is designed to be a communication tool between the employee and their supervisor. It includes an explicit list of core competencies and has a consistent scale of measurement. It also includes a detailed Professional Development Plan and directs that definitive goals be developed and formalized on the form.

The Alternative Performance Evaluation Form is more narrative and flexible in its content. It includes messages to be conveyed from both the President of Wright State University and the Unit Head as well as communication between the Immediate Supervisor and Employee. The format of this form allows for competencies and expectations to vary between differing roles in a department and plans for documentation of professional development to be recorded outside the annual evaluation form. Additionally, this form commits to development of goals outside the form instead of requiring them to be written and reported annually.

The person being designated as the "unit head" for any particular employee is determined within each division/college/department/unit. Please work within the leadership structure to determine who is best to complete this for each distinct work group.

Supervisors should meet regularly with employees to provide feedback and discuss progress on an employee’s goals and objectives and other relevant performance. For further guidance on providing feedback and coaching employees, please contact the Human Resources Business Partner assigned to your area.