Develop, Achieve, Evaluate

At Portland State University, we are all life-long learners.

Opportunities for your current and possible future position are listed, Including our most popular offerings. For specialized training, talk with your supervisor about options that may be available to you.

Hosted by HR

Manager Training

New Employee Orientation

Performance Evaluation Writing Workshop

Performance Management

Professional Development

PSU Policy Training

System User Guides

Timesheets and Leave Reporting

Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training

Manager Training

Ongoing development for managers is important! Below are some opportunities for new, current, or aspiring PSU managers to learn and develop, while also building their network of fellow managers.

HR-101: Introduction to Management at PSU

HR-101 is a self-paced, online learning opportunity that introduces the systems, obligations, and terminology to support employees new to supervisory roles at Portland State. Utilizing content presentation and associated quizzes, the course covers four critical areas of employee management:

Hiring & Recruitment
Payroll, Wage & Hour Law
Protected Leaves, ADA, Workers' Compensation
Managing Performance

HR-101 is designed to assist supervisory employees during their initial onboarding as well as prepare them to take the next course in the series, HR-201: Manager Basics Training.

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HR:201 PSU Manager Basics Self-Guided Course

HR-201 is the second in the series of manager training courses available to PSU employees in supervisory roles. This course builds on the information presented in HR-101, which you should have taken as a prerequisite to enroll. If you have not taken HR-101, please return to it within Canvas and begin there.

HR-201 is self-guided and provides an in-depth exploration of topics important to PSU supervisors, including:

Hiring Best Practices
Enabling the Success of your Reports
Manager Requirements
Performance Management

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New Employee Orientation

All Employees

The New Employee Orientation provides an introduction to Portland State University, including resources, policies, payroll, and benefits. Benefits-Only Information Sessions are offered for employees in benefits-eligible positions and include detail on health insurance, optional benefits, and enrollment details. Employees new to a benefits-eligible position at PSU, are encouraged to attend both sessions. Use the form below to register for the sessions. Contact Human Resources at 503-725-4926 or askhrc@pdx.edu for more information.

Faculty

The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) holds a yearly New Faculty Orientation in the fall that covers items such as academic priorities and information about campus resources but does not cover the benefit, payroll and other information covered by the New Employee Orientation. This is primarily for employees in new tenure track and fixed-term positions. Contact OAA for more information about this orientation session.

Performance Evaluation Writing Workshop

Format: Brief video available anytime.

Audience: Supervisors who are responsible for evaluating employees, and staff who support leaders in the administration of evaluations.

Topics: The video covers the performance evaluation process for employees in non-faculty positions and discusses best practices.

Register for New Employee Orientation

PSU Policy Training

PSU employees are responsible for understanding and adhering to all University policies. These cover standards for the workplace, obligations and restrictions, security, and much more. Below are resources to supplement the policies regarding obligations and security awareness.

Child Abuse Reporting

FERPA

Phishing Awareness

Prohibited Discrimination

Access All PSU Policies

Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training

To help support and retain veterans, this online training is available to all PSU employees. Supervisors at all levels are encouraged to complete the training.

Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training

Department Offerings	External Resources
Banner FIS	Canopy EAP Resources
Budget Training	CEPE (Center for Executive & Professional Education)
Campus Accounting Services	Executive Forum
Campus Rec Certifications	Fred Pryor
Chemistry Lab Safety	LinkedIn
Contract & Procurement	MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses)
Digital Accessibility
IT Workshops
Sustainability Toolkit
University Communications

Professional Development

A beneficial and effective performance management system creates a pathway from identifying opportunities, to engaging in development, then receiving feedback on success or performance toward advancement efforts.

These opportunities must connect to the organizational priorities and success of your department and the University’s mission to Let Knowledge Serve the City.

While most opportunities for learning and feedback can be informal, impromptu, and on-the-spot, planned development and structured feedback is also important. When an employee regularly receives training and feedback on the quality and quantity of their work, they are more likely to be able to make informed decisions and judgements in their current position while looking forward and feeling prepared for advancement opportunities that may present themselves.

Research has shown that employees value receiving recognition for contributions and efforts and performing work that is important and meaningful. To be effective, this cycle cannot be an annual event.

Develop

Goal setting and planning

A great way to track the process is to begin at the same time as the review period.
Set new or adjust previous performance priorities or identify target opportunities for the annual period reflecting PSU goals as well as departmental initiatives.
Be as specific as possible, identify measurements and outcomes, and logical checkpoints to ensure everyone understands their role and deadlines involved.

Achieve

Ongoing feedback and coaching

Communication and information flow is imperative to maintain forward momentum.

Establish regular check-ins throughout the review period to discuss progress and/or aid in removing obstacles to success (we recommend bi-weekly or monthly).
Discuss any emerging or shifting priorities and provide correction to plans where necessary.

Evaluate

Our dynamic and changing environment demands performance feedback as a routine part of the partnership between PSU and employees.

As an employee, look for ways to utilize your current work in aiding you toward any career advancement that you may be interested in. Meet with your supervisor to receive feedback, share your thoughts and create a plan that you can realistically achieve within the review cycle.

As a supervisor, seek input from your employee and combine with your own assessment to celebrate achievements and provide a clear pathway to improvement.

Policies & Forms

Upload Evals

Union Contracts

Professional Development

Many professional development opportunities are available at no or low cost. Below are some ideas for PSU employees and managers to consider when working to improve skills, gain experience, or pursue professional goals.

Employee Development Plans

Establish goals and aspirations so the events, training, or resources you seek will be working toward your professional goals. More information in the Employee Development Plan Guide Summary → → →

Other Development Opportunities

Webinars and TED Talks are a great, and often free, way to bring information to your department. Consider watching webinars or talks together and then holding a discussion about the topic.
Sign up to receive daily or weekly emails from professional organizations or sites that provide development advice. A few to consider:
- Linked In (Make connections, read articles, learn from thought leaders)
- The Chronicle Newsletter (news/updates about higher education)
- Vital Smarts Newsletter (Publisher of Crucial Conversations; tips on having difficult conversations)
Lead and/or present at a meeting
Participate in a University committee
Job shadow or meet with someone whose job interests you
Attend campus events to expand your professional network
Read a book on a skill or knowledge area that you want to develop, and discuss it with a colleague

Development as a Critical Part of Engagement

Helping our employees figure out what their next steps are increases engagement and enriches not only the individual, but the university as a whole.

Employees who feel “stuck” and unable to grow will look elsewhere for this opportunity. Professional development gives us an opportunity to increase current skills and expertise while retaining institutional knowledge and strengthening our community at the same time.

In higher education, we value education and can take advantage of a variety of development opportunities in place of other benefits like higher salaries that will attract growth-focused employees.

Professional development is an important component to support our annual evaluation process (e.g., informing the Professional Development and/or Performance Objectives sections) since that is when we often do the most reflection on training and development for the coming year. Making sure to schedule regular and frequent check-ins between employees and supervisors can keep us focused on our wins as well as how goals are progressing without trying to fit it all in during the annual evaluation.

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Employee Development Plan Guide Summary

(full guide download below)

Figuring out your career can be hard. Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience an Employee Development Plan can provide help as you think short- and long-term goals.

The Employee Development Plan is open-ended so you can use it to help you figure out your short-term and long-term goals areas as well as help you identify your strengths and areas for development in order to move toward career progression or movement. This section is a summary of the comprehensive guide which can be downloaded in full using the link at the bottom of this section.

Prepare

Before starting on your plan, it may be useful to answer some questions for yourself

Do you know your strengths?
What would others say you excel at?
How do you learn best?
What do you like about your current job/career path and what other things would you like to learn?

Mentors

Mentors help you with focus and provide guidance on career success, which is often much more contingent upon non-technical skills. They should know you well enough to know your potential and to be able to have frank conversations with you.

An Effective Development Plan

You are responsible for your development and for writing your development plan. Your manager may make suggestions and help secure resources, but ultimately you own the plan, after all, it’s your career!

Building on Strengths

The development planning process is a great opportunity to build on strengths rather than solely focus on improving deficiencies. You can better understand where your natural talents are and find ways to expand your work in those areas.

Development Planning Preparation

You have a personal responsibility for your own continuous development. The questions below will assist you in defining your career interests and writing a development plan to help meet your goals. You can use these questions as a contemplation guide, or write out your answers for yourself and/or to share with your manager.

Writing Your Development Plan

The process of writing an effective development plan starts with assessing current abilities and career interests. Use the PSU Employee Development Plan Template to assist in defining your career interests and goals.

Discussing Your Development Plan

Talking about your goals with others can help solidify them, and help you follow through on your action plan. In addition to your manager, choose 1-2 other colleagues or trusted friends to discuss your goals and help you plan. They may offer suggestions, or simply provide support and encouragement that can help with your development.

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Download the Guide & Template

Evaluating Employee Achievements

Portland State University is committed to providing employees with valuable feedback regarding their performance and recognizes the importance of employee evaluation systems to help achieve this purpose. All employees benefit from feedback on their work performance.

Performance appraisals are an important part of the work experience. They provide an employee with useful feedback, and a record of performance for discussion, salary reviews and accurate references.
Appraisals should be a two-way discussion between a supervisor and employee and should feedback on performance as well as a discussion of professional development opportunities and interests.
The required evaluation periods are listed below for each position type, however it is recommended that supervisors provide frequent feedback to employees between the evaluation periods.
Formal evaluations never take the place of day-to-day coaching and direction. Rather, the evaluation serves as a summary and documentation of performance.

All PSU employees should be evaluated on a regular basis according to the schedule requirements for specific position groups as follows:

Academic Professional
Classified
Faculty: Adjunct
Faculty: Fixed-term
Faculty: Full-time
Faculty: Post-Tenure
Faculty: Tenure-track
Student Employee
Unclassified/Unrepresented/Excluded

Classified Positions

(represented by SEIU)

Due: Annually based on the employee’s hire date. Employees who are completing trial service as a result of a promotion receive an evaluation on the first of the month following completion of the six-month promotional trial service, and annually thereafter. A performance evaluation is not required at the end of initial trial service. For more information on trial service employees, see the SEIU bargaining agreement linked below.

Human Resources will provide email reminders as evaluation and trial service end dates approach for employees in classified positions. If you do not receive an email reminder please contact Human Resources at 503-725-4926 and ask to speak with an Employee Relations Specialist or email hremployeerelations@pdx.edu.

Please note, there are two evaluation forms for employees in classified positions: One specific to information technology positions (follow the Instructions for IT Classified Performance Appraisal); and one for all other classifications.

The following positions fall under the IT classifications and should be evaluated by using the IT-specific form:

Operations Specialist
Equipment Systems Specialist
Information Technology Consultant
Operating Systems/Network Analyst
Analyst Programmer

Refer to the Performance Evaluations section of the Policies, Contracts & Forms page for forms.

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Unclassified/Unrepresented/Excluded Positions

Due: Annually on April 30. The department may establish a review system utilizing existing forms, available on the Human Resource's Web site, or select the approach and appraisal tool that best meets their needs with the approval of Human Resources and in conformance with established criteria.

Once the approach is determined, the same form and process must be used consistently for all unclassified/unrepresented positions within the department. Performance reviews for employees in excluded positions may differ for ranked and unranked positions. Departments may select the most suitable approach with approval of the VP/Provost or Human Resources.

Refer to the Performance Management section of the Policies, Contracts & Forms page for forms.

Student Employee Positions

Student employees would benefit from feedback on their work performance. You may use your discretion to determine if the student employee performance evaluation is an informal discussion or through a written appraisal. Depending on the planned length of employment, it is recommended that reviews be conducted annually or every six months.

Refer to the Performance Management section of the Policies, Contracts & Forms page for forms.

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Performance Evaluation Forms

Full-time Faculty or Academic Professional Positions

(represented by AAUP)

Due: Annual reviews are due to HR by the third Monday in May each year as per AAUP bargaining agreement Article 17 Sec 8(a). Deadlines set by OAA for personnel actions may be found on their Policies & Reference page, under Academic Personnel Policies.

Departments may select from two appraisal forms with the proviso that once selected the same form be used consistently for all Academic positions within the department.

Refer to the Performance Management section of the Policies, Contracts & Forms page for forms.

Fixed-term Faculty Positions

(represented by AAUP)

Faculty performance is managed by the Office of Academic Affairs. Please refer to their website for information on timing and process.

Each department shall establish guidelines for review that are approved by the Dean and Provost in compliance with Article 18.
For fixed-term faculty positions on an annual appointment: review completed by March 15
Multi-year appointments: review completed by June 15 of the first year of the multi-year appointment

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Academic Personnel Policies

Tenure-track Faculty Positions

(represented by AAUP)

Annual review and major review at years three (3) and six (6) as per Promotion and Tenure Guidelines (P&T).
Each department establishes its peer review systems as per the P&T Guidelines.

Post-tenure Faculty Positions

(represented by AAUP)

As per AAUP bargaining agreement Article 16 and the departmental schedule for post tenure reviews.

Each faculty member in a tenured position shall be assigned a review committee.
The faculty of each department shall adopt formal procedures for the selection of peer review committees that are subject to approval by the Office of Academic Affairs as part of the departmental guidelines.
These procedures must be published and distributed to all members of the department to whom they apply.

Adjunct Faculty Positions

(represented by PSUFA/AFT)

Once every six terms worked by request as per Article 7 Sec 7 of the AFT collective bargaining agreement.

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Adjunct Evaluation Request