Faculty Reviews

Are you a faculty going under review in AY26-27? You can also read through the "faculty undergoing review" Elements information below in a downloadable word document format. 

Major Reviews Process

Elements is being used to manage the review process including digitizing faculty dossiers and providing one system for UO reviewers to use to look at files. Elements is NOT being used to introduce new metrics or quantified assessments into reviews. All processes are dictated by the United Academics CBA and all evaluation standards are based on unit policy. 

Starting Your Assigned Review Dossier

While each review will have different dossier components, accessing and starting each review/dossier is the same for all faculty (Pro Tem, tenure track faculty, career instructional faculty, or career research faculty).   

WATCH THE STARTING YOUR REVIEW DOSSIER TUTORIAL VIDEO

Access Your Dossier 

• Log in to the system: https://uo.elements.symplectic.org/
• On your homepage, under My Actions, find the review card and click the START button next to your review.
• Alternatively, you move your mouse to the left-hand menu, go to evaluation and review, go to my submissions and review processes. Both of these options will take you to your dossier to get started.

Dossier Sections 

• The introduction is the first page of each dossier that contains relevant information and process instructions pertaining to that specific review.
• Read through the instructions in the blue box, then click NEXT, which is located above the blue text box on the right side.
• Alternatively, you can click the Overview tab on the left side.
• Overview: The overview lists all the components that are in the dossier and allows you to click into that page by clicking on the > symbol to the right. Once you have clicked into the page, you can upload appropriate documents by clicking the + symbol.  

CV

Faculty can upload a version of their own CV in their dossier. We strongly encourage faculty to complete their profile and activity in Elements so that the activity sections below will auto-populate with their work. However, reviewers will have access to their CV in addition to their activity. 

Scholarly Activity

For 2026-2027 reviews, activity sections will be present in faculty dossiers for those in CAS, LCB, KCASI, Law, COE, Ballmer, and Libraries. Activity sections will be optional or not included for those in Design, OVPRI, SOMD, SOJC, MNCH, and PERC. These activity sections pull from the four core areas of your Elements profile. Some data is pulled from outside or UO sources. Some content will need to be added by the faculty member. Read through our scholarly activity guidance and support page for help. Training videos and step-by-step instructions are included.

"Non review period" scholarly activity: is to be used by faculty to include something outside of the formal review period that they would like reviewers to know about. A good example would be a scholarly work that was on the cusp of publication between their last review and their current review. This publication was not previously counted in the faculty's review and should be included even though it falls outside of the typical review period. These grey areas are a case-by-case basis and faculty should discuss with their unit head so they are not double counting their work. 

Dates used by Elements for activity lists: The Elements system is pre-set to pull activity over using June 1, STARTING REVIEW YEAR through June 1, ENDING REVIEW YEAR. For example, June 1, 2021 through June 1, 2027 (for a typical six year period for promotion and tenure). Your review period is dictated by the CBA, university policy, and unit policy. 

Contextual documents: If you have a contextual document to add to the activity section, you can select the "+" sign and upload a PDF. A good example would be a statement by the faculty member explaining how a change in the federal government impacted their funding opportunities. Other materials, such as sample documents, can be included in the supplemental dossier. 

Sponsored Project Activity

For 2026-2027 reviews, activity sections will be present in faculty dossiers for those in CAS, LCB, KCASI, Law, COE, Ballmer, and Libraries. Activity sections will be optional or not included for those in Design, OVPRI, SOMD, SOJC, MNCH, and PERC. These activity sections pull from the four core areas of your Elements profile. Some data is pulled from outside or UO sources. Some content will need to be added by the faculty member. Read through our sponsored project guidance and support page for help. Training videos and step-by-step instructions are included.

"Non review period" sponsored project activity: is to be used by faculty to include something outside of the formal review period that they would like reviewers to know about. These grey areas are a case-by-case basis and faculty should discuss with their unit head so they are not double counting their work. 

Dates used by Elements for activity lists: The Elements system is pre-set to pull activity over using June 1, STARTING REVIEW YEAR through June 1, ENDING REVIEW YEAR. For example, June 1, 2021 through June 1, 2027 (for a typical six year period for promotion and tenure). Your review period is dictated by the CBA, university policy, and unit policy. 

Contextual documents: If you have a contextual document to add to the activity section, you can select the "+" sign and upload a PDF. A good example would be a statement by the faculty member explaining how a change in the federal government impacted their funding opportunities. Other materials, such as sample documents, can be included in the supplemental dossier. 

Teaching Activity

For 2026-2027 reviews, activity sections will be present in faculty dossiers for those in CAS, LCB, KCASI, Law, COE, Ballmer, and Libraries. Activity sections will be optional or not included for those in Design, OVPRI, SOMD, SOJC, MNCH, and PERC. These activity sections pull from the four core areas of your Elements profile. Some data is pulled from outside or UO sources. Some content will need to be added by the faculty member. Read through our teaching activity guidance and support page for help. Training videos and step-by-step instructions are included.

"Non review period" teaching activity: is to be used by faculty to include something outside of the formal review period that they would like reviewers to know about. These grey areas are a case-by-case basis and faculty should discuss with their unit head so they are not double counting their work. 

Dates used by Elements for activity lists: The Elements system is pre-set to pull activity over using June 1, STARTING REVIEW YEAR through June 1, ENDING REVIEW YEAR. For example, June 1, 2021 through June 1, 2027 (for a typical six year period for promotion and tenure). Your review period is dictated by the CBA, university policy, and unit policy. 

Contextual documents: If you have a contextual document to add to the activity section, you can select the "+" sign and upload a PDF. A good example would be a statement by the faculty member explaining how a change in the federal government impacted their funding opportunities. Other materials, such as sample documents, can be included in the supplemental dossier. 

Service Activity

For 2026-2027 reviews, activity sections will be present in faculty dossiers for those in CAS, LCB, KCASI, Law, COE, Ballmer, and Libraries. Activity sections will be optional or not included for those in Design, OVPRI, SOMD, SOJC, MNCH, and PERC. These activity sections pull from the four core areas of your Elements profile. Some data is pulled from outside or UO sources. Some content will need to be added by the faculty member. Read through our sponsored project guidance and support page for help. Training videos and step-by-step instructions are included.

Service activity is mostly manual and for AY26-27, faculty can choose to only list their service activity on their CV. However, we strongly encourage faculty to include their service work in their Elements profile. 

"Non review period" service activity: is to be used by faculty to include something outside of the formal review period that they would like reviewers to know about. These grey areas are a case-by-case basis and faculty should discuss with their unit head so they are not double counting their work. 

Dates used by Elements for activity lists: The Elements system is pre-set to pull activity over using June 1, STARTING REVIEW YEAR through June 1, ENDING REVIEW YEAR. For example, June 1, 2021 through June 1, 2027 (for a typical six year period for promotion and tenure). Your review period is dictated by the CBA, university policy, and unit policy. 

Contextual documents: If you have a contextual document to add to the activity section, you can select the "+" sign and upload a PDF. A good example would be a statement by the faculty member explaining how a change in the federal government impacted their funding opportunities. Other materials, such as sample documents, can be included in the supplemental dossier. 

Awards

Faculty can include awards on their CV, enter awards into the appropriate activity section in Elements, or create and upload a separate document into the Awards section of their dossier. Prize/award is an activity type in sponsored projects, which is commonly used for prestigious awards faculty receive during their careers. Faculty can also include teaching and service awards in the teaching and service activity sections of their Elements profile. Our guidance pages help clarify where to put content. 

Candidate Statement

Faculty create and upload a document with their candidate statement. Follow the instructions in your dossier.

Dept/Unit Criteria (review and promotion policy)

Faculty include their unit's review and promotion policy link. Follow the instructions in your dossier.

Supplementary Dossier

Faculty can include their supplemental documents as attachments in this section of their dossier. 

Continuing and Submitting Your Dossier

WATCH THE CONTINUING AND SUBMITTING YOUR REVIEW DOSSIER TUTORIAL VIDEO

Access Your Dossier Again

• Log in to the system.
• On your homepage, under My Actions, click the Continue button next to your review. 
• You can start/stop working on your dossier anytime.

Navigate and Review Progress 

• Use the Overview tab to see where attachments have been added and which sections still need work.
• Use the Next/Previous arrows or the left-hand menu to move between sections. 

Complete Dossier Sections 

• Activity Sections: Follow blue box instructions or consult support staff.
• Awards: Upload a PDF if required.
• Candidate Statement: Ensure it’s uploaded.
• Letter of Waiver: Upload the appropriate document. 

Upload Required Documents 

• Locate the desired section (e.g., CV)
• Click the plus (+) button to add the required document.
• Drag and drop a PDF or click Browse to upload.
• Click Save and use the eyeball icon to preview the uploaded file.
• Review a downloadable word document with guidance on reducing file sizes and solving upload issues.

Add Department/Unit Criteria Link 

• Go to Department and Unit Promotion and Tenure Criteria.
• Click the blue button to find your department’s policy.
• Copy the link and click the plus (+) button to paste it.
• Check for a valid link (✅) or broken link (❌).
• Click Save and Exit. 

Supplementary Dossier (Optional) 

• Upload additional documents if applicable.
• Skip this section if not relevant. 

Final Review and Submission 

• Use the Overview tab to double-check your dossier.
• Click Submit when ready.
• Read the blue confirmation box.
• Check the box to confirm your submission.
• Click Confirm to finalize. 

Completion 

• Your dossier is now submitted and moves to the Support Staff phase. 

What will reviewers see and how will they know what to review?

• UO reviewers, like those on a personnel committee or your unit head, will see the same format and material that the faculty member does in Elements. 
• Components required in the dossier for every review are dictated by the CBA, university policy, and unit policy. Elements is the tool we use to create the dossier and share it with reviewers.
• Reviewers are given instructions in the Elements system to help them read your dossier and understand the material provided. Instead of creating guidance documents to teaching reviewers how to engage with Elements, the system has section-by-section instructions and help text for reviewers. Faculty who are putting their dossier together will only see instructions and help text applicable to them. Other information will be available to reviewers based on their role. For example, personnel committees receive their instructions when they review your dossier and deans receive their instructions when it is their turn to complete a review. 
• Reviewers still use unit policy to evaluate faculty work. Elements does not change review criteria. 

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Faculty Roles: Submissions, Viewer, Reviewer

Are you serving on a personnel committee this academic year? Are you a faculty member who has to review someone’s dossier and vote? Are you a unit head or supervisor? Are you an associate dean, dean, or similar? 

You can download a word document version of the information below for faculty as viewers/reviewers for AY26-27 information.

You will be assigned a role in Elements by your support staff. Depending on the work you have to do as part of the review process, then you may have different roles. Please follow instructions from your personnel support staff as internal processes for schools, colleges, and academic/research units vary. This can include how you review and vote on a dossier or who is assigned to upload a committee report.  

WATCH FACULTY ROLES TUTORIAL VIDEO

Submissions Role  

If you are going up for a review, you will find that under ‘My Submissions’.  

1. Navigate to 'Evaluation and Review' in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on 'My Submissions'.
3. Expand 'Review Processes' to see your assigned major review.
4. Click 'Start' to begin the review activity. 

Viewer Role 

WATCH FACULTY AS VIEWERS TUTORIAL VIDEO

As a viewer, your role is less active than that of a reviewer. Some units will use this role instead of reviewer if they want to give all of their faculty the opportunity to look at a particular case file. Viewers will read a case file but will not be asked to take any actions. 

1.  Navigate to 'Evaluation and Review' in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on 'Viewable Exercises'.
3. Expand 'Review Processes' to see dossiers you can view.
4. Click 'View' to access the dossier.
5. Review documents without uploading or submitting content. 

Looking at the dossier:

• Click on each section to look at the contents. There will often be attachments that you can select from and look at.
• You may have to scroll in a section to see all content or attachments.
• If there are PDF uploads, click on the right hand eyeball icon to open the document and review.
• Some documents such as the CV can be downloaded and printed. If there is a download icon (a downward pointing arrow), this means you can download the content. Faculty are responsible for ensuring they download their own documents and that they are using the most recent version of the document for their review.
• There are pale yellow boxes with notes from other reviewers/review stages. Make sure you scroll to see them.
• If there are multiple reviewers who have provided documentation, you will need to locate and select the "Other Reviews" section within each pale yellow box. This will be to the RIGHT hand side of the screen.
• Can't find the supplementary section? Scroll to the very bottom on the left-hand sidebar menu for supplementary documents or keep hitting "next" until you arrive at the last section of the dossier.
• You can open multiple windows/tabs once you are logged into Elements and view multiple documents within a dossier at once. This will support committee discussion practices. There is a 60 minute time out feature.
• You can copy/paste text from the pdf viewer in Elements or you can download and copy/paste text from the PDF directly. This will support those trying to quote external review letters.

Reviewer Role 

WATCH FACULTY AS REVIEWERS TUTORIAL VIDEO

As a reviewer, you may be chair of a committee or part of a faculty group that is reviewing a particular case file. These assignments can be found in ‘Assigned Reviews.’ 

1. Navigate to 'Evaluation and Review' in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on 'Assigned Reviews'.
3. Expand 'Review Processes' to view your assigned reviews.
4. Click 'View' to see the details of each review.
5. Click 'Start' to begin reviewing dossiers that are ready. 

Looking at the dossier:

• Click on each section to look at the contents.
• You may have to toggle between your Reviewer section and the Reviews from other folks.
  • In the Reviews area of a section (the pale yellow box), you may need to click a right/left arrow to navigate the numerous reviews/comments/attachments in that section.
  • If there are multiple reviewers who have provided documentation, you will need to locate and select the "Other Reviews" section within each pale yellow box.
• If there are PDF uploads, click on the right hand eyeball icon to open the document and review.
• Some documents such as the CV can be downloaded and printed. If there is a download icon (a downward pointing arrow), this means you can download the content. Faculty are responsible for ensuring they download their own documents and that they are using the most recent version of the document for their review.
• If you want to leave a comment: click directly into the pale yellow box and type. Then, hit "save".
• If you want to edit a comment: hit the "edit" button, make your revisions, and then hit "save".
• Can't find the supplementary section? Scroll to the very bottom on the left-hand sidebar menu for supplementary documents or keep hitting "next" until you arrive at the last section of the dossier.
• You can open multiple windows/tabs once you are logged into Elements and view multiple documents within a dossier at once. This will support committee discussion practices. There is a 60 minute time out.
• You can copy/paste text from the pdf viewer in Elements or directly from the downloaded PDF. This will support those trying to quote external review letters.

Personnel committee chairs: If assigned to do so, you will upload your committee report to the designated area of the dossier (e.g., "Department Personnel Committee Report").

1. Navigate to the personnel committee report section of the dossier.
2. Scroll slightly until you see a pale yellow box.
3. You can upload a PDF of your report in this section and leave notes in the text box.
   1. Upload (drag and drop a file OR select from your computer files)
   2. Select your file and hit upload
   3. Click on the eyeball icon to review the PDF
4. Hit Submit in the upper right hand corner.

Dossier Documents

• Reviewers/Viewers are able to download some dossier documents. The most important is the faculty CV so that this document can be annotated.
• Some documents cannot be downloaded for security, record-keeping, and privacy purposes. We have now made most documents available to download in order to best support reviewers.
• The entire dossier is unavailable for download as one document.
• If you want to look at multiple documents in the dossier at once, you can Command/click and view documents in a new tab or window. There is a 60 minute inactivity time out.
• You can open multiple windows/tabs once you are logged into Elements and view multiple documents within a dossier at once. This will support committee discussion practices.
• You can copy/paste text from the pdf viewer in Elements or from the downloaded PDF. This will support those trying to quote external review letters.

AY26-27 Reviews: Helpful Information to Keep in Mind

• Some schools/colleges/units are using the activity sections and others are not. CAS, LCB, COE, KCASI, Ballmer, and Libraries are using activity. SOMD, SOJC, Design, PERC, and MNCH are optionally using activity and their dossiers may not have these sections. 
• If activity sections are included, please review the information. 
• Most faculty will also provide their CV, please review the information.
• Contextual information for each activity section can be uploaded as an attachment in each section. Include in your review.
• Supplemental information can be uploaded as an attachment in the supplemental dossier section. Include in your review.
• Criteria for evaluation has not changed. Refer to unit policy for review and promotion criteria. 
• Elements has not created any new categories, activities, or criteria for faculty evaluation. It is the tool we are using to prepare dossiers and perform the review process. 

If you have any questions, contact the Office of the Provost or your support staff and they can help you look at your assigned reviews, your assigned viewers, and submissions if you are going up for a review in the academic year.  

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