Faculty Annual Reviews

IU School of Medicine is dedicated to supporting the vitality of faculty members throughout their careers across the teaching, research and service missions. The annual faculty review is a key part of the career-development process.

Two businesswomen talk while sitting at a desk. They appear to be in the middle of a faculty annual review.

Annual reviews are required for full-time faculty, including tenured, tenure-track, clinical-track, scientist-track, librarians, lecturers and affiliate faculty. IU School of Medicine strongly recommends that all other academic appointees also receive an annual review.

While the annual review is a requirement, it also provides an opportunity to provide mentoring and feedback, clarify expectations and increase faculty engagement.

The 2025-2026 Annual Review Process: How to Prepare

Learn how to use Elements.

Attend a one-hour Elements Basics training to get a foundational understanding of the Elements system, including how your data is harvested, and how to enter and/or edit your teaching, research and service activity. You do not need to register in advance. Simply visit the trainings page linked above at the scheduled session time you plan to attend.
Attend IU School of Medicine Annual Review Workflow training — School of Medicine-specific annual review workflow training for reviewees. Check the link for upcoming trainings.
Pop in to open Elements Office Hours to ask questions and get specific guidance from Elements experts.
Check existing Elements support materials for content that is of interest.
- One to watch: Video: How to Complete an Annual Review in Elements (about 11 minutes)
- An IU School of Medicine-specific training video, “How to Complete an Annual Review in Elements,” is coming soon. Check the Elements Office Hours and Trainings page at a later date for a link.

Review the standardized rubrics that will be used to gauge your performance in the areas of research, teaching and service. Draft rubrics — along with an open-comments form — will be available on the Faculty Affairs and Professional Development MedNet page beginning Oct. 17. (Note: If you have trouble accessing the MedNet page, try opening a browser you don't normally use — like Firefox or Chrome — or open an incognito window, then log in using your Indiana University – not IU Health – credentials.)

Individual rubrics for research, teaching and service outline what is expected of faculty and what factors determine whether activity exceeds, meets or fails to meet expectations for satisfactory performance. They provide faculty with written expectations and guide chairs and other supervisors through a systematic annual review process within the School of Medicine.
Attend the town hall event about the standardized rubrics Nov. 6. This is your chance to learn more about the rubrics and how they pertain to both annual reviews and post-tenure reviews, provide feedback, hear responses to common questions and ask any additional questions you might have.
Add your comments, questions and concerns about the standardized rubrics to the open-comment form on the Faculty Affairs and Professional Development MedNet page. The form will be available from Oct. 17 to Nov. 16.

The task forces that created the rubrics will review faculty feedback and determine what, if any, changes to the rubrics are needed before they are finalized.
Review your personal profile in Elements, and update/correct relevant data. For reviews of 2025 performance, happening in early 2026, you should ensure that all research, teaching and service activities are complete for the year 2025.
Schedule a review with your administrative leader. Your review must be complete by April 30.

To be prepared to conduct faculty annual reviews, you should:

Learn how to conduct annual reviews through Elements.

Attend a one-hour Elements Basics training to get a foundational understanding of the Elements system, including how faculty data are harvested. Trainings will be offered in October and November. You do not need to register in advance. Simply visit the trainings page linked above at the scheduled session time you plan to attend.
Attend IU School of Medicine Annual Review Workflow training to understand your role in the workflow process. Trainings will be offered in October, November and December. Check the link for upcoming trainings.
Attend "Conducting Effective Faculty Annual Reviews Using Elements and Standardized Rubrics," an FAPD workshop on Dec. 11. Get answers to your questions, tips for success and advice for using Elements and standardized rubrics.
Pop in to open Elements Office Hours to ask questions and get specific guidance from Elements experts.
Check existing Elements support materials for content that is of interest.
- One to watch: Video: How to Review an Annual Review in Elements (about 11 minutes)
- An IU School of Medicine-specific training video, “How to Complete an Annual Review in Elements,” is coming soon. Check the Elements Office Hours and Trainings page at a later date for a link.

Review the standardized rubrics that will be used to gauge your performance in the areas of research, teaching and service. Draft rubrics — along with an open-comments form — will be available on the Faculty Affairs and Professional Development MedNet page beginning Oct. 17. (Note: If you have trouble accessing the MedNet page, try opening a browser you don't normally use — like Firefox or Chrome — or open an incognito window, then log in using your Indiana University – not IU Health – credentials.)

Individual rubrics for research, teaching and service outline what is expected of faculty and what factors determine whether activity exceeds, meets or fails to meet expectations for satisfactory performance. They provide faculty with written expectations and guide chairs and other supervisors through a systematic annual review process within the School of Medicine.
Attend the town hall event about the standardized rubrics Nov. 6. This is your chance to learn more about the rubrics and how they pertain to both annual reviews and post-tenure reviews, provide feedback, hear responses to common questions and ask any additional questions you might have.
Add your comments, questions and concerns about the standardized rubrics to the open-comment form on the Faculty Affairs and Professional Development MedNet page. The form will be available from Oct. 17 to Nov. 16.

The task forces that created the rubrics will review faculty feedback and determine what, if any, changes to the rubrics are needed before they are finalized.
Schedule reviews with your faculty. All annual reviews must be completed in Elements by April 30.

Departments are encouraged to direct individual reviewers and reviewees to existing trainings, including:

One-hour Elements Basics training to get a foundational understanding of the Elements system, including how faculty data are harvested.
30-minute Elements Annual Review Workflow training to understand one’s role in the workflow process. Trainings will be offered in October and November.
IU School of Medicine-specific training videos:
- For reviewees: How to Complete an Annual Review in Elements
- For reviewers: How to Review an Annual Review in Elements

IN THIS SECTION

Elements
- Elements FAQs

Review Processes and Responsibilities Timeline

Throughout the year, there are several review-related processes occurring, including those related to faculty annual reviews, 3- and 5-year dossier reviews, and post-tenure productivity reviews.

Wondering how your responsibilities fall into the overall timeline of the faculty annual review process?

Download the review processes timeline

About Annual Reviews

Annual reviews are more than just a record-keeping experience. They are also an opportunity for regular check-ins that recognize achievement, identify potential areas for growth and ensure alignment with unit, school and university expectations.

The annual review:

Serves as an opportunity for mentoring or career-development conversations regarding:
- Progress toward promotion, tenure (if applicable) and overall career development
- Faculty performance across mission areas
- Accomplishments
- Strengths
- Areas for improvement
- Goals
- Professional-development needs
Clarifies allocations of effort
Keeps transparent the performance expectations as they pertain to one's area of excellence
Sparks development of a plan for improvement if areas of improvement are noted
Includes data that can be used to determine merit raises and salary adjustments
Prompts faculty to reflect on goals, document achievements and plan strategically for the future
Serves as a building block for periodic multi-year reviews (including post-tenure reviews). This streamlines the multi-year review process and ensures consistency in evaluations over time.

The IU School of Medicine faculty annual review policy mandates an annual performance and merit review for all full-time faculty.

The start of the annual review period is at an individual department’s discretion— with some starting in December or earlier — but all reviews must be completed by April 30 of the year following the performance being reviewed.

For example, faculty and their chairs or administrative leaders should discuss and document the faculty member’s 2025 performance through a faculty annual review that concludes by April 30, 2026.