Faculty Workload Policy

This policy guides all academic departments in the College of Education as department heads assign faculty time for teaching, research, and service. The COE policy is a supplement to the University Faculty Workload Policy and neither replaces nor supersedes the University policy.

Instructors

  • Instructors with neither research nor service requirements will be assigned 15 hours teaching each semester.
  • Instructors with no research but some service requirements may be assigned 12 hours teaching each semester, as deemed appropriate by the department head and college dean.
  • If instructors choose to engage in research or service activities beyond an equivalent of 3 hours assigned time, they may do so but with no additional reassigned time beyond 3 hours, maintaining a teaching assignment of 12 hours.
  • For information on promotion to Senior Instructor, refer to Appendix C.

Ranked Faculty

All ranked faculty (tenured and untenured) will be assigned 9 hours teaching provided the faculty member documents an established research agenda. Three hours will be assigned for research. Service is an expectation that will not result in reassigned time except for special or extenuating circumstances, as detailed in this document.

All ranked faculty with tenure who cannot document an established research agenda will be assigned 12 hours teaching with service expectations and some documented scholarly activity.

Qualifying Activities

Some special activities that are deemed to be above and beyond normal or customary assignments for other faculty in a department that may warrant special workload consideration under teaching, research/scholarly activity, or service for which reassigned time may be made as deemed appropriate by the department head and dean include but are not limited to the following:

  • Grant writing and/or grant development
  • PI, Director, Evaluator, or some other approved role on a grant-funded project.
  • Program Coordinator or Director.
  • Accreditation work beyond that which is common or ordinary as a component of teaching, research, or service.
  • Supervision of student teachers
  • Advisement and student portfolio work in tandem that are not commonly or ordinarily assigned as a component of teaching
  • Faculty Fellow
  • Special projects coordinator as assigned by the department head or dean
  • Special research initiatives specific to the department or college
  • Sabbaticals and educational/administrative leave [Note: All faculty on sabbatical or educational/administrative leave will be reviewed as 100% research with no teaching nor service requirements during the sabbatical or educational/administrative leave time.]

Newly Hired Faculty

Newly hired tenure track faculty will be assigned no more than 9 hours equated teaching during their first two semesters, excluding summer provided the faculty member provides a research plan. Beginning in the third semester of employment, the faculty member will be expected to maintain a research agenda and continue with a 9 equated hour teaching assignment with the same opportunity for reassigned time as other ranked faculty, per this workload policy.

Process

The process for negotiating reassigned time entails the following steps:

  • Faculty request reassigned time during annual workload negotiations with department heads.
  • Heads discuss with dean who provides oversight
  • Heads notify faculty in writing regarding workload negotiation, including reassigned time.
  • If unexpected circumstances arise, requests for reassigned time may be considered at times other than during the annual workload negotiation.

Criteria for Consideration of Reassigned Time

The following criteria must be met for possible grants and/or renewing reassigned time:

  • Progress/performance is assessed during annual workload negotiations.
  • Criteria for progress/performance are governed by departments’ promotion, tenure and reappointment policies, departmental merit evaluation policies, and evaluations by departmental committees and/or departmental heads. Department heads are encouraged to schedule 9 hours of teaching for all faculty members who are actively engaging in research endeavors and/or pursuing eligibility for university tenure and promotion.

Summer Assignments

The courses and number of sections to be taught in the summer sessions will be determined by and based on student need. While summer teaching, et al. assignments are not guaranteed, faculty may teach up to 6 hours as an in-load summer assignment. Additional assignments beyond 6 hours will be made only with the dean’s approval.

Overload Assignment Policy

Under typical circumstances faculty receiving reassigned time (i.e. teaching fewer than 9 hours of SCH producing courses) are not eligible for overload compensation. An “overload” assumes the faculty member already has a full teaching load of 9 equated hours. In exceptional cases department heads may recommend to the dean that an individual teaching fewer than 9 equated hours receive compensation for an additional teaching assignment. In such cases equated hours receive compensation for an additional teaching assignment. In such cases the following two criteria must be met:

  • The additional assignment is to meet critical, short-term program needs.
  • There is compelling evidence that the faculty member can and will make full and productive use of the retained reassigned time.

Overload assignments are assumed to be voluntary, although faculty members are urged to seek the greater good of their programs in taking on additional assignments.

Overload compensation shall be computed by taking 2.5% of the faculty member’s salary times the number of hours taught. Compensation greater or less than this amount may be negotiated in special individual circumstances, subject to approval by the dean. Compensation paid by units external to the college is determined by agreements negotiated between the external unit and the individual faculty member in consultation with the department head and dean.