Issuing Office

Office of the Provost

Affected Parties

Faculty

Policy Language

Full-Time, benefited faculty shall adhere to the guidelines for load and compensation outlined below.

Policy Rationale

This policy exists to ensure that adequate faculty are available for instruction and service to students, as well as to ensure that faculty receive fair compensation for teaching above their contracted load. Additionally, this policy is intended to help balance instructional, institutional, and professional interests in a manner equitable to faculty.

Definition of Glossary Terms

None specified

Procedures

The following table identifies standard instructional load requirements for full time benefited faculty:

Faculty Load

2. Faculty with teaching responsibilities must satisfy the terms of their contract using assigned courses in the fall and spring semesters.

3. Courses conducted with face‐to‐face instruction count towards load (i.e., traditional residential, intensives, online synchronous).

4. Standard course loads are assigned at the following levels:

1. 1. 3 Credit Hour Undergraduate Section: 3 Load Hours
   2. 3 Credit Hour Graduate Section: 4 Load Hours
   3. 3 Credit Hour Doctoral Section: 5 Load Hours

5. Undergraduate and Graduate Courses with fewer than ten students have their assigned load prorated on the following schedule:

• 9 students – 90%
• 8 students – 80%
• 7 students – 70%
• 6 students – 60%
• 5 students – 50%
• 4 students – 40%
• 3 students – 30%
• 2 students – 20%
• 1 student –  10%

Requests for exceptions to this policy may be submitted to the Provost and will be considered when warranted.

6. Doctoral Courses with fewer than eight students have their assigned load prorated on the following schedule:

• 7 students – 85%
• 6 students – 70%
• 5 students – 55%
• 4 students – 40%
• 3 students – 30%
• 2 students – 20%
• 1 student –  10%

7. Independent Study Assignments

1. 1. A faculty member may be assigned an Independent Study by departmental request.
   2. Independent study sections (1 student) are paid at $395 and do not count towards load.
   3. Faculty are compensated up to a maximum of 3 Independent Study sections per semester.

8. Dissertation, Thesis, and Project Assignments

1. 1. Dissertation, theses, and project assignment are compensated individually upon successful completion and do not count towards load.
   2. Faculty may chair up to a maximum of 6 dissertations, theses, and projects at any given time.

9. Faculty are awarded release hours for certain institutional responsibilities, which reduces teaching load. Release is reviewed and approved on an annual basis by administration.

10. Faculty may teach above their contracted load (i.e., overload) with departmental approval. Additional instructional compensation is earned at the standard adjunct rate, unless specified otherwise.

11. Faculty may teach up to a maximum of 6 hours of overload during each fall and spring semester. Exceeding this threshold requires Provost approval.

12. During the summer semester:

1. 1. Faculty on 10‐month contract may teach up to a maximum of 4 undergraduate and 3 graduate courses.
   2. Faculty on 11‐month contract may teach up to a maximum of 3 undergraduate and 2 graduate courses.
   3. Faculty on 12‐month contracts may teach up to a maximum of 2 undergraduate and 2 graduate courses.

13. Summer 2016 Intensive compensation will be paid at the following rate:

Sanctions

None specified

Exceptions

None

Date Approved

8/27/2019

Date for Review

8/27/2024