AA/PPS 04.01.40 - Faculty Workload

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University will implement a faculty workload system to effectively document the professional responsibilities of faculty, ensure compliance with state reporting regulations, and inform the development and implementation of workload policies at the college, school, and department levels.

1. PURPOSE

   1. The purpose of this policy is to define the way in which faculty member’s workloads are determined, evaluated, and implemented to meet university goals. The policy reinforces the resource stewardship associated with faculty workloads and requires alignment between policies for workload, annual faculty evaluation, and tenure and promotion. It is also designed to provide guidance to each academic unit in developing unit-specific workload policies.

   2. Faculty members and administrators have a right to expect that workloads will be distributed equitably and carried out efficiently and effectively.

   3. This policy also establishes responsibilities for monitoring and reporting faculty workload, and for reporting workload compliance to The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for fall, spring, and summer semesters.

   4. Guidance on summer workload assignments may be found in AA/PPS No. 04.01.41, Summer Faculty Workload. Definitions, responsibilities, procedures, and other elements of this policy apply to AA/PPS No. 04.01.41, Summer Faculty Workload.

2. DEFINITIONS

   1. Academic Unit – a department or school residing within a college or a degree program with a program director who reports to the college dean.

   2. Chair or Director – the academic unit leader.

   3. Faculty – any individuals having a faculty appointment, regardless of the source of funding, title, or assignment.

   4. Graduate or Doctoral Instructional Assistants and Graduate or Doctoral Teaching Assistants – treated as faculty for workload purposes and are reported to the THECB on the Faculty Report (CBM 008). The roles and responsibilities of instructional and teaching assistants can be found in UPPS No. 07.07.06, Graduate Student Employment.

   5. Workload for Full-Time Clinical Faculty and Faculty of Practice – The required responsibility in the career of clinical or practice faculty members may include a combination of teaching, conducting research, scholarly and creative activities, and performing service. Full-time employment equates to a minimum of 12 workload units per fall and spring semester. For most clinical and practice faculty at Texas State, this 12-workload unit standard is typically fulfilled by teaching nine to 12 workload credits or conducting research, scholarly and creative activities, or fulfilling service duties at a level that warrants the awarding of three credits (see AA/PPS No. 04.01.22, Clinical Faculty Appointments and AA/PPS No. 04.01.23, Faculty of Practice Appointments for additional information).

   6. * Workload for Faculty of Instruction – The required responsibility in the career of faculty of instruction is focused on teaching, with limited service activities. Full-time employment equates to a minimum of 12 workload units per fall and spring semester. For faculty of instruction, this 12-workload unit standard is typically fulfilled by teaching 12 workload credits (see AA/PPS No. 04.01.26, Faculty of Instruction Appointments for additional information).

   7. Workload for Full-Time Lecturers and Senior Lecturers – The required responsibility in the career of a lecturer or senior lecturer is focused on teaching, with limited service activities. Full-time employment equates to 12 workload units per fall and spring semester. For lecturers and senior lecturers, this 12-workload unit standard is typically fulfilled by teaching 12 workload credits.

   8. Workload for Full-Time Tenure-Line Faculty – The required responsibility in the career of a tenured or tenure-track faculty member includes teaching; conducting research, scholarly, and creative activities; and providing service to the university or the profession. Full-time employment equates to a minimum of 12 workload units per fall and spring semester. For most tenured and tenure-track faculty at Texas State, this 12-workload unit standard is typically fulfilled by teaching six to nine workload credits and conducting research, scholarly, and creative activities, or service or administrative duties at a level that warrants the awarding of three to six workload credits.

   9. Workload for Full-Time Research Faculty – The required responsibility in the career of a research faculty member is focused on conducting research, scholarly, and creative activities, including the development and implementation of sponsored programs. Full-time employment equates to a minimum of 12 workload units per fall and spring semester. Research faculty positions are supported by extramural funds, including salaries and benefits (see AA/PPS No. 04.01.21, Research Faculty Appointments, for additional information).

   10. Roles and expectations for various faculty titles are addressed in AA/PPS No. 04.01.20, Faculty Responsibilities, Definitions, and Titles. The division of the obligations outlined above may vary from individual to individual and change over the course of a faculty member’s career.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

   1. Responsibility for monitoring, reviewing, and reporting faculty workload assignments includes the following parties:

      1. Each chair or director is responsible for reviewing, approving, and transmitting the workload assignments of each faculty member within their academic unit to the dean, including explanations when a faculty member’s assignments deviate from department, school, college, division, or university policy.

      2. Each dean is responsible for reviewing, approving, and transmitting a report of workload assignments of all faculty within their college to the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs (EVPAA), including explanations when a faculty member’s assignments deviate from department, school, college, division, or university workload policy.

      3. The provost and EVPAA will have final responsibility for the approval of faculty workload assignments in conformity with this policy, subject only to review by the president and final action by The Texas State University System Board of Regents.

      4. Chairs or directors and deans are responsible for ensuring appropriate workload and resource stewardship by reviewing academic unit policies, workload reports, and monitoring policy compliance. They are also responsible for implementing early oversight of faculty workload to ensure consistency and appropriate resource stewardship for all upcoming semesters.

   2. Each college, department, or school is responsible for creating a workload policy that recognizes approved budget and resource stewardship. A college policy that is followed by all academic units in the college may be substituted for separate unit policies. At a minimum, the unit policy:

      1. delineates the relationship between the workload policy and the annual faculty evaluation policy implemented by the academic unit and required by AA/PPS No. 04.02.10, Performance Evaluation of Continuing Faculty and Post-Tenure Review and AA/PPS No. 04.02.11, Performance Evaluation of Non-Continuing Non-Tenure Line Faculty;

      2. delineates the relationship between the workload policy and the tenure and promotion policy implemented by the academic unit and required by AA/PPS No. 04.02.20, Tenure and Promotion Review;

      3. specifies teaching workload credits for each course, lab, individual instruction, expectations for mentoring student research, expectations for the number of students supervised for theses and dissertations, and any applicable assignments or adjustments;

      4. specifies research, scholarly, and creative workload credits for the development and implementation of research, scholarly, and creative projects, development and implementation of grants and sponsored programs, other significant scholarly activities and outcomes, and any applicable adjustments;

      5. specifies service workload credits for academic program coordination, responsibility for academic program review or accreditation, other significant administrative or service assignments relevant to the unit or profession, and any applicable adjustments;

      6. ensures communication between faculty and chairs, directors, and deans about future and appropriate workload assignments;

      7. is developed by a departmental committee that includes representatives from tenured faculty, continuing non-tenure line faculty, and tenure-track faculty, and is approved by the departmental personnel committee, the chair or director, the college dean, and the provost and EVPAA;

      8. provides for a review of the policy on a regular basis; and

      9. stipulates that the chair or director is responsible for providing all faculty with access to the policy.

   3. At Texas State, a faculty member’s professional responsibilities for each semester are determined by the chair or director, subject to the approval of the dean. Chairs or directors are responsible for appropriately distributing obligations among faculty members within the academic unit. In meeting this responsibility, chairs or directors should attempt to match the needs of the academic unit and the university as outlined in the academic unit’s goals for teaching; research, scholarly, and creative activity; and service with the individual professional goals of each faculty member.

   4. The terms, guidelines, and procedures for completing workload compliance reports are outlined in Instructions for Completing Internal Faculty – Workload Report. Codes that are used to complete this report are outlined in Workload Assignment/Adjustment Codes.

4. PROCEDURES FOR ASSIGNMENT AND ADJUSTMENT OF WORKLOAD CREDITS

   1. Workload credit is earned during each semester in three general areas: teaching; research, scholarly, and creative activity; and service. All activities that receive faculty workload credit should be assessed to maintain acceptable standards of accountability. The total workload credits earned should be used to monitor the distribution of work assignments within each academic unit and across academic units. Workload in a semester is the sum of assigned workload credits and adjustments to workload.

   2. Workload assignments include workload for teaching and instruction; research, scholarly, and creative activity; and appointed positions. Workload adjustments provide a mechanism to document temporary recognition of additional duties and expectations for instruction, scholarly and creative activities, and service or administrative assignments.

   3. * There may be times when exceptional circumstances require a faculty member to carry a teaching (organized course) workload that is clearly beyond the normal expectations. Under these conditions, the faculty member should receive compensation or reimbursable teaching workload credits. Compensation for teaching overloads is typically based on the standard per-course flat fee rate for the course or department in which the course is taught. Reimbursable teaching workload credits (max of 6 credits per semester) may be returned to the faculty member who earned them with a commensurate amount of release time during a long semester within two years from when the credit was earned. Due to Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation standards and budget impact, reimbursable teaching workload credits and paid overloads must be requested by the chair or director and approved prior to census date of the semester by the appropriate dean and the senior vice provost.

5. PROCEDURES FOR ASSIGNING WORKLOAD CREDITS FOR TEACHING

   1. Workload is calculated for courses, labs, and individual instruction using the semester credit hour value of the course, lab contact hours, or the number of students enrolled on the 12th class day. Calculation codes have been created for this purpose and are described in the following sections. Chairs or directors may assign workload adjustments to reflect the complexity of teaching assignments. For organized courses, chairs or directors may assign up to 1.5 times the credit hour value to a specific course. This assignment is appropriate only when preparation, instructional management, grading demands, or research activities related to the teaching assignment are much greater than normal and are not compensated with other support.

   2. Workload credit for graduate or doctoral instructional assistants is generated by the addition of a lab assignment credit in an amount equivalent to the individual’s full-time equivalency (FTE). The lab assignment is automatically generated on the report. Graduate or doctoral teaching assistants generate workload credit by appointment as the instructor of record for a specific course in an amount equivalent to the individual’s FTE, as described in UPPS No. 07.07.06, Graduate Student Employment.

   Sections 05.03 through 05.07 describe the methods for assigning teaching workload credits. More information about the instruction types is available in AA/PPS No. 02.01.01, Academic Credit Courses: Additions, Changes, and Deletions.

   3. Lecture Courses – Workload for lecture courses will be assigned based on the credit hours of the lecture.

   4. Laboratory Courses – Workload for laboratory courses will be calculated based on contact hours using Lab Conversions as a framework. Each academic unit should develop a specific workload formula for laboratory courses if the standard formula is not used.

   5. Combined Classroom and Laboratory – In a combined lecture and lab course, workload credit will be assigned based on the credit hours of the lecture and the contact hours of the lab. Workload for lecture will be assigned separate from workload for lab (see Summary of Teaching Workload Credits). Workload for lectures will be based on the credit hours attributed to the lecture. Workload for labs will be calculated based on contact hours using Lab Conversions as a framework for the academic unit specific formula.

   6. Individual Instruction – Individual instruction includes, student teaching supervision, private music lessons, clinical supervision, internships, thesis, dissertation, and individual instruction. All individual instruction workload will be determined by each academic unit and on the basis of course learning objectives, faculty time commitment, or enrollments.

   7. * Stacked or Cross-Listed Courses – Workload credit for teaching two or more courses or course sections that are offered by the same instructors, at the same time, in the same part of the term, or in the same location will be granted only for one class. The workload generated for this arrangement will be based on the calculation code assigned to the highest-level course.

   Sections 05.08 and 05.10 describe the methods for adjusting teaching workload credit.

   8. Laboratory Coordination Adjustment – The chair or director may grant up to six workload credits per semester to a faculty member who coordinates multiple sections of laboratories (see Lab Conversions).

   9. Large Class Adjustment – Additional workload credit may be assigned each semester in recognition of the preparation and management of a section of a course with large enrollments. Workload credits are based upon the consideration of factors such as the availability of instructional assistants, enrollment needs, unit norms concerning class size, educational learning outcomes, and writing expectations of the course.

   10. * Instructional Adjustment – Additional workload credit may be assigned each semester for direct instructional activities, which include interaction with students related to instruction, preparation for instruction, and evaluation of student performance.

6. PROCEDURES FOR ASSIGNING WORKLOAD CREDIT FOR RESEARCH, SCHOLARLY, AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

   1. Chairs or directors may assign credit to or adjust workload for faculty members for research, scholarly, and creativity activities. Codes for the equivalent workload credits listed below are contained in Workload Assignment/Adjustment Codes.

   Sections 06.02 through 06.07 describe the methods for adjusting workload credit for faculty performing research, scholarly, and creative activities.

   2. Research Activity – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who is actively participating in research, scholarly, and creative activities. In recognition of professional responsibilities and in alignment with appropriate workload policy and annual evaluation policy, tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to receive three research activity credits each fall and spring semester. As described in the appropriate workload policy and annual evaluation policy, additional credits may be awarded for non-sponsored research, scholarly, and creative activities with planned outcomes that extend beyond the expectations associated with three research activity credits.

   3. Sponsored Program Development Activity – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who is actively developing proposals for specific sponsored programs.

   4. Sponsored Program Activity – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who is actively participating in or implementing sponsored program or grant-related activities.

   5. Research Buy-Out – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who has secured external funding to pay for a portion of their salary and thus, buy out time. Workload credit awarded for research buy-out should align with time and effort reporting on sponsored programs.

   6. Graduate Mentoring – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member participating in graduate research mentoring, such as multiple theses, dissertations, or academic projects, and who is not the instructor of record.

   7. Undergraduate Mentoring – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member participating in undergraduate research mentoring, such as multiple honors capstones or similar academic projects, and who is not the instructor of record.

7. PROCEDURES FOR ASSIGNING WORKLOAD CREDIT FOR SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

   1. Chairs or directors may assign credit to or adjust workload for faculty members for other appropriate service and administrative responsibilities, as outlined in the following sections. Codes for the equivalent workload credits listed below are contained in Workload Assignment/Adjustment Codes.

   Sections 07.02 through 07.05 describe the methods for assigning workload credit for administrative responsibilities.

   2. Provost and EVPAA Assignment – The provost and EVPAA may approve a special assignment and leave for a faculty member, chair, director, or dean. With approval from the provost and EVPAA or from the university president, up to 12 workload units per semester may be granted for special assignments.

   3. * Assistant or Associate Dean Assignment – Workload credit will be granted for faculty who serve as an associate or an assistant dean. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the associate or assistant dean role.

   4. * Department Chair or School Director Assignment – Workload credit will be granted for chairing or directing an academic unit. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the chair or director role.

   5. * Program Coordinator or Director Assignment – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who coordinates or directs an academic program or a center, clinic, or similar unit. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the coordinator or director role.

   Sections 07.06 through 07.09 describe the methods for adjusting workload credit for professional activities and service responsibilities.

   6. Academic Activity Adjustment – Workload credit may be granted to a faculty member who is coordinating an academic program or preparing documents in the fulfillment of academic program review needs, accreditation requirements, or other duties performed in the best interest of the institution’s instructional programs (e.g., writing significant academic program proposals, online course, and program development). Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the activity.

   7. Administrative Activity Adjustment – Workload credit may be granted for a faculty member who serves as the assistant or associate chair or director, or who chairs certain committees, task forces, the Faculty Senate, or who performs other time-intensive administrative duties. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the activity.

   8. Academic Advising Adjustment – Workload credit may be granted for major academic advising responsibilities. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope of duties, time and effort, and goals and expectations of the assignment.

   9. Professional Activity Adjustment – Workload credit may be granted for professional activities such as editing a professional journal or serving as an officer in a professional organization. Resulting credit should be commensurate with the scope, time commitment, goals, prestige, quality, and expectations of the assignment.

8. PROCEDURES FOR ASSIGNING WORKLOAD CREDIT FOR UNIVERSITY-APPROVED LEAVE

   Sections 08.01 through 08.04 describe the methods for adjusting workload credit for faculty participating in university-approved leave programs.

   1. Faculty Development Leave Adjustment – Up to 12 workload credits per semester may be assigned to a faculty member who is awarded a faculty developmental leave through the process described in AA/PPS No. 04.02.02, Faculty Development Leave.

   2. Non-Tenure Line Workload Release Adjustment – Up to six workload credits per semester may be assigned to a faculty member who is awarded a workload release through the process described in AA/PPS No. 04.02.03, Non-Tenure Line Faculty Workload Release Program.

   3. Fellowship Leave Adjustment – Up to 12 workload credits per semester may be assigned to a faculty member who is awarded a fellowship leave through the process described in AA/PPS No. 04.01.32, Management and Funding of Faculty Fellowships.

   4. Emergency or Worklife Adjustment – Workload credits may be used in conjunction with more flexible responsibility on projects for which there is a deliverable product. Because of implications for sick leave, benefits, tenure and promotion timelines, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other regulations, these adjustments must be reviewed by the chair or director, dean, and senior vice provost in consultation with Faculty and Academic Resources. Credit may be granted to graduate students where appropriate in certain situations. The provisions described in UPPS No. 04.04.30, University Leave Policy may also apply.

9. WORKLOAD AND REPORTING PROCEDURES

   1. The initial workload report will be available electronically to chairs or directors and deans following the 12th day of each fall and spring semester. Deans and chairs or directors will be responsible for reviewing the report and identifying errors, omissions, and justifications to ensure faculty workload is in compliance (i.e., each faculty member generates enough workload credits to justify their FTE under the faculty workload policy).

   2. Upon notification by Faculty and Academic Resources, the final and approved workload report will be available to deans, chairs, directors, and the chair of the Faculty Senate via the online workload reporting system. Chairs or directors will remind faculty members that individual workload reports will be available in the Faculty Qualifications System. A copy of the entire academic unit report or a summary report will be provided by the chair or director to the academic unit’s personnel committee.

10. * REVIEWERS OF THIS PPS

    1. Reviewers of this PPS include the following:

       Position	Date
       Senior Vice Provost	February 1 E5Y
       Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs	February 1 E5Y

11. * CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    Senior Vice Provost; senior reviewer of this PPS

    Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs