Faculty Handbook

II.B.1. Teaching Load (Pg. 26-27)

“Teaching load of the faculty is normally twelve hours per semester. Faculty work load also includes research, creative activity and service. When financial or other circumstances allow, a reassignment of teach load may be approved by the chair of the department, program director, and/or dean of the college. A primary purpose of such reassignment is to support research and creative activities, but reassignment also may be granted to allow extra time for graduate teaching; department, college and university committee service; supervision of theses, independent study and practicum/internships; team teaching; new technology assisted course development; student advisement; program director/coordinator assignments; and other professional duties. To meet specific professional accreditation requirements, a program, department or college may be authorized to develop exceptions to the normal teaching-load policy. Tenured faculty may also elect, in negotiation with their program director, department chair or dean, to teach additional courses in lieu of research, creative activity or service.

Faculty and chairs who are appointed for twelve months generally are expected to teach during both summer terms or to perform other duties related to their assignments. Teaching load for chairs is normally six credit hours each regular semester and three credit hours each summer term. In some cases, responsibilities may be adjusted to provide the opportunity for taking accumulated leave during the summer months. Teaching load for deans is normally six credit hours per academic year, but may vary according to other duties of the deanship. Issues and contexts such as accreditation, discipline-specific demands of the course content, the amount of student/instructor interaction, graduate or undergraduate course level, laboratory and field/clinical settings and instructional environments and platforms (face-to-face or online) are among the variables that should be considered when setting enrollment caps on classes. The maximum number of students assigned to course sections is to be determined by the department chair or director in consultation with the faculty and the college dean.”

II.B.2. Overloads (Pg. 27-28)

“II.B.2.a) On-campus Overloads

Occasionally, because of scheduling conflicts or unexpected extended faculty vacancies, overload teaching assignments may become necessary. On those occasions when a faculty overload becomes necessary, a faculty member may need to teach a load that is more than their customary stated load for their college or disciplines. An overload teaching assignment occurs only when a pre-tenure or tenured faculty member is assigned a teaching load of more than twelve hours per semester or a non-tenured faculty member is assigned a teaching load of more than fifteen credit hours per semester, or when a chair is assigned a teaching load of more than six hours per semester, or when a dean is assigned a teaching load of more than three credit hours per semester.

When an overload teaching assignment occurs, arrangements should be made by the department chair or dean to provide for extra compensation (according to the Extra Compensation Policy), reassignment time at a future time or other compensation, as appropriate. Care should be taken to limit overload teaching, particularly for pre-tenured faculty. Teaching overloads should be considered in annual merit review.

II.B.2.b) Off-campus Overloads

Faculty may choose to teach overloads off campus for extra compensation. These additional teaching assignments must not conflict with regular on-campus responsibilities. A faculty member may not receive extra compensation for overload teaching of credit courses to exceed the monthly line item maximum in A-State’s appropriation act.”

II.B.3. Reassignment of Faculty Workload–Research, Creative (Pg. 28-30)

“Projects & Service

It is an objective of the university to foster research, creative activities, and public service of its faculty by providing faculty members an opportunity for reassignment of workload. To implement this objective, colleges should file statements of operational procedures with the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research. Such statements should define eligibility requirements, proposal guidelines, the proposal review process, submission and decision time lines and reporting requirements. Each statement should include the following provisions:

Three semester hours is the normal reassignment from teaching for any faculty member in any semester.
Reassignments may be approved by the department chair or dean when 1) the reduction in course offering will still permit student needs to be met, or 2) when uncommitted funds can be used to permit the appointment of a part-time instructor to cover the section from which the full-time faculty member is to be reassigned.
Criteria should be established for awarding the reassignments to the most deserving applicants in an equitable, but clearly strategic manner.
A system of departmental and/or college committees may be established to process applications and make recommendations to the chair and dean for reassignments.
Proposals for reassignment should be received and acted on in time to allow orderly scheduling and staffing decisions prior to the semester in which the reassignment is requested.
Faculty members who receive reassignments shall be required to submit reports to the chair and dean after completing the assignment, summarizing his/her achievements, and these reports should be considered in making future reassignments.

At the end of each reassignment period, deans should collect and retain the reports and provide a copy to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research with their summary evaluation of each reassignment. The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research must receive timely notification of all approved reassignments from each college to facilitate correct account reassignment. These procedures do not preclude other types of reassignments (such as “soft money” assignments or administrative assignments) which are considered on a case by case basis.”

II.E. Summer School Appointments (Pg.35 - 36)

“Summer school enrollment is not as large in some departments as the enrollment during the academic year; therefore, employment on the summer school faculty is not available to all faculty members who may wish to teach. The tentative number of faculty members to be employed during the summer session is determined by the estimated student demand in each department. Guidelines for choosing who will be given preference in summer school teaching assignments will be developed by each college and forwarded for approval to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research. Tentative appointments for summer work are usually made prior to February 15, in order that faculty members whose services are not needed during the summer will have an opportunity to seek summer employment elsewhere, but actual employment is dependent upon sufficient enrollment to schedule classes. Summer term salary is computed at the rate of 13.888 percent of the preceding nine months’ salary for a full load (six credit hours) during a five week term. A qualified faculty member may teach full-time both summer terms. Faculty members paid from research grants, etc., may be employed up to three months in summer”

II.F. Continuing Performance Evaluation – Pg. 36

“Faculty, department chairs and deans are subject to continuing performance evaluations. If at any time, the employee’s immediate supervisor determines that the employee is not meeting performance expectations, the employee may be counseled regarding the unacceptable performance. Documentation of the conference will be placed in the employment file.”

II.G. Annual Performance Evaluation (Include II.G.1. and II.G.2.) – Pg. 36- 37

“II.G.1. Faculty

Department chairs and/or appropriate supervisors (such as unit heads, deans or directors) will conduct an annual performance evaluation of all faculty members in their respective areas, which will include appropriate evaluation of teaching, research and service. These evaluations will be used to determine recommendations for merit pay when authorized by the university. Departments may vary the weight and/or expectations in the areas of teaching, research/scholarship, creative activities and service so long as the mission of the area concerned is met. Criteria, procedures or instruments will be determined by each department/area.

Chairs will provide each member of the faculty with a written summary of the performance evaluation.

Each faculty member will initial a copy of the chair’s evaluation to indicate the faculty member has received it.

If the faculty member does not agree with the performance evaluation, the faculty member may provide a written rebuttal, which will be initialed by the chair and attached to the performance evaluation sheet to indicate the chair has received it.

A copy of the initialed performance evaluation sheet (and rebuttal) will be placed in the faculty member’s employment file at both the department and college level.

II.G.2. Deans and Department Chairs

Deans and department chairs will meet annually with the person to whom they report for a discussion and evaluation of their performance, career goals and objectives. The Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs and Research will conduct an annual review of deans by all full-time faculty in their respective colleges.”

II.H. Schedules of Classes – Pg.40

“Department chairs prepare schedules of classes after consultation with faculty members and with the approval of the deans of the colleges. Schedules are coordinated in the Registrar’s Office and are published well in advance of the beginning of each semester and summer session.”

V.P.2.a. Faculty Replacement–Illness and Emergency – Pg. 127

“Faculty Replacement-Illness and Emergency Situations that require replacement of a faculty member due to illness or emergencies will be considered, following a request by the department chair or dean, on a case-by-case basis by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research. Arrangements should, whenever possible, be handled in advance of surgery or related medical treatment..”

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