Faculty Teaching Load

It is the policy of Wright State University to assign faculty teaching loads in accordance with this Policy.

This Policy does not apply to adjunct faculty, or to faculty who have no teaching responsibilities.

For faculty members with academic (9 month) appointments, the work year shall begin five (5) workdays before the start of the fall semester and continue throughout the academic year, excluding scheduled holidays. Faculty shall be available by email beginning two (2) weeks before the start of the fall semester and continuing until one (1) week after grades are due at the end of spring semester.

For faculty members with fiscal (12 month) appointments, the work year shall consist of twelve (12) months, excluding scheduled holidays.

The final examination period is part of the faculty work year. All faculty must use the final examination period for its intended purpose by administering exams or leading other culminating class experiences during the final examination period.

The base teaching loads are:

For Tenure Eligible and Tenured (“TET”) Faculty on Academic Year Appointments.

A base teaching load of twelve (12) credit-hours per semester/twenty-four (24) credit-hours per year, which may be adjusted according to the following conditions:

• A tenured faculty member who has been “reasonably productive” in scholarship over the prior three (3) years shall have a base teaching load reduction of up to three (3) credit-hours per semester.

• A tenured faculty member who has been “acceptably productive” in scholarship over the prior three (3) years shall have a base teaching load reduction of up to three (3) credit-hours per year.

• A probationary TET will be assumed to have been “reasonably productive” for probationary years 1-3 and will have a base teaching load of nine (9) credit-hours per semester in years 1-3. Additional base teaching load adjustments may be assigned for newly hired probationary faculty to develop their research labs if deemed appropriate.

• A tenured bargaining unit faculty member or a professorial-rank faculty in the Boonshoft School of Medicine whose anticipated contributions to the University, for which no additional release or compensation is provided, meet the criterion for routine service and significant service receives no adjustment, as this level of service is expected. A faculty member whose anticipated service obligation exceeds routine service and significant service, and for which no additional release or compensation is provided, and who demonstrates active engagement and productive leadership, shall have a base teaching load reduction of up to three (3) credit-hours per year, provided that the time commitment necessary to perform this service productively can be shown to be at least equivalent to the time commitment to prepare and deliver a three (3)credit-hour course.

• A tenured faculty member who cannot document significant effort made toward producing scholarship which would meet bylaws requirements for promotion to Associate Professor over the prior three years (e.g., completed draft manuscript(s) of scholarly articles, grant applications submitted or in progress, or the clear equivalent) shall have a teaching load increase of three (3) credit-hours per year.

• A tenured faculty member who performs no documented service to the university beyond routine service shall have a teaching load increase of three (3) credit-hours per year. A tenured faculty member who is deficient in both scholarship and service, therefore, will be assigned a base teaching load of fifteen (15) credit-hours per semester.

Determining Scholarly Productivity

For purposes of determining scholarly productivity under this Policy:

• A TET faculty member who has produced at least 50% of the bylaws requirements for promotion to Associate Professor in that department over the previous three years (and provides appropriate documentation) shall be deemed “reasonably productive.”

• A TET faculty member who has produced at least 25% of the bylaws requirements for promotion to Associate Professor in that department over the previous three years (and provides appropriate documentation) shall be deemed “acceptably productive.”

• Colleges with unusual or unusually complex disciplinary scholarship productivity requirements--for example, colleges whose accreditors tier-rank publications or colleges in which the scholarly monograph is a typical scholarly product recognized by bylaws--may , with the Provost’s permission, submit an implementation plan for the Provost’s approval.

For TET faculty on Fiscal Year Appointments.

A maximum of thirty (30) credit-hours per fiscal year which may be adjusted as above.

For Department or School Chairs (“Chair”) on Fiscal Year Appointments.

It is expected that that all chairs teach. The minimum teaching load for a chair shall be three (3) credit-hours per semester. Alternative assignments may be assigned by the dean with prior approval of the Provost.

For Non-Tenure Eligible (“NTE”) Faculty on Academic Year Appointments.

A maximum of fifteen (15) credit-hours per semester/thirty (30) credit-hours per year, which may be adjusted according to the following conditions:

• A non-tenure eligible bargaining unit faculty member or non-professorial non-bargaining-unit faculty member whose anticipated contributions to the University meet the criterion for routine service and significant service shall receive a three (3) credit-hour adjustment, provided no additional release or compensation has been provided for such service, and provided the time commitment necessary to perform this service productively can be shown to be at least equivalent to the time commitment to prepare and deliver a three (3) credit-hour course.

• Additional base teaching load adjustments may be determined for the non-tenure eligible/non-professorial-ranked faculty’s first year at the Dean’s discretion, with Provost approval.

For NTE Faculty on Fiscal Year Appointments.

A maximum of thirty-six (36) credit-hours per fiscal year, which may be adjusted as above.

Teaching loads will normally be assigned in the spring, for the following academic year.

Before assigning a teaching load to a faculty member, the Chair shall consult with the faculty member regarding their teaching load and the other activities they expect to perform for the University during the year in question.

After consulting with the faculty member, the Chair shall assign a base teaching load according to the policy above unless a different load is authorized by Dean and Provost. To calculate teaching load, the Chair shall use the appropriate TET or NTE worksheet provided by the Provost [link]. Teaching load assignments account for the faculty member’s anticipated contributions to the University in the areas of teaching and service during the semester in question, the faculty member’s documented research productivity over the prior three years, and the weights assigned to each area for purposes of that member’s annual evaluation. Teaching load assignments are unique to each faculty and need not be identical.

After the Chair determines the teaching loads for the faculty in their unit, the Chair shall submit the proposed loads to the Dean for review. After receiving the reviewed teaching load back from the Dean, the chair will share the assignment with the faculty member. A faculty member who believes their assigned teaching load is contrary to this Policy may, within five (5) business days of receipt, request a review of the assignment by the Dean. The request shall be made in writing to the Dean (with a copy to the Chair), and it shall explain why the faculty member believes the assignment is contrary to this Policy. The Dean shall respond to the request in writing; if the Dean finds the request meritorious, the Dean shall notify the Chair of the particular issue(s) with the assignment and direct the Chair to revise the assignment to correct the issue(s). All teaching assignments are subject to final approval by the Provost. After Provost approval, only errors of fact may be appealed to the Provost. If a change is made to the teaching load by the Provost upon review, this shall be deemed as the final teaching load assignment.

The Chair has discretion to assign a teaching load below the base teaching load allowed minimum, either upon the Chair’s own initiative or upon the faculty member’s request, subject to the approval of the Dean and Provost. Any faculty member may request such an assignment in writing. The request must clearly explain why the assignment is in the University’s best interests and must demonstrate that the faculty member is also in “good standing,” having fulfilled all applicable faculty responsibilities in the prior year. If the request cites the faculty member’s other assignments in the areas of scholarship or service (see 2020.4), the faculty member shall submit documentation concerning those other assignments. If the faculty member has previously been assigned to a reduced teaching load on account of those other assignments, the faculty member shall demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed those other assignments in each semester of the reduced teaching load. In determining whether to assign a reduced load, the Chair will principally consider the teaching needs of their Department.

Nothing in this Policy shall preclude a Chair or other administrator from assigning overload teaching when the Chair or administrator deems it to be in the University's best interests.

A teaching load assignment may be amended by the Chair at any time, including in response to unforeseen circumstances, whether such amendment is upon the Chair’s own initiative or a faculty member’s written request.

Regardless of their assigned teaching load, faculty will be reasonably and readily available to perform their official duties, including without limitation availability to meet with students outside of class and to hold and be present for office hours. A faculty member who receives a reduced teaching load shall have the same expectation and obligation to participate actively in the training of graduate students (e.g. advising graduate students through membership on advising, examination, and/or dissertation/thesis committees, serving as a mentor, participating in placement workshops, etc.) as if the faculty member had been assigned to a standard teaching load, unless released expressly and in writing by the Chair from some or all of those duties.

Colleges with courses in which credit-hours may not align with standard effort per credit-hour (some lab courses, some studio courses, etc.) may, with the Provost’s permission, submit an alternative teaching load credit-hour implementation plan for the Provost’s approval.

Teaching credits and offsets may be awarded at the discretion of a Chair and Dean, subject to the approval of the Provost, to faculty who are assigned to (and regularly assessed with respect to) significant additional duties, are engaged in significant scholarly activity or research, purchase a release in conjunction with externally funded research, are on leave (particularly professional development leave), and for other good cause. With the exception of releases purchased on a grant, all offsets and/or teaching credits awarded by an administrator must be reviewed and approved by the Dean and Provost. The Provost has the final authority to approve Offsets and Credits.

A faculty member may not accrue or use more than six (6) credit-hours of teaching credits or offsets in any single semester.

Offsets.

An offset is a portion of the faculty member’s teaching load that is reassigned by the University in a given semester in recognition of the faculty member’s substantial and documentable contributions in other areas. In order to receive any teaching offset, the faculty member must be in “good standing,” having fulfilled all applicable faculty responsibilities in the prior year. For purposes of evaluating contributions or additional duties for possible offsets, each credit-hour of offset must be shown to be at least equivalent to the time commitment to prepare and deliver a credit-hour of academic instruction. Offsets are at the discretion of the Chair, Dean, or Provost.

Administrative Offsets.

Administrative offsets may only be awarded by a Chair, Dean, or Provost to faculty with a significant additional administrative appointment, requiring a significant commitment of time and with clearly identified deliverables, that the Chair, Dean, or Provost evaluates annually. The Provost may develop and require the use of offset schedules that correlate particular administrative appointments with particular number of (or a range of) credit-hour offsets. The Provost may also develop and require the use of procedures concerning how offsets are processed and awarded.

Performance Offsets.

Faculty may apply to the Provost, in writing, for a performance-based offset to be applied against their teaching load in the immediately following academic year. Performance offsets are at the Provost’s discretion. The Provost may establish and require the use of procedures concerning the method through which performance offsets are requested and approved.

Discretionary Offsets.

A Chair, Dean, or Provost may award a discretionary offset in recognition of a faculty member’s performance of important additional duties. A Chair may, with permission of the Dean, award a discretionary offset of up to three (3) credits per semester to faculty who are performing important additional duties on a short-term basis. A Chair (with approval of the Dean and Provost), or the Dean (with the approval of the Provost), or the Provost (unilaterally) may award a discretionary offset in excess of three (3) credits per semester to faculty who are performing important additional duties of a very substantial or multi-semester nature.

Funded Research Course Releases.

Faculty who are engaged in externally funded research may purchase one (1) or more course releases in accordance with the University's then-current procedure document on funded research course buyouts. Non-administrative faculty may not be assigned lower than twelve (12) credit-hours per academic year unless they purchase a course buyout.

Leave.

Chairs will calculate faculty teaching load first, without reference to any leave approvals. Once load is assigned, Chairs will note type of leave (PDL, partial unpaid, parental teaching relief, etc.) and apply the leave to the teaching load with the following provisos:

Faculty who are approved for one (1) semester of leave will be released from their teaching load for that semester. In the case of an uneven load, the leave semester shall presumptively be the semester with the lower credit-hour assignment, unless other arrangements are approved by the Provost.

Faculty who are approved for partial unpaid leave will teach fifty percent (50%) of the load calculation for a given semester or year. In the case of partial unpaid leave lasting only one (1) semester for faculty with an uneven load, the leave semester shall presumptively be the semester with the lower credit-hour assignment, unless other arrangements are approved by the Provost.

Faculty who are approved for one (1) semester of one hundred percent (100%) parental teaching relief, who have uneven loads, shall presumptively have their leave semester be the semester with the lower credit-hour assignment, unless other arrangements are approved by the Provost.

Teaching Credits.

A teaching credit does not reduce the faculty member’s assigned teaching load but can be applied against their assigned teaching load in a semester after that in which it is earned. Faculty will record their accrual and use of teaching credits on their annual faculty activity reports. Teaching credits are “banked” when accrued (and recorded on that year’s faculty activity report) and can be used at the faculty member’s discretion—with the concurrent approval of their Chair—in a subsequent semester. Teaching credits can only be earned and used in whole credit-hour increments.

Teaching Credits for Research Supervision.

A Chair may award a teaching credit in lieu of (not in addition to) a performance offset for research productivity as follows:

• For a faculty member’s sole intensive research supervision of full-time graduate students whose assistantships are funded externally, the Chair may award up to one (1) credit-hour of teaching credit per semester for each such student whom the faculty member supervises, up to a maximum of three (3) credits per semester.

• For a faculty member’s sole intensive research supervision of graduate students whose research is not externally funded, the Chair may award up to one (1) credit-hour of teaching credit per semester for each such student who the faculty member supervises, up to a maximum of three (3) credits per semester. Teaching credit will not be awarded until the student has completed at least four (4) credits of applicable coursework for which they have registered.

• For a faculty member who supervises undergraduate research or mentored experiences, the Chair may award one (1) credit-hour of teaching credit per semester for each six (6) credit-hours of undergraduate research supervised that are not otherwise counted for a faculty’s member’s teaching load. Teaching credit will not be awarded until the student has completed the course for which they have registered.

• For a faculty member who supervises honors projects, the Chair may award one (1) hour of teaching credit per semester for 2-4 honors projects supervised, as specified by the college of graduate programs and honors studies. Teaching credit will not be awarded until the student has completed the project progress for that semester.

A faculty member may supervise the research activity of any combination of externally funded graduate student research, non-funded graduate student research, undergraduate research, or honors projects, provided that in no circumstances may a faculty member accrue more than three (3) total hours of teaching credits for research supervision in any single semester.

Restrictions

No faculty member may use more than six (6) credit-hours of teaching credits or offsets in any given semester.

Unless authorized in writing by the Dean, a Chair will not assign overload teaching to a faculty member who will receive a teaching credit, offset, or course release for the semester in question.

Teaching credits and offsets are forfeited if not used before the faculty member’s separation. Teaching credits and offsets cannot be “cashed out” upon separation and are non-assignable.

Teaching credits and offsets cannot be used until fully earned (i.e., faculty may not “spend” a teaching credit in the same semester they earn or expect to earn it).

TET Teaching Load Worksheet (PDF)

NTE Teaching Load Worksheet (PDF)

Procedure for Funded Research Course Releases (PDF)