BP 3-80 – Faculty and Instructor Workload

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BP 3-80

APPROVED: May 11, 1989
EFFECTIVE: July 1, 1989
REPEALED: September 14, 2000
READOPTED: August 25, 2001
REVISED: June 12, 2013
REVISED: June 11, 2014

ISSUED BY:
/ Richard Martinez, Jr. /
Mr. Richard E. Martinez, Jr., Chair

POLICY STATEMENT

Faculty and instructors are responsible for providing quality education for all who attend the college. It is the intent of the Board to establish a fair and equitable workload policy to be administered at the college level.

SCOPE

This policy applies to regular faculty and instructors employed by state system community colleges.

DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this policy, faculty shall have the same meaning as set forth in BP 3-10 and shall include regular faculty and limited contract faculty. For purposes of this policy, instructor shall have the same meaning as set forth in BP 3-10 and shall include those employees hired to teach on a temporary as needed basis.

COMPONENTS OF FACULTY WORKLOAD

Basic components of faculty workload include class instruction, class-related work, and other professional duties, which may include, but are not limited to, advising students, serving on institution-wide committees and statewide task forces; student recruitment; sponsorship of student activities; job placement and community outreach services; participating in professional organizations which enhance the educational mission of the college; and developing innovative approaches to learning.

FACULTY ASSIGNMENTS

The assignment of class hours, office hours, and other professional duties to individual faculty members shall occur at the college level.

The supervisor shall establish equitable workloads to the extent possible among faculty members after taking into account all activities assigned to faculty and the inherent characteristics of the discipline to which the faculty member is assigned.

These considerations shall include, but are not limited to, number of classes, class hours, class size, number of preparations, delivery mode, centrality to role and mission, committee work, sponsorship of student activities, need for student advising, need for student recruitment, job placement, and community outreach services, as well as resource generation.

FACULTY STANDARD LOAD

Full-time faculty will have a minimum of a 40-hour work week in keeping with the requirement for all state employees. This includes an expectation that faculty perform all professional duties assigned by the college, including but not limited to, meeting all classes, meeting all office hours, serving on college or System committees, and engaging in professional development activities. These professional duties may be performed either on or off campus.

FACULTY OVERLOAD

Overload assignments should be limited so as not to erode the professionalism of the faculty member. An overload for a regular faculty member is defined as a duty assignment (such as a discrete course) in addition to the faculty member’s academic year teaching load. An overload assignment must be in writing and approved by the college president, or his/her designee, which cannot be below the Vice President or Provost level.

FACULTY APPEAL PROCESS

Each college shall establish a review process to address faculty objections to the assigned workload. The final arbiter will be the college president.

INSTRUCTOR WORKLOAD AND HOURS

Basic components of instructor workload are class instruction and class-related work. For purposes of the Affordable Care Act, instructor weekly work hours shall be measured by crediting the instructor with a total of 2.25 hours of service per week (representing a combination of teaching or classroom time and time performing related tasks such as class preparation and grading of examinations or papers) for each hour of teaching or classroom time. In addition, an instructor will be credited with one hour of service per week for each additional hour the instructor spends performing other duties he or she is required to perform (such as required office hours or required attendance at faculty meetings).

MAXIMUM CREDIT LIMIT FOR FACULTY AND INSTRUCTORS

In order to preserve the quality of education, system-wide credit assignments should not exceed 21 credit hours per semester. In extenuating circumstances, the college president may approve an assignment in excess of the 21 credit hour limit for a faculty member or instructor teaching at a single System college. For faculty members and instructors teaching at multiple System colleges, an exception to the 21 credit hour limit requires each college president’s approval. College presidents shall report their approval of credit assignments in excess of 21 credit hours to the CCCS president on a semester basis.

Individual colleges have discretion to adhere to college-specific credit limits below 21 credit hours for college-specific academic reasons.

PROCEDURES

The System President shall promulgate such procedures as may be needed to implement this policy.