Faculty Teaching Load and Responsibilities

Purpose:

To set forth procedures for faculty teaching workload during the contract year for administrative faculty, exempt classified staff, professional faculty, and teaching faculty, to increase college-wide effectiveness of workload management, to create uniformity in workload calculation practices, and to ensure compliance with all applicable Virginia Community College System (VCCS) regulations regarding faculty workload matters. The procedures for implementation of this policy are provided below.

Definitions:

Administrative faculty: Individuals employed by the college to perform work related to the management of the education and general activities of the college, school/division, or department, who are normally employed on a 12-month basis beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, and who are assigned a faculty rank for which they qualify.

Classified employees: Employees who occupy positions that are listed in the Commonwealth’s Compensation Plan, and who are covered by the Virginia Personnel Act as found in Chapter 10, Title 2.1 of the Code of Virginia, once they have completed the probationary period.

Clinical hours: Equates to 1/2 credit hour and 1 contact hour.

Course contact hours: The number of lecture hours in class each week (including lecture, seminar, discussion, and other similar activities) and/or the number of laboratory, supervised study, coordinated internship, and other similar activities are indicated for each course in the course description. The numbers of lecture and laboratory hours required each week are called "contact" hours. Online courses must include the same content and deliver the same student outcomes as courses taught in the classroom. Although contact hours for online courses may not refer to seat time, they do still indicate the amount of course time devoted to lecture and laboratory instruction.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs): Ten contact hours in an organized continuing education (adult or extension) experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. (A decimal fraction of a unit may be awarded for an offering of shorter duration.)

Credit hours: Fifty minutes of faculty instruction for a 15-week semester or 750 minutes of instruction (Source: VCCS Policy 3.5.7.1.2).

Equivalent teaching load: Teaching load adjustments translated into teaching credits and considered as part of the faculty member’s full semester teaching load.

Exempt classified staff: Classified staff that are exempt from overtime compensation.

Laboratory hours: Equates to 1/2 credit hour and 1 contact hour.

Lecture hours: Equates to 1 credit hour and 1 contact hour.

Overload: A faculty member's workload that, for an academic year (fall and spring), is: a) greater than 30 course credit hours, b) greater than 40 contact hours, or c) greater than 30 workload credits – whichever figure results in the greatest amount of overload credit hours. (See VCCS Policy 3.8.4). A faculty member's workload that, for a summer term, is a) greater than 10 course credit hours, or b) greater than 10 workload credits – whichever figure results in the greatest amount of overload credit hours. Faculty may have an overload of up to 13 credit hours for the contract year (fall, spring, and summer).

Professional faculty: Individuals holding non-teaching positions with continuing responsibilities who are employed on a 12-month basis beginning July 1 and ending June 30, such as librarians, counselors, coordinators, and assistant coordinators, and who are assigned a faculty rank for which they qualify.

Reassigned time: A portion of a faculty member's total workload expressed in workload credits and measured in clock hours that represents a temporary assignment of non-teaching administrative, professional, or other special duties, calculated into the workload as 1 credit hour of reassigned time equals 1 workload credit and a total of 40 clock hours devoted to the assigned duties.

Regular academic session: Consists of the fall and spring semesters and excludes summer session.

Substantial additional assignment: Substantial, additional non-teaching assignment/project outside of routine duties or alternative work schedule assigned to a faculty member when under full-time contract. The additional duties assignment must be of a temporary nature with a specific beginning and ending date and does not require a vacant position. Supporting documentation for this pay action must include a description of the additional duties assignment, the amount of the supplement, the duration of the additional duties assignment, interim goals, and the expected outcomes. An individual may be given a supplement of 0–10% or a flat rate not to exceed 0–10%. It may not be used to compensate faculty when they are not under their full-time faculty employment contract.

Teaching faculty: Full-time teaching faculty hired on 9-month, 10-month, or 12-month appointment.

Workload: The sum of all workload credits associated with a faculty member's assigned responsibilities during a semester or academic term, an academic year, or a contractual period, including teaching load and released time for temporary administrative, professional, or other special assignment duties.

Policy:

All instructional personnel shall maintain a workload that is consistent with Virginia Community College System (VCCS) policy and that provides for the needs of their students as well as the needs of the department, program, or school/division. This policy shall ensure that the major emphasis of faculty remains on teaching, while also allowing for special assignments as well as ensuring consistent application of personnel matters, as related to teaching load and teaching load adjustments.

1. Teaching Load

   1. Teaching loads for full-time teaching faculty during the regular academic session may include a combination of day, evening, and weekend classes, on- and off-campus, and online as the needs of the college require.

   2. Full-time teaching faculty are required to maintain a workload of 12–15 course credit hours and 15–20 contact hours per semester.

   3. Adjunct faculty cannot exceed 12 course credits for the fall semester, 12 course credits for the spring semester, and 8 credits for the summer semester.

   4. For the purposes of workload calculations, every lecture hour shall equate to 1 credit hour and 1 contact hour, and every laboratory or clinical hour shall equate to 1/2 credit hour and 1 contact hour. When the number of credit hours falls below 12 because of the number of laboratory or clinical hours involved, the number of contact hours should be increased to bring the teaching load to the minimum of 12 credit hours (utilizing the standard of 2 laboratory or clinical hours equals 1 credit hour) or to a maximum of 24 contact hours.

   5. Faculty teaching loads shall be calculated for the academic year. When a teaching load is less than or in excess of a full load for the fall semester, it may be compensated with adjustments in teaching load in the spring semester.

   6. A faculty member may be assigned to teach noncredit courses as part of the regular teaching load. Generally, the assignment of workload shall be based on 15 contact hours of noncredit activity for every 1 hour of lecture credit instruction or 30 contact hours of noncredit activity for every 1 hour of laboratory/clinical credit instruction. Other determinations of teaching load conversions shall require the approval of the Vice President of Workforce Development and Credential Attainment and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

   7. Teaching load adjustments shall be expressed in terms of an equivalent teaching load for the purpose of computing a faculty member’s total teaching load. Teaching load adjustments may include instructional assistance, team teaching, adjustments for large sections, and proration.

2. Student engagement hours

   1. To promote the availability of faculty to work with students individually, all full-time teaching faculty are required to provide a minimum of 10 posted student engagement hours per week in order to work with students individually outside of classroom hours.

   2. Student engagement hours may be prorated for those with reduced teaching hours.

   3. Faculty may substitute 2 of the above student engagement hours for 2 hours of virtual student engagement. Virtual student engagement hours require the instructor to provide opportunity for interaction with students by responding to emails, participating in a virtual classroom, providing an online chat/discussion, and/or telephone or video conferencing with students. Faculty with teaching responsibility for online or hybrid courses may negotiate a larger number of virtual student engagement hours with their respective supervisor.

   4. Faculty are responsible for posting regular and virtual student engagement hours. Supervisors may require faculty to submit documentation of completed virtual student engagement hours.

3. Additional activities

   In addition to normal workload and student engagement hours, full-time teaching faculty responsibilities include:

   1. Academic advising: During the regular session contract period, fulfillment of advising responsibilities and assignments is a responsibility of faculty. There shall be no supplemental compensation for advising services during the regular contract period.

   2. College and community service activities and contributions: In addition to teaching effectiveness, faculty are expected to engage in and contribute toward the good of the college and its community. This requires that faculty members maintain current competence in their disciplines or specializations and that they share their expertise, time, and talents with the larger college community. Such activities may include, but are not limited to, the list found in VCCS Policy No. 3.5.5, Non-Instructional Activities and Contributions, or the procedures section of this policy.

   3. Professional development activities: As required for all other full-time college staff, teaching faculty are required to complete a minimum of 20 clock hours of professional development per regular session, as described in Reynolds Policy No. 3-18, Professional Development and Renewal.

   4. Attendance at college activities, including but not limited to: graduation, convocation, faculty professional development days, in-service days, discipline/department, school or all faculty meetings, and the annual employee recognition and awards program.

4. Normal limitations on workload

   Full-time faculty shall normally:

   1. have no more than 3 different course preparations in a given semester, unless a higher number of preparations are requested by the faculty member;

   2. have no more than 3 sections/courses scheduled in consecutive hours on any given workday;

   3. have no more than 4 sections of the same course within a given semester; and

   4. not be assigned in excess of 12 workload credits of online coursework in any 1 semester without the approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

5. Adjustments to teaching loads

   1. Instructional mode/staff differential

      Adjustments to the established course-credit and contact-hour workload may be considered for approval by the school/division dean for a particular section in which the instructional mode or staff differentiation (e.g., team teaching, use of instructional assistants, etc.) constitute reasonable provision for the adjustment.

   2. Adjustments for large sections

      Adjustments for large sections, where the course credits can be adjusted to 1.5 times the credit value, shall be allowed under the following conditions:

      1. The standard teaching load value must be 2 or more credits.
      2. If the class consists of collapsed sections, these sections must be taught by 1 instructor at the same place and time and be different sections of the same course, or different sections of related courses which may support a self-paced student learning environment. The standard credit value is the value of 1 section.
      3. The course enrollment must exceed twice the funding ratio established for that course as of the last day to drop with a refund for that course.
      4. The faculty member’s school dean or the Vice President of Academic Affairs must approve the use of the 1.5 multiplier.
      5. This adjustment does not apply to laboratory/clinical sections.

   3. Proration and Cancellations

      The teaching load for cooperative education/internships, supervised or independent study, and clinical courses may be prorated based on enrollment, at the discretion of the school dean and with the concurrence of the faculty member. Such decisions must be reached by no later than the last day to drop with a refund. The school dean shall be responsible for determining final teaching load adjustments.

      Course sections with enrollment equal to or exceeding 75% of the respective funding ratio shall not be canceled, and the instructor shall be compensated for the full equivalent teaching load associated with that course.

6. Overload

   1. Full-time teaching faculty may be offered an overload for teaching courses/classes. However, this type of overload shall not exceed 10 credit hours for pay per regular academic year (fall and spring semesters).

   2. Non-teaching professional-level work assignments may exceed 10 credit hours.

   3. A faculty teaching load may be adjusted to take into consideration such factors as the use of instructional assistance, team teaching, the use of non-traditional instructional delivery systems, special assignments, and curriculum development. Regular teaching responsibilities as well as all non-teaching professional-level work assignments shall be factored together to determine the faculty member’s full workload, overload, and identification of the assignments to be paid via substantial additional duties.

   4. A faculty member who is requested to assume an additional assignment as overload may decline the assignment. If the additional assignment is necessary to place the faculty member in a full minimum load for the session or academic year, the faculty member shall be expected to accept the assignment.

   5. In accordance with VCCS Policy 3.8.4, extra pay for an overload shall be compensated at the rate of the faculty member’s nine-month salary multiplied by .015 for each overload credit hour.

   6. Overload is not finalized until the completion of faculty teaching load assignments and review of actual hours taught from the entire academic session. Compensation for fall overload shall be paid after February 16. Compensation for spring overload shall be paid after May 16.

   7. School deans shall establish all overload assignments. Overload assignments are made to teaching faculty based on college need and shall not be routinely assigned. Additional approval for overload assignments and final approval for payment must be provided by the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

   8. Based on budgetary considerations, the president shall issue an addendum to this policy to be distributed to all full-time teaching, professional, and administrative faculty. This addendum shall specify any limitation on the number of overload credits to be compensated for the upcoming academic year, if that number is fewer than the VCCS maximum of 10.

7. Instructional Reassigned Time

   1. School deans shall establish all reassigned time work assignments. Reassigned time work assignments are made to teaching faculty based on college need and shall not be routinely assigned.

   2. All reassigned time and other non-teaching activities during the regular academic session shall be expressed in terms of equivalent teaching load for the purpose of computing a faculty member’s total teaching load. One credit hour of reassigned time equals 1 workload credit and a total of 40 clock hours devoted to the assigned duties.

   3. Reassigned time credit hours are normally limited to the equivalent of 15 credit hours per fall or spring semester. Reassigned time may also include the use of overload hours, which are provided at 5 credit hours for each semester of the regular academic session. As an extra compensation measure, reassigned time may be compensated above the 20-hour semester limitation as set forth above and in VCCS policy by using JSRCC Form No. 35-0700, Substantial Additional Assignments. However, supervisors are required to offer reassigned-time assignments within the 20-hour semester limitation before utilizing the substantial additional assignment option.

   4. The faculty member’s supervisor maintains the hiring authority for reassigned-time assignments. For reassigned-time assignments of more than 50% of the faculty member’s full-time teaching load, further approval of the assignment is required by the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Additionally, assignments of more than 50% are restricted to a maximum of 2 successive academic years. Requests for teaching faculty to perform work assignments for more than 50% of their teaching load for more than 2 years require prior approval by the VCCS chancellor.

   5. If the chancellor’s approval of this extension is not obtained, the college shall redistribute the reassigned-time assignment to fall below 50% or shall initiate the request to establish a full-time administrative or professional faculty position to perform the job assignment in question.

8. Workload absences

   1. Teaching faculty unable to perform full workload assignments (e.g., meeting scheduled classes, fulfilling designated student engagement hours, advising assignments, scheduled professional development activities, and attending annual college events) shall be with charged sick leave or personal leave as appropriate, utilizing leave in increments of 4 or 8 hours.

9. Twelve-month administrative and professional faculty and exempt classified employees teaching credit courses

   1. Twelve-month administrative and professional faculty or any qualified exempt classified employee may earn extra pay for teaching up to and including 9 credit hours per fiscal year within the VCCS, for teaching assignments assigned beyond those that are required as part of their regular job responsibilities and documented in their individual position descriptions.

   2. Extra pay for the above teaching assignment(s) shall be at the rate of the faculty member’s equivalent 9-month salary multiplied by .015 for each credit hour.

   3. Faculty rank staff and exempt classified employees must obtain prior written approval from their immediate supervisor before accepting or performing credit-teaching assignments for extra pay. This written approval should be submitted to Human Resources with the teaching contract.

   4. Courses taught for extra pay must be scheduled outside of the normal working hours, or the faculty member or exempt classified employee shall be required to use accrued leave. Student engagement hours, for the purpose of working with students on their individual academic and occupational issues or problems, must also be held outside of the normal working hours and/or by using appropriate leave time.

   5. Administrators responsible for determining teaching loads and/or securing faculty to teach credit courses (e.g., coordinators, directors, deans, associate vice presidents, vice presidents, etc.) shall not be assigned a course for extra pay until all full-time teaching faculty in a discipline are given an opportunity to accept a teaching assignment for extra pay. Documentation of above actions must be attached to the “extra pay” faculty contract prior to submitting it to the Office of Human Resources.

10. Teaching noncredit courses, seminars, workshops, etc.

    1. Full-time teaching faculty, 12-month administrative and professional faculty, or any qualified exempt classified employee may teach noncredit courses, seminars, etc., in addition to their regular job responsibilities, for extra pay.

    2. Upon approval by the appropriate workforce vice president or dean and the appropriate academic vice president or dean, a full-time faculty member may teach noncredit courses as either part of or in addition to their workload.

    3. Courses taught for extra pay must be scheduled outside of the assigned working hours, or the faculty member or exempt classified employee shall be required to use accrued leave. Student engagement hours, for the purpose of working with noncredit students on their individual academic and occupational issues or problems, must also be held outside of the normal working hours and/or by using appropriate leave time.

    4. For noncredit teaching assignments, 1 credit hour equates to 15 contact hours for lecture courses or 30 contact hours for laboratory courses.

Procedures:

Procedure 3.02.a for Reynolds Policy 3-02, Workload and Hours 

Procedure 3.02.b for Reynolds Policy 3-02, Overload

Other Information:

The Office of Human Resources is responsible for the official interpretation of this policy. Questions regarding the application of this policy should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Human Resources.

Reynolds Policy 3-18, Professional Development and Renewal

VCCS Policy Manual, Section 3.8.4, Teaching Overloads

JSRCC Form No. 35-0700, Substantial Additional Assignments