department of
Sociology,
Social Work & Anthropology
MISSION
AND
ASSESSMENT
Faculty Load Allocation | Workload
Allocation | Research |Service|
Guidelines
for Faculty Load Allocation
Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
Utah State
University Department Policy: 2/20/98
This document provides guidelines to assist faculty in allocating work
load.
An annual load equivalent to 24 credit hours per year is set by the
Utah Board of Regents for all institutions of higher education in Utah.
The annual load set by the Regents is to be divided among the categories
of teaching, research, and service, and faculty are expected to participate
in all three areas as per the Mission Statement of Utah State University.
"Utah State University integrates teaching, research, extension
and service to meet its unique role as Utah's land-grant university."
"The mission of Utah State University is to provide high
quality undergraduate and graduate instruction, excellent general
education and specialized academic and professional degree programs."
"USU provides nationally and internationally acclaimed programs
of basic and applied research."
"Outreach to Utah's citizens through extension and service
programs is central to the University's mission."
In meeting the university mission, it is necessary for faculty to allocate
their workload across the three areas of teaching, research and service.
Workload allocation reflects diversity in the needs of students, the
potential for research contributions by faculty, and the potential for
service contributions. It also reflects the diversity among faculty
in areas of expertise and emphasis.
This document complements existing documents employed by the Department
of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology. Each faculty member, in
consultation with the department head, or the department head and the
respective program coordinator, determines their annual role via the
Department Role Statement.
Performance and merit are evaluated using the Faculty Evaluation/Activity
Summary form. The intent of the present document is to identify the
weight given to different activities in the determination of annual
work load. This will assist faculty in shaping their role statements
and assist in allocating effort among the wide range of activities that
departmental faculty engage in. It is intended to be a workload allocation
tool, not a merit document, or a department-wide role statement. Final
decisions about workload allocation and evaluation will be based on
discussion between the faculty member and department head and/or program
coordinator.
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Workload
Allocation
A faculty member's workload consists of officially assigned duties
and, responsibilities as agreed upon by the faculty member and the department
head in the areas of teaching, research, and service. General guidelines
for each of those areas are given below.
Teaching
A. Instruction:
In general the average number of credit hours for which students register
for a
course will be the amount of workload credit given for that course (a
three hour course= three faculty credit hours). The credits allocated
for instruction includes all preparation and grading for a course, the
expected maintenance of office hours, the time a faculty member spends
in consultation with students, and any other time spent outside of class,
but working with students in a particular course. There may be mitigating
circumstances that the Department
Head will use to increase or decrease the load allocation beyond this
general guideline including the following:
1. Classes with large enrollments: Large enrollments
and or pedagogical demands found in the criteria defined in the University
Studies manual (approved by Faculty Senate and the USU Board of Trustees,
May 1996) may require a professor to expend an exceptional amount
of additional time and effort. When it can be demonstrated that a
large class requires an exceptional workload, an adjustment can be
made. In arriving at the decision, the Department Head shall consider
such variables as the increase in number of student papers, projects,
problems, and tests to be evaluated; requirements for supervising
laboratory work; out-of-class consultation with students; whether
teaching assistants are assigned and effectively used; and assistance
rendered by students, staff members, or other faculty members.
2. Classes with less than minimum enrollment: If
the Department Head is authorized by the Dean to offer a course which
has enrolled fewer than the minimum number of students required by
current university policy and if small enrollment reduces significantly
the amount of time and effort which the instructor must expend, then
the credit received may be adjusted by the Department Head.
If a class is canceled, then faculty will receive some credit for
course preparation if it is an existing course, and half of the course
credit if it is a new course. In the event of a course cancellation
faculty will work with the Department Head to compensate in another
area of the workload, or adjust the workload the following year (see
section: "Multi-year Scheduling of Workload" at end of document).
The Department Head is obligated to attempt to avoid scheduling courses
that cannot meet minimum enrollment expectations.
3. Double listed courses: Courses which are given
graduate and undergraduate course numbers and/or course numbers in
more than one program or department, but which are taught as combined
courses will be granted teaching credit as one course. In the event
there are 5 or more graduate students in a double-listed course, and
it can abe demonstrated that this requires substantially more work
for the instructor, an additional credit hour may be granted at the
discretion of the Department Head.
4. Independent study or research: Individual, one-on-one
teaching, unpaid tutorial assistance rendered to students, or supervision
of independent study, cooperative work experience, field/lab experience,
or internships may be credited to the faculty member on the basis
of one credit hour for each six student credit hours (graduate or
undergraduate). Typically no more than two credits hours (12 SCH)
will be allowed per year from all areas of independent study instruction.
Faculty should demonstrate that a significant amount of effort is
required for this type of work. Each program within the department
is obligated to specify criteria for the granting of independent study
credit and guidelines for student-faculty independent study contracts
and contact hours to ensure independent study is employed only when
regular course work cannot meet student needs or if a unique research
opportunity presents itself.
5. Team teaching: In general, credit will be shared
equally by faculty members who teach courses as a team. For example,
if three faculty members teach one, three credit hour course, each
will be credited with one credit hour for the course. It is recognized
that in some cases, team teaching requires a great deal more planning
and coordination than traditional methods. For instance, some formats
require all faculty on the team to be present during all class meetings
and active in all phases of the course. When the organization of a
team course is expected to require extraordinary effort by all members
of the team, faculty may consult with the Department Head in advance
of the semester the course is taught to discuss the possibility of
additional workload credit
6. New Course preparation: This is a routine part
of instruction and is accounted for on the department's annual evaluation
and merit document. Therefore, no credit is allocated to new course
preparation. Under unusual circumstances, such as a faculty member
teaching a course on an emergency basis that is a course they typically
do not teach, credit can be considered through consultation with the
Department Head.
B. Graduate students advising and supervision:
Credit for supervision of a thesis or dissertation can be granted only
if the faculty member is officially responsible for a student registered
in a thesis or dissertation course, and is identified on Graduate School
records as serving on the supervisory committee. Allocation of credit
for graduate student advising and supervision assumes active participation
in the student training and mentoring process; credit will not be granted
in cases where there is little or no evidence of active participation
in supervisory committee activities or other related roles.
1. Committee chairs:The chair of the supervisory
committee will receive one workload credit for each 12 student credit
hours for which the student is registered. Except under extraordinary
circumstances, faculty may earn up to a maximum of four workload credits
per year based on their supervision of thesis/dissertation credit
hours. In the semester that the dissertation or thesis is defended
and completed, the chair will receive one additional credit hour.
2. Committee members: Other members of the committee
will receive one credit hour in the semester a master or doctoral
student defends the dissertation or thesis. In the absences of exceptional
circumstances approved by the Department Head, no more than three
credit hours will be given in any one year for serving as a member
on graduate committees.
3. Comprehensive exam committees: Faculty who are
appointed as members of comprehensive examination committees will
receive one work load credit for every three comprehensive examinations
that they are responsible for administering and evaluating.
4. Department vs. non-department graduate students:
The above guidelines apply regardless of whether the student is in
the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology or any
other department, or based at any other university.
5. Variation in graduate advising: In light of the
variation of instructor work loads necessitated by graduate advising,
adjustments increasing or decreasing the credit hours allotted to
a faculty member may be made by the Department Head.
C. Social Work Program Practicum supervision:
All practicum instruction, supervision, and liaison work in the Social
Work Program is coordinated by the Practicum Director. The Practicum
Director will receive six credit hours per semester (12 credits per
year) for approximately 25 students, consistent with the workload allocation
at other universities in the Intermountain Region. The six credit hours
are reflected in the courses SW487 and SW587. If the number of students
is above or below the norm of 25 students, then adjustments in workload
allocation may be made in consultation with the Department Head. Social
Work faculty involved in practicum liaison work may earn workload credit
in consultation with the Department Head.
D. Undergraduate student advising:
Each faculty member in the department is expected to contribute to formal
undergraduate advising. Each program within the department is obligated
to develop criteria for undergraduate advising including the allocation
of students to advisors, criteria for office hours, tracking of advising
effort, and other advising expectations.
When undergraduates are assigned to a faculty member and if the program
expectations for advising efforts are met, two credit hours are granted
per year. Faculty with a larger undergraduate advising assignment that
is identified in their role statement may receive an additional credit
hour as agreed upon by the Department Head. Faculty are expected to
demonstrate that adequate emphasis on the advising role is being made.
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Research
and Scholarly Activity
Activities in this area fall into two broad categories: unfunded research
and funded research.
Unfunded:
A. Consistent with the mission and goals of the university and department,
each faculty member is expected to pursue unfunded research and scholarship
that contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the disciplines
represented within the department.
1. Workload expectations and kinds of activities:
For the purposes of determining role statements, each faculty will
produce during the course of a year some mix of research and scholarship
accomplishments consistent with the percentage of their role allocated
to unfunded research and scholarship. Given the diversity within the
department in the kinds of scholarly production possible, the annual
expectation may be met through a mix of research and scholarship activities.
For the purposes of defining the role statement and determining workload,
some of these activities may be works in progress when significant
accomplishments can be documented. While works in progress can be
reported as such on the annual merit evaluation, they generally will
not abe counted until the year in which they are presented or published
(the exception is a grant proposal, which only needs to be submitted).
The following list is taken from the departmental faculty evaluation/activity
summary and organized into groups reflecting the range of scholarship
typical of the department.
Publishing (listed alphabetically)
- Book, sole or co-authored
- Editor of book of collected papers
- Monograph, sole or co-authored
- New edition of previously published book
- Refereed book chapter
- Refereed publication in international, national, or regional journal
- Technical report
Professional
Presentations
- Organizer of symposium at international, national, or regional
meetings.
- Poster session paper.
- Presentation at international, national, or regional meetings.
Granting
- Grant proposal preparation, extramural, funded/unfunded.
- Grant proposal preparation, internal, funded/unfunded.
Other Scholarly Activities
- Book reviews, papers/articles in non-refereed outlets, public
displays/exhibits etc.
2. Determination of research productivity:
A wide variety of scholarly activities may comprise an equivalent
mix and in any particular year, the activities may not range across
all of the above groups. There is no set amount or kind of scholarly
production that must be produced in any given year, but a range of
products is emphasized, consistent with the existing department merit
criteria.
A normative guide as to what constitutes a typical equivalent is
a mix of activities such as: one or two refereed publications, a presentation
at a professional meeting, and a book review. Or, a revision of a
book, a presentation at meetings, and submission of an external grant
proposal. Or, a refereed article, two presentations at meetings, and
an internal grant proposal.
There is variance however, in the investment of work and the significance
of products within each of the above categories (e.g., refereed articles
of varying length, lever of publication, and impact, a comprehensive
vs. a limited revision of a book). Activities requiring less investment,
or reflecting less scholarly significance than the norm identified
above may need to occur in numbers greater than one per year in order
to meet the annual expectation.
Some products represent a multi-year investment (e.g., major books
and monograph. edited volumes of original papers from a long-term
team effort, or technical reports of complex, multi year research
projects). Multi-year products of clear significance may merit a shelf
life of up to several years for the purposes of constructing faculty
roles.
The acceptable mix of activities, including products completed,
works in progress, and their significance, will be determined in consultation
withj the Department Head. This mix will be consistent with the standards
recognized within disciplines, the standards found in the annual faculty
merit review process, and the departmental standard of achievement
across a range of research and scholarships activities.
3. Credit hours for unfunded research:
If the faculty member meets the normative expectations for research
productivity, three six credit hours per year will be allotted. These
expectations are only for the purpose of allocating load credit. It
does not guarantee that the person will or will not be tenured, advanced
in rank. or receive a certain merit evaluation.
Faculty who place greater emphasis on research, or who experience
a year of exceptional productivity may exceed the normative expectations.
Also, some scholarly activities take more than one year to complete
and major accomplishments (such as books) may come only every few
years. Consideration will be given to the faculty member's past track
record of scholarly productivity as well as the presence of multiple
products in some areas and none in others in determining whether the
criteria for scholarly activity have been met in any given year.
4. Exceptional achievement and/or changes
in the unfunded research workload: A year of exceptional
achievement in the area of unfunded research will be reflected in
the annual merit evaluation.
Under extraordinary circumstances, faculty may request adjustments
in the unfunded research workload from the expectation of six credit
hours per year. Requests may be based on factors such as the availability
of attractive and promising opportunities to pursue funding or research
crucial to a faculty member's career development. To remain consistent
with the mission statement of the university, the maximum for unfunded
research will be nine credits per year. Requests for changes in the
unfunded research workload must be made in advance through consultation
with the Department Head, and be reflected on the faculty member's
annual role statement.
Under unusual circumstances, faculty may request less unfunded research
to place greater emphasis on teaching and/or service. To remain consistent
with the mission statement of the university, and the departmental
expectation that all faculty will maintain an active research program,
the minimum credit for unfunded research will be three per year. Requests
for changes in the unfunded research workload must be made in advance
through consultation with the Department Head, and be reflected on
the faculty member's annual role statement.
B. Extramurally funded grants and contracts:
Grants and contracts from sources outside of the university contribute
to the mission of the university by supporting research, and providing
support for graduate and undergraduate students. Grants and contracts
also contribute fiscally to the university and enable faculty to purchase
portions workload in order to accomplish the research.
1. Purchase of workload with extramurally funds:
Extamurally funded grants or contracts can be used to purchase a percentage
of a faculty member's workload. However, in keeping with the teaching
mission of the university and department, all faculty must teach a
minimum of one, three hour course per year unless there are extraordinary
circumstances approved by the Department Head.
2. Purchase of instructional workload only: Faculty
may use extramural funds to purchase a reduction in their teaching
assignment. When faculty purchase credit hours only from the teaching
portion of their role, the workload expectations in the other areas
remain the same. This includes graduate and undergraduate advising,
unfunded research, and service.
3. Purchase of entire workload: Faculty may use
extramural funds to purchase a reduction in assignment in all areas
of their role: teaching, research, and service. This option is necessary
when research commitments prevent a faculty member from accomplishing
the non-teaching tasks in their role. For example, research that requires
time away from campus will typically prevent a faculty member from
maintaining student advising hours, unfunded research, and service
obligations, necessitating purchase of workload the areas of research
and service in addition to teaching.
4. Purchase of workload for contracts greater than nine
months and summer salary: Faculty members on less than 12
month contracts have the option of receiving summer salary instead
of purchasing a percentage of their normal workload.
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Professional,
Public, and University Service
A. Regular faculty service activities:
Credit for public service can be granted when such service is an accepted
responsibility of the university. It is expected that all faculty will
contribute their share of service activities. It is the responsibility
of the faculty member to document their service workload in the areas
described below.
1. Activities that comprise service: All faculty
serve on their share of rank and advancement committees, recruitment
committees, and other departmental, college, and university committees.
Service also includes, but is not limited to, work with professional
associations (e.g., work beyond membership such as offices held or
committees), government agencies, educational systems or institutions,
etc..
Service includes the review of manuscripts for journal and book publishers,
and the review of grant proposals for funding agencies, when these
services are provided without compensation.
Service includes the effort expended on administrative tasks not
related to assigned committee work, an area of workload that has increased.
This includes, but is not limited to, information by administrators,
responding to questionnaires, and responding to requests for information
by administrators, responding to questionnaires, and responding to
public inquiries. Other areas include the increasing investment in
on-campus assessment, and the evaluation of continuing education/distance
courses. Finally, this type of service includes the increased effort
faculty expend in documenting their own activities to develop their
annual roles, workload credits, merit evaluations, and overall accountability
to an expanding set of overseers.
The Social Work program coordinator is responsible directly for the
ongoing CSWE accreditation process. Social Work faculty may receive
service workload credit for assisting with the process.
Service includes contributions to USU Extension, including work with
community agencies, state leaders, extension centers, and committees
aimed at ;improving USU Extension and Distance Education.
In sum, service is an expanding part of faculty workload responsibilities
as the university moves increasingly toward a consumer orientation
and a data-gathering focus, thus increasing the time spent on assessment.
Service does not include membership in professional organizations,
or personal involvement in civic clubs, church groups, etc. In most
instances, service also does not include activities for which extra
compensation is received, including consulting, contractual work,
etc. However, under some circumstances a faculty member may receive
a stipend or honorarium in recognition of service efforts which actually
require a level of effort substantially exceeding that represented
by the amount of compensation. Also, some service efforts that result
in extra compensation can result in substantial benefits to the department
through increased visibility and recognition of departmental faculty
and programs, opportunities for graduate student employment or placement
addressing critical needs of agencies or other external constituencies,
etc. Therefore, some activities that involved extra compensation may
under exceptional circumstances be considered as meeting a portion
of faculty service expectations, as determined in consultation with
the Department Head.
2. Workload credit for meeting service obligations:
Faculty will ordinarily receive two hours of credit hours per year
for their service obligations. Decisions as to whether faculty meet
the expectations for service are made in light of the annual faculty
evaluation process. Also, the amount of credit allotted to service
may be higer or lower than two credits, depending on workload assignments
and faculty service expectations defined in the annual role statement
or compensated with summer salary.
B. Administrative service activities:
Faculty serving administrative duties identified in annual role statements
receive workload credit in addition to the regular faculty service credit.
Department administrative duties are assigned to the Assistant Department
Head, Program Coordinators for Social Work and Anthropology, Sociology
Director of Graduate Studies, Sociology Undergraduate Program Coordinator,
and the Director of the Anthropology Museum. The workload credit allocated
for administrative service is determined through consultation with the
Department Head in light of the duties and responsibilities assigned.
When these assignments require on-campus responsibilities during the
summer break, this will be accounted for in the annual workload assignment
or compensated with summer salary.
Scheduling and Tracking Workload Allocation: A one-year
period for establishing workload allocation will include: Summer, and
the subsequent Fall and Spring semesters of an academic year, regardless
of whether faculty have nine month contracts or longer contracts. In
allocating workload, the faculty member and the Department Head and/or
program coordinator will discuss the role statement in light of departmental
needs and the faculty member's interests for the coming year.
A. Multi-year scheduling of workload: It is recognized
some aspects of the workload allocation process are difficult to project
and must be counted over multiple years. Year-to-year fluctuations
in workload must be taken into account in developing the annual role
statement and in the annual merit evaluation.
B. Tracking workload allocation: Upon strong recommendation
by the Provost and the Dean of the college, annual role statements
will include an addendum sheet specifying the percent of total workload
allocated to responsibilities in teaching, research, and service.
A work sheet to track workload allocation and the percentage contribution
of each area is attached to this document.
Responsibility for tracking year to year fluctuations in workload in
order to request a change in role statement and workload credit allocation
rests with individual faculty. Decisions about workload allocation and
consultation with the Department Head must be made in advance when the
annual role statement is developed.
Faculty Load Allocation | Workload
Allocation | Research | Service
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