The purpose of this work/time allocation model, which constitutes guidelines for faculty and academic managers alike, is not to change existing workloads but to formalize prevailing best practices and to attest fairness and equity of faculty workload across the University.
As such, these guidelines identify a methodology for modifying expected responsibilities in one or more of the functions normally expected of full-time, tenured faculty members because of increased or reduced activities or assignments in other areas.
Reference to “significant administrative responsibility” indicates service beyond that associated with the college’s or school’s standards for expected service contributions (e.g. attending department or unit meetings, advising students, serving on department or unit ad hoc committees, etc.).
- The approach to assigning teaching load begins with the general premise that a full-time, tenured faculty member will normally be assigned a 3-plus-3 teaching load per academic year (thus the model of six work/time slots per academic year).
- The University’s review of current and prior faculty obligations and UAlbany’s R1 status indicate that if a faculty member is research/scholarly/creatively productive and substantively involved with the mentoring and teaching of doctoral/professional degree graduate students (e.g. chairing or serving on graduate committees, setting and grading qualifying exams, etc.) in a program, department or school that offers doctoral/professional degrees, then this baseline level of research activity and graduate student mentoring and teaching is referenced against the first work/time slot (Work/Time Slot Number 1, Fall Semester) of the total six slots per academic year.
- The University’s review of current and prior faculty obligations and UAlbany’s R1 status indicate that if a faculty member is research/scholarly/creatively productive and substantively involved with the mentoring and teaching of doctoral/professional degree graduate students (e.g. chairing or serving on graduate committees, setting and grading qualifying exams, etc.) in a program, department or school that offers doctoral/professional degrees, then this baseline level of research activity and graduate student mentoring and teaching is referenced against the fourth work/time slot (Work/Time Slot Number 4, Spring Semester) of the total six slots per academic year.
- Ideally, each teaching faculty member should be in the classroom each semester. That is to say, each faculty member is expected to teach at least one course per semester, so that the second (Work/Time Slot Number 2, Fall Semester) and fifth (Work/Time Slot Number 5, Spring Semester) work/time slots are teaching slots.
- Work/Time Slot Number 3, Fall Semester, is also normally a teaching slot, but if a faculty member has a course buy-out or other negotiated course release, then this work/time slot may be filled by a significant work assignment other than teaching.
- Work/Time Slot Number 6, Spring Semester, is also normally a teaching slot, but, as with Work/Time Slot Number 3, if a faculty member has a course buyout or other negotiated course release, then this work/time slot may be filled by a significant work assignment other than teaching.
- All told, the information provided in the following chart means that a full-time, tenured faculty member who is research/scholarly/creatively productive and substantively involved with doctoral/professional degree graduate students would have, except in unusual circumstances, an absolute minimum teaching load of 1-plus-1, assuming a negotiated course reduction for significant administrative responsibility, or a course buyout of one course per semester in a given academic year. Otherwise, the faculty member would have a 2-plus-2 instructional assignment if research/scholarly/creatively productive and substantively involved with doctoral/professional degree graduate students, as documented in the Faculty Activity Report (FAR). If none of the foregoing circumstances obtain, then a full-time, tenured faculty member’s normal instructional assignment would be 3-plus-3.
| Work / Time Allocation Model | Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Course Number 1 | Work/Time Slot Number 1: Faculty member is actively engaged in research/scholarly/ creative productivity as per disciplinary expectations, and faculty member is substantively involved with doctoral/professional degree graduate students in the department, school, or college. Such research/scholarly/creative productivity and substantive involvement with doctoral/professional degree graduate students would be documented each academic year in the FAR. Absent such evidence and documentation in the FAR, the faculty member teaches one course in the fall semester.
| Work/Time Slot Number 4: Faculty member is actively engaged in research/scholarly/ creative productivity as per disciplinary expectations, and faculty member is substantively involved with doctoral/professional degree graduate students in the department, school, or college. Such research/scholarly/creative productivity and substantive involvement with doctoral/professional degree graduate students would be documented each academic year in the FAR. Absent such evidence and documentation in the FAR, the faculty member teaches one course in the spring semester. |
| Course Number 2 | Work/Time Slot Number 2: Faculty member teaches one course in the fall semester without course buyout possibility. | Work/Time Slot Number 5: Faculty member teaches one course in the spring semester without course buyout possibility. |
| Course Number 3 | Work/Time Slot Number 3: Faculty member teaches one course in the fall semester unless there is a course buyout or a negotiated course release consequent on the assignment of significant administrative responsibility, e.g., department chair, graduate program director, undergraduate director in a large department, internship director, faculty senate leadership, etc. | Work/Time Slot Number 6: Faculty member teaches one course in the spring semester unless there is a course buyout or a negotiated course release consequent on the assignment of significant administrative responsibility, e.g., department chair, graduate program director, undergraduate director in a large department, internship director, faculty senate leadership, etc. |
Note: These guidelines, which are illustrative, are intended to be referred to and utilized when considering workload rebalances for tenured faculty only and assume three work/time slots per semester as normative, i.e. six work/time slots per academic year.