II - 1.25 - Policy on Faculty Workload and Responsibilities

I.  Purpose

The purpose of the Bowie State University Policy on Faculty Workload and Responsibilities is to promote optimal performance by Bowie State University in meeting the needs and expectations of its students and other clienteles and to provide mechanisms that will ensure public accountability for that performance.

Because faculty are the primary performers of the University's instruction, research/scholarship, and service, the policy must encourage and support faculty in applying their creativity, ingenuity, initiative, knowledge, experience, and professional skills in performing many diverse functions. Faculty are expected to meet their responsibilities independently and in full accord with both institutional expectations and established tenets of academic freedom.

This policy reflects Bowie State University's affirmation that teaching is at the heart of the University life and that teaching effectiveness is the paramount consideration in faculty tenure, promotion, and merit. It also reflects the University's affirmation that research, scholarship, and creative work and service (the essential creation, interpretation, and consumption of knowledge through research and scholarship and its application to societal needs) are fundamental to university life and thus are key criteria in faculty tenure, promotion, and merit decisions.

II. Application and Definitions

The policy applies to the following individuals:

1. Core Faculty:  All persons holding tenured and tenure-track positions who are classified as faculty (instructional, research, and public service) and are so reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission through the Employee Data System;

2. Departmental Administrators:  All persons who, while holding faculty rank, are classified as administrators and are so reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission through the Employee Data System, and perform their administrative duties at the level of academic department or equivalent academic unit, including chairs, assistant chairs, program director, etc.;

3. Full-Time, Non-Core Faculty: All persons who, while neither tenured nor on the tenure track, are employed full time by Bowie State University, are classified as instructional faculty and are so reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission through the Employee Data System; and

4. Other Faculty:  All persons who, while neither tenured nor on the tenure track, are employed full time by Bowie State University, are classified as research faculty and are so reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission through the Employee Data System, and whose salaries are supported, in whole or in part, by state funds.

This policy does not apply to individuals who hold faculty rank but who are assigned to administrative duties outside the department or equivalent academic units, for example, deans, vice presidents, presidents, etc.; nor does it apply to individuals who are classified as research faculty but whose salary is fully supported by non-state funds, e.g., federal research grants.

III. Accountability

The University's evaluation structure (e.g., evaluation for merit increases, contract renewal, promotion, etc.) will reflect the workload assignment for each faculty member. Every faculty member will be evaluated annually by the department (chair and peers), the Provost, and the President. Annual faculty evaluations serve the following purposes: (1) to inform faculty members regarding the degree to which their performance matches department/school/university expectations; (2) to determine annual merit pay increases; (3) to supply information and guidance with respect to professional improvement and development; and (4) to establish a base of information for future personnel decisions, including contract renewal, tenure, and promotions. Department chairs, dean(s), and/or the Provost will advise all faculty members in writing of their failure to comply with this policy.

The focus of external accountability (to the Regents and to the State) will be the department or academic unit, not the individual faculty member. The primary means for ensuring proper accountability will be after-the-fact reporting of actual departmental performance in comparison with the expectations previously approved by the President. The President shall submit annually to the Chancellor an accountability report in a form developed by the Chancellor.

IV. Guidelines

As a regional, comprehensive university in the University of Maryland System, Bowie State as a whole is expected to adhere to the following guidelines as general standard expectation in the categories of instruction, research/scholarship, and service. Differences across departments of the institution are subject to approval by the President.

INSTRUCTION1  RESEARCH/SCHOLARSHIP SERVICE
% OF TOTAL EFFORT 6575 1525 515
# COURSE UNITS/YR 8    

Instructional effort includes, in addition to classroom time, all concomitant activities necessary to the preparation, delivery, and evaluation of instruction and learning, including the various forms of student advising. The sum of the "% of total effort" in each area must equal 100% for each individual faculty member.

For purposes of defining standard instructional load expectations, the course unit is defined as equivalent to a three-credit course. Individuals whose instructional load includes other than three-credit courses will have their standard instructional load expectations defined accordingly.

The following weights should be used to convert graded instructional experiences that do not follow the traditional course format (e.g., individual studies, supervision of dissertation research, and so on) to course units.

Course Level N of Credits = 1 Course Unit
800-899 (dissertation & doctoral level individual studies) 10 credits = 1 course unit
799 (masters thesis) 13 credits = 1 course unit
500-798 (other graduate level individual studies) 18 credits = 1 course unit
400-499 (gradopenhouse/undergraduate level individual studies) 21 credits = 1 course unit
100-399 (undergraduate level individual studies)

 30 credits = 1 course unit
 

Workload expectations for each faculty member in the areas of research/scholarship and service shall be specified according to institutional mission.

As a reflection of the centrality of instruction at Bowie State University, all faculty members, including those with administrative responsibilities at the departmental level, shall be involved in the instructional program. Further, senior faculty in departments having undergraduate programs shall participate in undergraduate teaching.

1 Including directed research and individual studies.

V. Standard Workload and Expectations and Modifications

All faculty at Bowie State University are expected to perform instruction, research/scholarship, and service as part of their full-time, contractual obligations. Bowie State University as a whole is required to adhere to the general standard expectations as identified in the Guidelines section above and as consistent with the mission of the institution. However, it is not possible to devise a single formula that equitably defines faculty workload requirements. The proper balance among instruction, scholarship/ research, and service for an individual faculty member may change over the faculty member's career. For each individual faculty member, any substantial difference between the actual and the standard expectation for any basic workload element will be balanced by compensating changes in one or both of the other basic workload elements. Workload expectations for each faculty member will be reviewed annually by the responsible department chair or other appropriate administrator and adjusted as necessary and appropriate.

Because some faculty will assume new or additional responsibilities in any one of these areas, exceptions to the standard workload will be made as defined below. However, the department is responsible for making the necessary adjustments in the total faculty workload so that departmental expectations in each of these areas are fulfilled. These expectations will be determined by the students and the curricular needs, shall be consistent with the resources available to the department, and shall be approved by the President. Bowie State University shall make the minimum number of exceptions necessary for fulfillment of its institutional mission.

Teaching

The teaching load includes classroom preparation, student conferences, grading of papers and examinations, and supervision of remedial or advanced student work, in addition to hours per week of formal classroom instruction. Eight course units per year constitute the standard teaching load for faculty teaching exclusively at the undergraduate level.

Any modification in the standard faculty instructional workload must be approved by the President and the Provost. Such modifications must be recommended by the departmental chairperson to the Provost for approval. The Provost shall forward his or her recommendation for workload modifications to the President for approval. The standard instructional load may be increased or decreased upon a number of factors, including class size, development of new courses, modality of instruction (such as distance learning), level of instruction, discipline, accreditation requirements, etc. Modifications may also be permitted for following purposes:

1. To participate in administrative supervision or field experience supervision (e.g., academic department chairperson; director of student teachers; clinical supervisors in an educational setting, etc.) excluding the faculty member who supervises students as a part of a class;

2. To conduct research (pursuit of significant scholarly activities including externally funded research, department-supported research, and service activities);

3. To assume supervisory academic responsibilities (e.g., graduate student advisement and thesis supervision; direction of all-university chorale, band, theater, coaching, and other essential curricular-related activities; special projects in the areas of curriculum and faculty development, etc.);

4. To perform contact hours (time spent delivering instruction to students in a formal setting) in excess of credit hours generated by a course or courses (e.g., laboratories associated with classes and clinical experiences in hospital settings);

5. To perform department-supported service to make major professional contributions, such as working in partnership with the public schools or with business or industry; and

6. To perform other assigned academic duties (e.g. reassigned time to develop and implement curricular changes).

VI. Procedures

1. All requests from departmental chairpersons for modifications in teaching load must be submitted to the Provost on the Workload Modification Request Form. This form can be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs and should be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs no later than 90 working days before the beginning of the requested workload modification.

2. The Provost must submit all requests for workload modifications to the President at least 15 working days following the receipt of the request from the departmental chairperson.

3. The President must inform the Provost of his or her decision regarding requests for workload modifications at least 15 working days after receipt of the Provost's recommendations.

4. Any faculty member with a modified workload must submit a semi-annual report of his or her activities to his or her academic department chairperson who must forward a copy of the report to the Provost.

5. All faculty are required to fill out a Faculty Planning and Professional Development Report at the beginning and end of each academic year. This report requires each faculty member to identify the activities he or she will be involved in during the academic year, to estimate the percentage of the total hours that will be contributed to these activities. At the end of the academic year, each faculty then determines the actual percentage of total hours spent on these activities. Data from these forms will be used in completing the Bowie State University Institutional Workload Report, used to verify compliance with the institutional Guidelines defined above.

Research/Scholarship

Each Faculty member is expected to devote part of his or her workload to research, scholarship, or professional development. However, all faculty members who teach exclusively at the graduate level must devote at least 20% of their workload to research and other scholarly activities. Any faculty member who obtains sponsorship of research projects from outside agencies will be able to obtain lower teaching loads as a result.

Service

Each faculty member is expected to carry a reasonable amount of responsibility for committee work, ad hoc assignments, serving in professional societies, serving in certain administrative capacities, and working with students as members of the department and in other extraordinary advisory capacities, in accordance with the needs and the mission of the University.

All other persons, other than teaching assistants, who taught in this department, either in one or in both semesters. This category includes adjunct and affiliated faculty, all part-time faculty, and non-departmental administrators (deans, assistant deans, and so on) who taught in this department.

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITYWORKLOAD MODIFICATION REQUEST FORM

Name: _____________________________________
Extension: __________
Campus Address: _____________________________________

 

Please check the area(s) for which you are requesting a reduction or increase in the normal twelve-credit hour per semester faculty workload. Please justify your request on a separate sheet and attach it to this Workload Modification Request Form.

_________ To participate in administrative supervision or field experience supervision (e.g., academic department chairperson; director of student teachers; clinical supervisors in an educational setting, and so on) excluding the faculty member who supervises students as a part of a class;

_________ To conduct research (pursuit of significant scholarly activities including externally-funded research, department-supported research, and service activities);

_________ To assume supervisory academic responsibilities (e.g., graduate student advisement and thesis supervision; direction of all-university chorale, band, theater, coaching, and other essential curricular-related activities; special projects in the areas of curriculum and faculty development, and so on);

_________ To perform contact hours (time spent delivering instruction to students in a formal setting) in excess of credit hours generated by a course or courses (e.g., laboratories associated with classes and clinical experiences in hospital settings);

_________ To perform department-supported service to make major professional contributions, such as working in partnership with the public schools or with business or industry; and

_________ To perform other assigned academic duties (e.g. reassigned time to develop and implement curricular changes).

APPROVALS
  
 DATE

Departmental Chair

 _______________________________ __________ 

Provost

 _______________________________ __________ 
President  _______________________________  __________

 

Effective Date:  11/10/1994