4.1.8sr1 - SRTC Procedure: Faculty Teaching Load

Full-time faculty work a minimum of 40 hours per week. Optimally, faculty are assigned 24 - 30 direct student contact instructional hours per week (with the exception of faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences) and with 10 - 16 hours for indirect instructional duties. Instructional personnel may be assigned to work any time at any instructional site. In the event circumstances create a hardship for the College in meeting student instructional needs, or where the College is placed in an exigency circumstance, full-time faculty may instruct beyond the 30 hours of direct instruction with the supervisor’s approval. Distance education, web enhanced, and hybrid classes are counted in the direct instruction hours based on the contact hours assigned to that class. Faculty teaching in areas where class size is mandated by licensure or accreditation requirements will carry teaching loads commensurate with those requirements. Faculty teaching assignments are approved by the appropriate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). Classes may be scheduled in the daytime, evening, weekends, and online to meet students’ needs.

The 10 - 16 hours of indirect instruction are for such activities as:

Student advisement
Class preparation
Tutoring Center/Student Academic Center
Office hours
Professional growth and development
Curriculum development / revision
Committee assignments
Recruitment
Other appropriate activities

Faculty Academic Advisement Responsibilities:Full-time faculty members are responsible for academic advising of students in their particular disciplines. Faculty members in the School of Arts and Sciences assist program instructors as needed. Academic advisement should occur with each student on an average of no less than once per semester, but as often as necessary. Advisement may occur face-to-face or via telephone conversation or electronic messages (as in the case of some on-line students who live outside the College’s service delivery area).

Meetings:
Attendance at the following activities is mandatory for full-time faculty members:

Advisory committee meetings
Graduation exercises
Faculty meetings
Institutional meetings
Required professional development meetings
Required planning meetings

Committee Assignments:
Faculty members are encouraged to serve on at least one college committee. Also, with the approval of the supervisor, in certain circumstances, faculty members may be allowed to carry a lighter teaching load in lieu of administrative duties such as self-study accreditation reports.

School of Arts and Sciences:
Due to the larger class size and student-to-instructor ratio, faculty will not exceed 18-21 contact hours with no more than six (6) preparations (includes labs) per week in courses from the School of Arts and Sciences.

Self-Paced, Individualized Instruction:In self-paced, individualized instruction classes, the faculty acts as a facilitator of student learning. Lab activities are scheduled after completion of class work. The Faculty is available when assistance is needed. In addition, small group lectures are held when necessary. In this format, no more than five (5) courses can be taught in an instructional period/block.

Some courses are designed for mastery learning of competency levels to accommodate individualized proficiencies and achievement capabilities of students. In these cases, students work on a self-paced, individualized schedule using a detailed set of written instructions, and the instructor serves as facilitator for the students using module-based guides for competencies. Using this stacked course load system, instructors are normally able to assume a heavier credit hour load due to an overlap of individual instruction. Instructors who teach the stacked classes will maintain a teaching load of no more than 30 weekly direct student contact hours.

Internships:
Internships will be counted towards faculty load if weekly contact hours are supervised directly by the faculty member at the internship location.

Office Hours:
Full-time faculty members are required to maintain a minimum of four (4) office hours per week.
Adjunct faculty are required to maintain 30 minutes of office hours per week, as per their contracts.

Office hours should be published, posted, and included in each course syllabus.

Release Time:
There are three circumstances in which release time is available for full-time faculty:

A faculty member who is a designated Program Chair may be relieved of one teaching assignment.
A faculty member preparing a self-study for program accreditation may be relieved of one class teaching assignment to complete the comprehensive administrative duties associated with a self-study accreditation report. This reduction in teaching load shall not exceed one semester.
A faculty member may be relieved of one class teaching assignment in special circumstances involving dual enrollment teaching responsibilities and driving time to multiple sites in a day. This option requires immediate supervisor approval. Release time for this special circumstance shall not exceed one semester without supervisor and VPAA approval.

Only one class teaching assignment release per faculty member is allowed in a semester. The definition of release time in these circumstances is one three hour credit course or 45 contact hours in a semester. The request for release time must be approved by the faculty member’s immediate supervisor. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may grant an extension of release time when appropriate.

Other Employment:
Faculty and staff must complete the approval process as outlined in the TCSG Procedure 4.3.2p6: Other Employment in order to engage in secondary employment with Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC), another Technical College, State Agency, Authority, Board, or Unit of the University System of Georgia.

Faculty Teaching as Adjuncts:
Full-time faculty may teach credit classes as adjuncts for Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). They must follow the letter of appointment for adjunct instructors that specifies the starting and ending dates and the contact hours of the course. Calendar dates vary and do not necessarily follow the teaching calendar for full-time faculty. Full-time faculty teaching for the Economic Development or Adult Education divisions must receive prior approval from the appropriate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Adjunct (Part-Time) Faculty:
Adjunct faculty positions are temporary, time-limited appointments. Employment encompasses a single academic term and corresponding terms and conditions are outlined in a memorandum or letter of appointment. Individuals receiving an appointment as an adjunct faculty must meet the same professional credentials as full-time faculty serving in the same capacity in the same academic program. Full-time college staff may teach as adjunct faculty upon meeting the same selection, hiring, and evaluation procedures. Adjunct faculty (part-time employees) provide an important service in the delivery of instruction at the College. These part-time faculty will be assigned to teach classes for credit based on enrollment demand for classes or scheduling needs. Adjunct faculty may not work more than 29 hours per week as prescribed in the TCSG Procedure 4.1.4p: Categories of Employment. Hours worked will be determined based on the established equivalency formula for the type of class scheduled [see TCSG Procedure 4.1.8p: Instructional Staff Work Assignments].

Adjunct faculty members should inform students of the times before and/or after class when they may be contacted for assistance. For online courses, instructors will post their weekly schedule of office hours on the course syllabi indicating when they will be available to students via telephone, E-mail, or in person.

Distance Education Teaching Load:
Faculty interested in teaching in the distance (online) education program must meet the general academic and professional requirements. All faculty teaching in online education courses are required to complete training in the online software used to facilitate the class.

Full-time faculty will allot appropriate time for distance education classes on their class schedule. Full-time faculty members are required to be on campus for online classes. Adjunct faculty are not required to be on campus for online classes.

Records Retention:
All records associated with instructional staff work assignments (e.g. faculty workload) shall be maintained for 3 years.

Responsibility:
The Vice President for Academic Affairs has the overall responsibility for ensuring this procedure is implemented.

References:
SBTCSG Policy 4.1.8: Instructional Staff Work Assignments
TCSG Procedure 4.1.8p: Instructional Staff Work Assignments
TCSG Procedure 4.3.2p6: Other Employment
TCSG Procedure 4.1.4p: Categories of Employment

Status:
Adopted: 11-17-2014
Implemented: 07-01-2015
Revised: 03-07-2017
Revised: 02-04-2020