Teaching Load Policy
Rationale
To realize our College’s vision of becoming a top tier regional public college, it is essential that faculty members’ teaching load assignments reflect the dual goals of equity and professional growth. These goals should be a priority in meeting the University’s expectations of quality teaching, research and scholarly or creative production, and service activity. The following is the recommended policy regarding teaching load assignments for full-time faculty during an academic year (i.e., Fall and Spring semesters).
A. Standard Teaching Load
1. The teaching load for tenure line (tenured and tenure-track) faculty except in Kinesiology is 18 credit hours or contact hours (depending on current practice at Penn State Abington) per academic year.
2. The teaching load for instructor with continuing appointment except for Kinesiology is 21 credit hours or contact hours (depending on current practice at Penn State Abington) per academic year. For all instructors with continuing appointment (except Kinesiology), the current practice of 18 credit hours per academic year will be continued for a period of 2 years. Because of the nature of their discipline, Kinesiology instructors with continuing appointments will teach no less than 5 sections of one or one and a half credits each.
3. Teaching loads for Fixed Term I faculty are determined at the time when the contract is signed and will not be less than 4:4 sections or 24 contact hours per year, or other alternative duties, depending on common disciplinary practice at Penn State Abington.
*For multiple sections or courses taught at the same time and in the same room, common credit hours
are counted only once.*For team taught courses, credits will be divided between instructors.
* The Division Head will try to schedule credit hours or contact hours for faculty evenly between the fall and spring semesters. However, in certain disciplines, where this is impractical, the Division Head may schedule tenure-line faculty so that they slightly overload in some semesters in exchange for extra compensation if they so choose or a lighter load in other semesters to fulfill their teaching obligations. At no time will a faculty member “owe” more than one course.
* If a tenured faculty member is granted a sabbatical for a semester, his/her teaching load is reduced by half.
* To avoid last-minute class cancellation and disruption of faculty schedules, the college will give faculty as much warning as possible when classes are under-enrolled and, therefore, likely to be cancelled. In the case that the under-enrolled class must be offered, the faculty member and the Division Head will meet to discuss available options. Faculty and the Division Head should consider curricular needs, the total expected enrollment for the faculty member’s assigned courses, and the impact of any change on the faculty member’s schedule. When changes are required immediately before the start of the semester, faculty should have an option to meet workload requirements by adjusting a future semester’s load if that is his (her) preference.
B. Overload and Extra Compensation
1. A faculty member may teach a maximum of two courses per academic year as overload. The extra compensation for these courses (or parts of courses) is set by the College.
2. A faculty member may teach Honors Option courses, Independent Study courses, supervise Senior Theses, supervise Interns, or other college projects, and get compensated at a rate set by the College. Specific requirements and/or limitations may apply to some of these categories.
3. A faculty member assigned to certain administrative/service jobs will be compensated.
C. Reduction of Teaching Load
1. Faculty members who have administrative responsibilities and the Senate Chair will have a reduced teaching load and/or compensation to be determined by the Division Head and Associate Dean and approved by the Chancellor.2. If a faculty member needs a reduced load for developmental purposes, he/she may apply for a Summer Faculty Fellowship (eliminating the need for summer teaching) or the Career Development Professorship. In exceptional circumstances, individual faculty members may petition the Associate Dean on the FAR Form. A positive recommendation will need final approval by the Chancellor.
D. Advising
1. All faculty members would be assigned advising duties to be determined by the College.
E. Exceptions
1. Any exception to this policy will need to be approved jointly by the Division Head and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
