Ohio Administrative Code
Title 3359 - University of Akron
Chapter 3359-20 - Mission, Goals and Faculty Policies
Section 3359-20-03.2 - Tenured and tenure track faculty workload

Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 3359-20-03.2

Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024

(A) This tenured and tenure-track faculty workload policy is enacted pursuant to section 3345.45 of the Revised Code and is intended to comply with the 1994 Report of the Regents' Advisory Committee on Faculty Workload Standards andGuidelines. This rule provides guidance to academic units on workload expectations and the administration of workload assignments. In assigning workload, special emphasis shall be placed on undergraduate teaching and the undergraduate learning experience.

(B) Pursuant to section 3345.45 of the Revised Code, workload policies are a management right and not appropriate subjects for collective bargaining; assignment of duties and workload are solely within the authority of the president or appropriate designee. Any policy adopted pursuant to section 3345.45 of the Revised Code or this rule shall be approved by the Board of Trustees and will prevail over any conflicting provision of any collective bargaining agreement.

(C) Load credit allows the translation of the percentage of time expended on any particular activity to an equivalent of teaching load stated in course credit hours. While special emphasis shall be placed on the undergraduate learning experience, faculty may also be required to pursue a broad range of activities in addition to teaching, including research, service, administration, special projects/tasks, etc. The standard load for all tenured and tenure-track faculty on nine-month contracts is twenty-four load credits per academic year. For tenured and tenure-track faculty on twelve-month contracts, the standard load is twenty-four load credits per academic year and six in the summer. The basic unit for measuring teaching load is the load credit that represents one fifty minute period of classroom activity per week for one semester.

(D) Faculty workload

(1) Three activities, teaching, research/creative activity, and service, make up the tenured and tenure-track faculty workload in most cases. In setting appropriate percentages or amounts of each activity for a full workload, the need for flexibility is recognized. Many differences exist between colleges and departments of this university, and these differences preclude the possibility that a single set of percentages or figures can be rigidly applied for all. Therefore, the emphasis given to each activity will depend on the mission of the individual unit. Adjustments to the subsequent recommendations requires the approval of the president or designee. The following ranges for teaching load as a percentage of the unit's time allocation are consistent with the regents' recommendations:
(a) Baccalaureate department: (active four-year undergraduate programs with no, or limited, activity in graduate programs). In general, the norm for teaching activities should be seventy to eighty per cent of a total departmental workload, with the remaining twenty to thirty per cent devoted to other scholarly activities, research/creative activity, service, and other professional activities consistent with the department and university's mission. Tenured and tenure-track faculty should be expected to devote most, if not all, of their teaching effort to undergraduate instruction.

(b) Baccalaureate/masters departments: (active baccalaureate and masters degree programs). For academic departments, or equivalents, with active baccalaureate and masters degree programs, the recommended norm for teaching activities is sixty to seventy per cent of the total departmental workload with the remaining thirty to forty per cent devoted to research/creative activity, service, and other professional activities consistent with the department and university's mission. It should be expected that tenured and tenure-track faculty in these departments will devote more of their effort to teaching undergraduates than to graduate level instruction.

(c) Baccalaureate/masters/doctoral departments: (active baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs). Departments, or equivalent units, with active baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs should have a norm of fifty to sixty per cent of the total departmental workload devoted to teaching. The remaining forty to fifty per cent of workload time should be devoted to research/creative activity, service, and other professional activities consistent with the department and university's mission. It is expected that tenured and tenure-track faculty teaching in these departments will be personally involved in undergraduate instruction. The fact that a department offers a masters or doctoral degree is not sufficient indication of an active program. In deciding where a department is located along the continuum from active undergraduate programs to active graduate programs, consideration should be given to the research/creative activity levels of the faculty, including externally funded research, scholarly publications, and the average number of graduate and/or professional degrees granted annually.

(d) University two-year or associate degree programs: (active associate degree programs with no, or little baccalaureate activity) faculty whose principal appointment is in university department with any or all levels of degrees, but whose teaching is primarily in an associate degree program, with no, or limited, baccalaureate or graduate activity, should have undergraduate teaching as their major responsibility. Such faculty members may also have professional development and service as part of their workload expectations, as needed to further the mission of the program and the university. Faculty whose principal appointment is in a university department with any or all levels of degrees, but whose teaching is primarily in an associate degree program, with no, or limited, baccalaureate or graduate activity should be expected to devote between eighty to ninety per cent of their total workload to teaching related activities, with the remaining ten to twenty per cent devoted to professional development and service.

(2) It shall be the responsibility of the dean, in consultation with the executive vice president and provost, to determine the appropriate division of workload expectation for each department, or equivalent unit, in the college according to the department's level of activity in the degree programs it offers. Deans shall work with department chairs and school directors, who, in consultation with the academic units' tenured and tenure-track faculty, will recommend an effective unit level workload policy, consistent with paragraph (D)(1) of this policy. The policy shall be individually tailored to the role and mission of the specific unit and may include specific guidance and/or examples. Consistent with the workload expectations for each department, or equivalent unit, faculty may propose changes to unit level workload policy. However, assignment of workload at the unit level shall at all times remain a management right.

(E) Any tenured or tenure-track faculty member who fails to comply with the requirements of their workload assignment may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action for just cause, regardless of tenure status. Such disciplinary action may include censure, remedial training, oral or written reprimand, suspension, or termination of employment. Disciplinary action shall be administered only for just cause and, if applicable, pursuant to the appropriate collective bargaining agreement. Disciplinary action, up to and including termination, shall be recommended by the dean of the college in which the faculty member has their primary appointment. Termination decisions shall require the concurrence of the provost, or his or her designee, and the president. Termination decisions must be approved by the board of trustees.

Replaces: 3359-20-03.2

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