Administrative Guidelines for Faculty Teaching Load
Last updated: January 2024
1. General Considerations
The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering - Indianapolis allows faculty to have assignments of their teaching, research, and service obligations that differ from the standard distribution of effort (e.g., 40%/40%/20%; or 80%/20%). When there is an adjusted workload, merit review expectations for each category are adjusted correspondingly, and an appropriately adjusted weighting is used to determine the overall merit rating.
For all faculty members, teaching assignments must balance the school’s and Department’s needs for undergraduate and graduate teaching and give preference to the coverage of required courses.
Teaching load guidelines may be re-examined periodically taking into account teaching loads at peer institutions, the ability of the school to meet its teaching obligations, available resources, and campus expectations.
2. Tenure-track faculty
The standard teaching load for full-time, 10-month tenured faculty is 4 courses per year 1.
2.1. Adjustments to teaching load
Department chairs, in consultation with the EAD, may make individual adjustments to a faculty member’s balance between teaching, research and service on an annual basis, provided those adjustments are done in a principled and equitable manner, and without detriment to a unit’s teaching and service missions. These temporary adjustments may decrease or increase the teaching load.
Decreasing Load
A faculty may request to the Department Chair to consider a one-course decrease of teaching load for one year (e.g., from four courses per year to three courses per year) based on the following options:
Option 1:
Highly productive in research. The criteria for being highly productive in research can be different in different departments 2, but should be based on the following:
- Having at least one active significant external grant as Principal Investigator (or Co-PI with a substantive role reflected in the funding brought to the school) that generates the university’s full Indirect Cost Recovery rate, while maintaining publications productivity. The grant may also be a university-approved external research contract with an industry or community partner that is considered significant according to Department standards and that provides financial support to the faculty and students. OR
- Significant publications productivity in high-impact venues (or productivity in disclosing and licensing inventions with the university) in conjunction with high productivity in submitting competitive external grant proposals in a calendar year.
Option 2:
Course buy-out.
- A contribution of 10% of academic year salary, fringe and benefits from external sources to reduce the course load by one course in a given academic year. Salary savings resulting from course buyout are not eligible for return to the faculty internal research account.
Option 3:
Significant contributions to curriculum development, service or industry partnerships for experiential learning: The criteria may depend on the nature of the work, but in general include:
- Significant leadership in curriculum or service activities (especially as related to students) that are considerably higher than normal curriculum development or expected service activity. These may include large contributions to curriculum/program design and execution, or other non-classroom, instruction-related activities; development and sustained engagement in industry partnerships to support the experiential learning of the students; or contributions to special initiatives beyond those expected by assigned program administration roles.
To be considered for a teaching release, a faculty should not have major deficiencies in any of the three required areas of academic work: teaching, research, and Department/School/Professional service. The department chair is responsible for reviewing the reduction request, prioritizing requests, and determining, if feasible, the appropriate course to be reduced for a specific semester. Given the long-range planning and time constraints of department schedules, requests may be received at any time, and the Chair has the flexibility to decide to apply the course release within the next two academic years, considering all the factors at play (course scheduling deadlines, requests received, staffing needs and availability, resources, and departmental teaching needs). An approved teaching reduction is a temporary arrangement and cannot be accrued for use beyond two academic years.
Two-course Load Minimum
Even considering the added effects of the above course release options, chairs may not reduce the teaching loads for a faculty member below two courses per year. Reduction below two courses can only be granted by the Dean. Such requests will require justification and must not interfere with the Department and School mission.
Increasing Load
Temporary Teaching overloads. A teaching overload of one course per semester may be determined by the Chair in consultation with a faculty member on an emergency basis to cover teaching needs, but in principle should be minimized or avoided if possible. Faculty may accept a teaching overload on a voluntary basis and be compensated proportionally. Overloads are not applicable in a semester when a faculty receives a teaching release. An overload request needs to be approved by the Department Chair and the EAD.
Other considerations: Adjustments that decrease the research expectation below 40% are not permitted for untenured faculty.
3. Lecturer-track and Clinical-track faculty
The standard teaching load for full time, 10-month lecturer-track faculty is 8 courses per year. The standard teaching load for full time, 10-month clinical-track faculty is 6 courses per year.
3.1. Adjustments to teaching load
Department chairs, in consultation with their units’ relevant committees as needed, may make adjustments to a faculty member’s balance between teaching and service on an annual basis, provided those adjustments can be done without detriment to a unit’s teaching and service missions.
Decreasing Load
A faculty member can request a one-course decrease of teaching load (e.g., from eight courses per year to seven courses per year) in a given academic year, based on one or more of the following options:
Option 1:
Significant development of scholarship of teaching initiatives (e.g. secured external grants or university-approved contracts in support of teaching, or significant publications on teaching related activities) beyond regular activities expected for a lecturer.
Option 2:
A contribution of 10% of academic year salary, fringe and benefits from external sources to reduce the course load by one course per year. Salary savings resulting from course buyout are not eligible for return to the faculty internal research account.
Option 3:
Considerably higher than normal curriculum development/service activity, such as, very large contributions to curriculum development, industry partnerships for experiential learning, other instruction-related activities, or contributions to special initiatives, beyond those expected by program administration roles (e.g., Program Director).
To be considered for a teaching release, a faculty should not have major deficiencies in teaching or service. The department chair is responsible for reviewing the reduction request, prioritizing requests, and determining, if feasible, the appropriate course to be reduced for a specific semester. Given the long-range planning and time constraints of department schedules, requests may be received at any time, and the Chair has the flexibility to decide to apply the course release within the next two academic years, considering all the factors at play (course scheduling deadlines, requests received, staffing needs and availability, resources, and departmental teaching needs). An approved teaching reduction is a temporary arrangement and cannot be accrued for use beyond two academic years.
Two-course Load Minimum
Even considering the added effects of the above mechanisms, chairs may not reduce the teaching loads for a lecturer-track faculty member below six courses per year, and the teaching load of a clinical faculty below four courses per year. Reduction below these levels can only be granted by the Dean. Such requests will require justification and must not interfere with the Department and School mission.
Increasing Load
Temporary Teaching overloads. A teaching overload of one course per semester may be determined by the Chair in consultation with a faculty member on an emergency basis to cover teaching needs, but in principle should be minimized or avoided if possible. Faculty may accept a teaching overload on a voluntary basis and be compensated proportionally. Overloads are not applicable in a semester when a faculty receives a teaching release. An overload request needs to be approved by the Department Chair and the EAD.