(approved June 2006)

The faculty workload policy of Dakota State University is stated in sufficiently broad and sufficiently specific terms to allow for the fulfillment of the mission of the University while respecting the rights and prerogatives of faculty unit members and administration.  The genuine realization of the spirit of the policy pivots on the mutual respect and goodwill that should characterize colleagues having complementary responsibilities.

 Workload during the Academic Year

Per the 2005-2008 COHE Agreement Section 9.2, the standard two-term workload for faculty unit members requires 30 credit hours of undergraduate instruction, or its equivalent, per academic year.  Reasonable release time is granted to faculty unit members who actively engage in research, scholarship or creative artistic activity or who actively pursue professional service activities related to their disciplines.  Ordinarily, reasonable release time is the equivalent of six credit hours of undergraduate instruction, or its equivalent, per academic year.  The institution may adjust this workload requirement to ensure that faculty unit members have adequate time for research and scholarship or service or as deemed necessary by the institution and as specified below in this workload document. 

Teaching Load

All faculty members are expected to fulfill the basic professional responsibilities of the mission of the institution as outlined in the 2005-2008 COHE agreement.  As indicated in the 2005-2008 COHE Agreement Section 9.2, the normal full-time teaching load is 24 semester credit hours for each academic year (fall and spring).  Faculty whose teaching load exceeds that requirement (and who are actively engaged in research, scholarship or creative artistic activity and who actively pursue professional service activities related to their disciplines) may qualify for overload pay when their teaching load exceeds the 24-credit requirement in any given academic year.  (See below for discussion of overload compensation.)   

Unless an equated formula is stipulated below, the semester credit hours of the course will be used to determine the course’s value in the faculty unit member’s teaching workload.  The semester credit hour teaching load of a faculty unit member is determined by adding the semester credit hours and the equated workload credits of the assigned courses.  Equated workload credit for the courses designated below will be calculated using these formulas:

1.                  Science laboratories (Schedule Type C and L):  3 contact hours equal 2 equated workload credits.

2.         Clinical experiences (Schedule Type G):  2 contact hours equal 1 equated workload credit.

3.         Applied music courses:  3 contact hours equal 2 equated workload credits.

4.         Studio art courses:  3 contact hours equal 4 equated workload credits.

(Note:  presumes 150-minute class period with an additional 150-minute studio requirement for students, without direct supervision of instructor)

5.         Graphic arts courses:  3 contact hours equal 4 equated workload credits.

(Note:  presumes 150-minute class period with 150-minute lab requirement for students, without direct supervision of instructor)

6.         Wellness activity courses:  2 contact hours equal 1 equated workload credit.

7.         Mentored courses (courses in the x9x series, with the exception of x92):

(.10) x (semester credit hours of the course) x (number of students being mentored) equals equated workload credits.

8.         Supervision of formal research experiences:

a.  Undergraduate research supervision: (.10) x (semester credit hour of course) x(number of students enrolled) equals equated workload credits.

b.  Master’s-level research supervision: considered part of the unit faculty member’s formal research workload and not considered as part of the unit faculty member’s teaching workload.

c.  Doctoral-level research supervision: considered part of the unit faculty member’s formal research workload and not considered as part of the unit faculty member’s teaching workload.

9.          Instructor of Record:

a.  Supervision of 1 graduate teaching assistant equals .67 equated workload credit (regardless of course credit hours)

b.  Supervision of 1 graduate lab assistant equals .33 equated workload credit (regardless of course credit hours) 

10.       Graduate Courses:  (1.33) x (semester credit hours of the course) equals equated workload credit.

11.       Supervision of multiple-section courses (if responsible for development of standardized content, assessment, and syllabus for the course):  1 equated workload credit for each multiple-section course supervised.

12.       Supervision of student teaching:

                        a.  Elementary Education and K-12/Secondary Education: 1 student = .67                                     equated workload credit.
                        b.  Elementary Education / Special Education: 1 student = 1 equated                                     workload credit.
                        c.  Level III: 1 credit hour = 1.125 workload credit.

These factors may be considered at the college level and may be used to displace a proportional amount of the normal, full-time teaching workload assignment, upon authorization by the Vice President for Academic Affairs:

• class size and other related classroom issues;

• institutional committee chairmanship;

• responsibility for institutional projects;

• heavy advising load or college recruitment responsibilities;

• guidelines of external accrediting agencies;

• a strong research agenda that supports the university’s mission

If an agreement cannot be reached at the college level by the dean and the faculty unit member relative to the faculty unit member’s teaching workload, the faculty unit member may request a review by the VPAA.  If the faculty unit member’s request for change is denied by the VPAA, the faculty unit member may request a review by the Ad Hoc Workload Committee.  Recommendations made by this committee will be given very serious consideration by the administration.

Academic Advising

Academic advising is recognized as part of a faculty unit member’s teaching workload and generally will not exceed an assignment of 50 students.  An unusually heavy advising load can be offset by a reduction in the faculty unit member’s committee or other college assignments.

Class Preparation

The usual number of class preparations for faculty unit members will be 3 to 6 per semester.  If / when the faculty unit member’s teaching assignment for any given semester exceeds 7 class preparations, other workload assignments will be reduced proportionately.

When two or more sections of the same class are taught by the faculty unit member during the same semester, those courses will be counted as a single class preparation.

For each credit hour or equated workload credit taught per week by a faculty unit member, the faculty unit member is expected to spend three hours in class preparation, evaluation of students, tutorials, or other course-related activities.

Faculty unit members are expected to maintain an office schedule that provides for reasonable on-campus accessibility during the work week.  Minimum standards for office hours will be established annually by each college.

Overload Compensation during the Academic Year

Section 19.5 of the current COHE agreement stipulates that overload compensation is set at seven percent of the faculty unit member’s 9-month base salary for every three-credit course taught above the 24-credit workload requirement.  Faculty unit members who have a larger-than-normal workload assignment in the fall may also request a reduction in their spring teaching load, in lieu of overload compensation.

Only faculty who are teaching more than 24 workload hours during the academic year are eligible for overload compensation.  Faculty unit members who unilaterally agree to supervise independent study courses, directed practices and directed studies courses (those courses generally numbered x9x) will not be compensated with overload pay for this supervision, unless the activity is specifically assigned by the dean and compensation arrangements are made at the time of the assignment. 

See Attachment A for the guidelines used by the university to calculate overload compensation.

Summer School Workload

Per the 2005-2008 COHE Agreement, Section 19.5, faculty unit members whose time is not fully obligated to the university or other state or federal agencies to perform externally funded research may be offered course assignments to teach during the summer session.  Note, however, that during any given fiscal year, a faculty unit member’s salary from Dakota State University or other state or federal agencies and/or research grants and contracts may not exceed his/her equivalent 12-month salary.

Section 19.5 of the current COHE agreement stipulates that a faculty unit member will be compensated at the rate of seven percent of their 9-month base salary for each three-credit course taught.  If a course exceeds or falls short of three credit hours, the compensation will be adjusted pro rata. 

In the interest of quality instruction, a faculty unit member’s teaching assignment in the summer will not exceed 10 credit hours during the summer term.  Any exceptions to this stipulation must be approved by the VPAA prior to a summer school contract being issued to the faculty unit member.

Faculty unit members who unilaterally agree to supervise independent study courses, directed practices and directed studies courses (courses numbered in the x9x series) during the summer will not be compensated for this supervision, unless the activity is specifically assigned by the dean and compensation arrangements are made at the time of the assignment.

When a course fails to meet the specific minimum enrollment, the summer school contract may be voided by the administration or the faculty unit member may request an opportunity to teach the course at reduced compensation.  The university administration will determine the minimum enrollment needed, consistent with sound fiscal practices, to justify offering the class.  Faculty unit members will be advised of the minimum enrollments specified by the university at the time the summer school contract is offered. 

For faculty unit members whose summer teaching load is part of their 9-month teaching obligation, the semester credit hours of the course will be used to determine the course’s value in the faculty unit member’s workload, unless an equated formula is stipulated above (see Workload during the Academic Year).  For those faculty unit members, the summer school teaching workload is determined by adding the semester credit hours and the equated credit hours of the assigned courses. 

Attachment A: Overload Compensation Guide

Attachment B:  Faculty Workload Worksheet