Faculty Workload and Workload Equivalents

All full-time Faculty of the Department are expected to carry a maximum workload of twenty-four (24) credit hours per academic year.  Full-time non-tenure track faculty members are expected to carry a maximum workload of thirty (30) credit hours per academic year.  (See, University Policy Register 3342-6-18)  The workload for each individual Faculty/faculty member is assigned by the Chair with the approval of the Dean.  The FAC shall advise the Chair on issues related to teaching assignments, class schedules and the appropriate application of workload equivalents. The Chair shall provide each Faculty/faculty member with a statement of her/his workload.

In addition, the Chair may, in consultation with the FAC and with the concurrence of the Dean, assign workload equivalencies for specific duties which are considered essential to the academic mission of the Department.  The Department’s expectations and specifications for such workload equivalencies is given in the table below
Table 1. Workload Equivalents Table

In the interest of maintaining a high standard of teaching and the desirability of Faculty involvement in research and service activities, overload assignments are strongly discouraged.  Overload assignments (i.e. workload assignments which total more than twenty-four (24) credit hours per academic year for Faculty and which total more than thirty (30) credit hours for full-time non-tenure-track faculty) will be made only in unusual circumstances.  Such assignments require the agreement of the Faculty/faculty member, and the approval of the Chair and the Dean. 

The Department of Sociology is a graduate as well as undergraduate Department that emphasizes research and scholarship on the part of the graduate Faculty.  Graduate Faculty typically teach courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level and high quality teaching is expected from all Faculty.  Given the need for all Kent regular Faculty to participate in the graduate program, which is built upon a continuing program of research and scholarship, as well as the undergraduate program, the following guidelines apply to the Kent campus in particular.  Workload practices for regional campus Faculty are determined by each campus, guided by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and University and campus policies.  All Faculty workload assignments must be approved by the appropriate dean.

Regular Faculty members with assignments and responsibilities beyond those of purely undergraduate teaching may receive reallocation of workload per the following guidelines.  Reallocations may be for the equivalent of three to eighteen hours of instructional assignment.  Except under extraordinary circumstances, every Faculty member will teach at least 3 credit hours per semester.

Each academic year, Faculty with graduate Faculty status (associate or full) may receive up to three (3) credit hours equivalency for each of the following:

The usual and customary service duties associated with being an active member of the graduate Faculty.  These duties include, but are not limited to, serving as the graduate representative or moderator at thesis or dissertation defenses, service on comprehensive examination committees, including the preparation, administration and evaluation of the examinations.  Also expected is service on the doctoral specialty area committees.  Service on the Department Graduate Education Committee, on the Joint Doctoral Program Executive Committee, and similar assignments is also included.  Activities associated with the professional development, collaborative research, and the placing of graduate students in professional positions.

1.  The usual and customary instructional expectations associated with being an active member of the graduate Faculty.  These include, but are not limited to, mentoring students, directing theses and/or dissertations, and serving as a member of a thesis and/or dissertation committee, or as an outside Faculty member of such.  Revisions of existing courses and the preparation of new courses are included.

2.  The usual and customary activities associated with research, i.e., being an active scholar and researcher.  The Faculty member is expected to maintain an ongoing and active research agenda and to disseminate the results of same through presenting papers at professional meetings, publishing articles in refereed scientific journals, chapters in scholarly books, and/or monographs or complete books, etc.  Research activity with graduate or undergraduate students.  The Faculty member is also expected to seek extramural funding as appropriate, and if funded to successfully conduct the sponsored project.

3.  Chairperson:  Four courses (twelve hours) minimum.  Further adjustments must be approved by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Coordinators for Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies:  Two courses (six hours).  Further adjustments must be approved by the chairperson after consultation with the Faculty Advisory Committee. Committee chairs with heavy loads:  Adjustments may be requested to the Faculty Advisory Committee and the chairperson.

4.  Assistant professors in their first and second years will normally carry a four course (twelve hour) teaching load per academic year.  

The combination of load adjustments for graduate Faculty service, instruction and scholarship will not normally exceed three courses (nine hours) in an academic year.  Unusual opportunities, responsibilities, or assignments, above and beyond the normal expectations, may be the basis for requesting an additional one course (three hour) equivalency load adjustment.  Such requests will be made to the chairperson and the Faculty Advisory Committee under criteria to be established annually by the FAC.