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Publication Date: April 30, 2001

Chapter 2

Faculty and Academics

2.14 The University of Texas at San Antonio Minimum Faculty Teaching Requirement

Each faculty member paid full-time from the appropriations item "Faculty Salaries" shall be assigned a minimum workload equivalent to eighteen semester credit hours of instruction in organized undergraduate classes each nine-month academic year in accordance with guidelines listed below.

When a faculty member is paid partially from a source of funds other than the "Faculty Salaries" line item, the minimum workload shall be proportioned to the percentage of salary paid from the appropriations item "Faculty Salaries."

Teaching assistants shall be used only when given proper guidance and supervision to ensure quality instruction.

A minimum faculty workload requirement equivalent to eighteen semester credit hours of instruction in organized classes each nine-month academic year is possible at the University of Texas at San Antonio only if the total institutional semester credit hours generated are sufficient to meet institutional obligations to the students and to operate effectively within the faculty salary resources available. Faculty members not actively involved in a program of research and publication or in equivalent academic service should typically carry a workload greater than the minimum.

State law requires the adoption of rules concerning faculty academic workloads. Texas Education Code Section 51.402(b) recognizes that important elements of workload include classroom teaching, basic and applied research, and professional development. Workload is expressed in terms of classroom teaching, teaching equivalencies and presidential credits for assigned activities.

  1. Classroom Teaching Equivalencies

    1. Graduate Instruction. One Semester credit hour of graduate instruction will be considered the equivalent of one and one-half semester credit hours of undergraduate instruction.

    2. Specialized Instruction. One and one-half contact hours of instruction of regularly scheduled laboratory and clinical courses, physical activity courses, studio art, studio music instruction, and primary music performance organizations, such as ensembles and marching bands, for each week of a long term semester will be considered the equivalent of one semester credit hour of undergraduate instruction.

    3. Supervision. Supervision of student teachers, clinical supervision, and intern supervision shall be credited such that 12 total student semester credit hours taught will be considered the equivalent of one semester credit hour.

    4. Practicum and Individual Instruction. Supervision of student practicum and individual instruction courses, such as honors programs and individual research projects, shall provide equivalency at the rate of one-tenth semester credit hour for each student semester hour of undergraduate instruction and one-fifth semester hour for each student semester hour of graduate instruction per long-term semester. In no case will individual instruction in a single course generate more semester credit hour equivalence than if the course were taught as a regularly scheduled, organized course.

    5. Thesis and Dissertation Supervision. Graduate thesis or dissertation supervision shall provide equivalent credit hours only to the chairperson of the thesis or dissertation committee at the rate of one semester credit hour for each six total student semester hours of thesis research credit and at the rate of one semester credit hour for each three total student semester hours of dissertation credit.

    6. Multiple Sections. A faculty member who coordinates several sections of a single course shall be given one semester hour of workload credit for each six sections coordinated up to a maximum of three semester hours of credit per semester.

    7. Large Classes. Workload credit may be proportionally increased for teaching a large class that requires extensive grading or evaluation of students' work by the faculty member according to the following weighing factors:

      Class Size Weighing Factor
      59 or less 1.0
      60 - 69 1.1
      70 - 79 1.2
      80 - 89 1.3
      90 - 99 1.4
      100 - 124 1.5
      125 - 149 1.6
      150 - 174 1.7
      175 - 199 1.8
      200 - 249 1.9
      250 or more 2.0

    8. Team Teaching. When more than one teacher participates in the instruction of a single course, the credit is proportioned according to the effort expended. The department chair will determine the apportionment of credit.

    9. Insufficient Enrollment. A reduced workload may be granted temporarily if assigned classes do not materialize because of insufficient enrollment and when additional classes or other academic duties cannot be assigned to the faculty member. This exception may be granted for two consecutive long-term semesters only for any particular faculty member.

  2. Other Equivalencies

    1. Administrative Assignments. Workload credit may be granted for a faculty member who is an Associate Dean, Chair of a department, or Director of a Center up to a maximum of six semester hours of workload credit per semester. When justified by the department/unit head and approved by the President three hours of credit may be given to faculty members who provide nonteaching academic services to the department/unit head. In no case will the total for departmental administration, including the head, exceed nine workload credits per semester unless the institution's organizational structure includes academic units composed of more than one academic discipline.

    2. New Faculty. At the recommendation of the head of the department or comparable unit and upon approval of the President, up to three semester hours of workload credit for each of two semesters may be given to a newly-appointed faculty member during the first year of employment for the purpose of developing instructional materials for the courses he or she will teach.

    3. New Course Development. At the recommendation of the departmental chair and upon approval of the President, workload credit may be granted to a faculty member involved in the creation of a new course, new course format, or new course materials.

    4. Presidential Credits. Academic workload credit granted by the President for all other purposes is limited to 1% of the total semester credit hours taught at the institution during the comparable (fall or spring) semester in the previous year. With the approval of the President, limited faculty workload credit (within the 1% limit above) may be granted for major academic advising responsibilities, for basic and applied research following a research work plan approved pursuant to institutional policy, for preparing major documents in the fulfillment of programmatic needs or accreditation requirements, or for duties performed in the best interest of the institution's instructional programs as determined by the President.

    5. Faculty with Technical Rank. Instructional workload equivalents for faculty members holding technical rank may be determined on a clock-hour basis where full-time employment is equivalent to not less than 30 hours of instructionally related activities each week for contact hour courses taught on a quarterly basis.

  3. Compliance

    The President has delegated primary responsibility for faculty assignments to meet the faculty workload requirements of this policy to the Division Director and College Dean. These administrators are accountable for individual faculty compliance with institutional rules and for distributing the duties of their academic unit so that each faculty member contributes maximally to the academic program of the Division and College according to his or her capabilities and experience and according to the average semester credit hours that must be generated by the College to sustain the budget of that College.

    Individual faculty are also responsible for ensuring their compliance with workload policies and for verifying such compliance and the accuracy of individual workload reports on an academic year basis.

    The President has designated to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs the responsibility for monitoring the workload assignments of each College and Division, and reviewing workload reports, and submitting the reports to the President for approval and comment, as appropriate. The Faculty Senate shall have the opportunity to review faculty workload reports and recommend changes in this Policy to the President.

    The President is responsible for assuring that the teaching load analyses are made each nine month academic year and reported to the Board of Regents through System Administration following the standard reporting format and deadlines as provided by the Coordinating Board in accordance with Section 51.402 of the Texas Education Code and the current General Appropriations Act. Every faculty member's compliance with these minimum academic workload requirements shall be assessed each academic year. If a faculty member is found to be out of compliance, the institution shall take appropriate steps to address the noncompliance and to prevent such noncompliance in the future.

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