Policy on Faculty Teaching Workload

1. Course Load and Lecture Hours for Ladder-rank Faculty

   The normal course load (i.e. regularly scheduled courses) for each faculty member in the Jacobs School is four quarter-courses per academic year, usually a combination of two undergraduate and two graduate classes. The four-course norm does not include peripheral undergraduate courses (internships, independent study, freshman seminars, etc.) nor graduate research teaching and seminars. Faculty members are expected to undertake such "courses" in addition to four formal courses. Graduate-level courses are scheduled to meet three hours per week, and the majority of undergraduate courses are scheduled to meet four hours per week. Exceptions to the four-hour per week schedule for undergraduate level courses are:

   1. laboratory courses which may involve less than four hours of regular lecture, but which involve considerably more time spent by the instructor in direct contact hours in lab sections or in other ways;
   2. courses taught for other departments where the other department has a standard of less than four hours per week of formal lecture by the instructor, although there is a fourth meeting scheduled as a section meeting usually handled by a TA.

   The following exceptions to the norm of four courses per faculty member are permitted:

   1. Department Chair. The Chair's norm is two courses per year, which may be increased by one additional course under exceptional circumstances or need. A request for reduced load may be considered for a past Chair for one year after service as Chair to provide an opportunity to resume postponed research activity.
   2. Faculty split-funded with other departments. A faculty member with an appointment split among departments is assigned teaching duties pro rata. For a 2/3 or 3/4 time appointment, the norm is considered to be three courses. For a 1/2 time appointment, it is two courses. However, if these individuals are not utilized by their other department, and especially if their other commitments (i.e. research, department and University service) are not strong, they may be called upon to alleviate teaching shortages.
   3. New junior-level faculty. It is the School's policy to relieve a new, junior level faculty member of some teaching obligations for one or two years while developing a research program. The exact load and number of years is decided on by the Chair on a case-by-case basis.
   4. Unexpected course cancellation. If a faculty member is assigned to teach a course which is cancelled at the last minute because of insufficient enrollment, it may be too late to substitute another course in that faculty member's teaching assignment. In this case, a shortfall from the norm of four courses is unavoidable, and the extra time during that quarter is devoted to other duties.
   5. Extraordinary university or public service. On a case-by-case basis, the chair may temporarily reduce the four-course norm to three for an individual faculty member who has an extraordinary University or public service load (typically, chair or member on a time-consuming committee of the Academic Senate, a government agency or professional group).
   6. Illness. On a case-by-case basis, the Chair may temporarily reduce the four-course norm for a faculty member who has a serious illness or health problem, but is not totally incapacitated. (Chairs should consult policy in APM 700 and 710.)
   7. Disengaged faculty. A tenured faculty member who does not participate in the other non-teaching activities normally expected of faculty (i.e. research, department and University service, etc.) is assigned a teaching load in excess of the norm. Usually, this decision follows a history of weak academic reviews. In such cases, five or six courses are assigned by the Chair, depending on current departmental needs.

2. Quarters without formal teaching assignment

   There is no policy regarding an individual faculty member having a quarter without a formal teaching assignment. Some faculty members prefer to teach their courses in two quarters to be able to concentrate on research during the third. (A free quarter could also result from teaching overload during the previous academic year with subsequent compensatory reduction from the norm granted by the Chair.) Faculty preferences are accommodated insofar as possible; however, the ultimate determinant is departmental need. A department chair may override faculty preferences when the welfare of the students is in conflict with the requested schedule.

   The faculty member is in residence and is expected to conduct the usual business of graduate student supervision, student advising, meetings of ad hoc committees, graduate student examinations, future course preparation, self-study, etc. It goes without saying that scholarly activity during this time should not merely remain undiminished, but should increase.

All academic appointments are subject to policies and procedures of the UC Academic Personnel Manual and the UCSD Personnel Policy Manual.

May 2006

Approved Faculty Instructional Workload by Department

The EVC approves any changes to instructional workload. If your department wishes to propose a change to the approved workload policy, please submit a memo addressed to the EVC, Via the Dean, with a cc to the Assistant Dean and Jacobs School Academic Personnel manager. The memo should include the current and proposed approved faculty workload, a rationale for the request (which should include plans for teaching courses unassigned as a result), and any other pertinent information you wish to be taken into consideration.