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CHAPTER 3. FACULTY AND ACADEMICS

The University of Texas at Austin            Policy Memorandum 3.101
Office of the President                      September 1, 1981

Ssubject: MINIMUM FACULTY TEACHING REQUIREMENTS

The minimum faculty teaching requirements adopted by the Board of Regents are:

Each person paid full time from the appropriations item "Faculty Salaries" shall teach a minimum of nine semester credit hours of instruction in organized undergraduate classes each long-term semester with adjustments permitted for the teaching load equivalencies listed below.

A. Adjustments

1. One semester credit hour of graduate instruction is equal to one and one-half semester credit hours of undergraduate instruction.

2. 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 shall provide teaching load credit at the rate of one semester hour of teaching load Credit for each one and one-half contact hours of instruction per week per long-term semester.

3. Supervision of student teachers, clinical supervision, and intern supervision shall be credited such that 12 total student semester credit hours taught is equivalent to one semester credit hour of teaching load credit.

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

5. Supervision of graduate theses is provided teaching load credit only to the chairperson of the thesis or dissertation committee and at the rate of one semester hour of teaching load credit for each six total student semester hours of theses research credit and at the rate of one semester hour Of teaching load credit for each three total student semester hours of dissertation credit.

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

7. Credit may be proportionally increased for teaching a large class, which requires extensive grading or evaluation of students' work by the faculty member according to the following weighting factors:

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

8. Credit for teaching may be granted for a faculty member who is head of a department or head of a comparable administrative unit up to a maximum of six semester hours of teaching load credit. When justified by department/unit head and approved by the institutional head, an additional three hours of teaching load credit may be given to faculty members who provide academic services to the unit head, but in no case will the total for departmental administration, including the head, exceed nine teaching load credits.

9. At the discretion of the head of the department or comparable unit, and upon approval of the institutional head, up to three semester hours of teaching load credit may be given for each of two semesters to a newly-appointed faculty member during the first year of employment for the purpose of developing instructional materials for the course he or she will teach.

When more than one teacher participates in the instruction in a single course, the teaching load credit is proportioned according to the effort expended. Also, when a faculty member is paid partially from a source of funds other than the "Faculty Salaries" line item, the minimum teaching workload shall be proportioned to the percentage of salary paid from the appropriations item "Faculty Salaries".

B. Exceptions

1. A reduced teaching load may be granted temporarily if classes do not materialize because of insufficient enrollment and when additional classes cannot be assigned to the faculty member. This exception may only be granted for two consecutive long term semesters for any particular faculty member.

2. Limited faculty teaching load credit may be granted with approval of the institutional head for major academic advising responsibilities, 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 head of the institution. Teaching load credit granted by the head of the institution for such purposes is limited to 1/10 of 1% of the total semester credit hours taught at the institution during the comparable (fall or spring) semester in the previous year. (NOTE: This is one 3-hour undergraduate course teaching load credit per semester for each 3,000 total semester credit hours taught.)

Salary payments for intercollegiate coaching activities may not come from the appropriation item "Faculty Salaries".

The institutional head shall designate the officer of the institution who will monitor workloads, review workload reports, and submit the reports to the institutional head for approval and comment, as appropriate, prior to submitting the reports 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 Subchapter H, Chapter 51 of the Texas Education Code and any riders in the current legislative Appropriations Bill. Every faculty member's compliance with these minimum teaching requirements shall be assessed each long-term semester. If a faculty member is found to be out of compliance during any semester, the institution shall take appropriate steps to prevent such non-compliance in the future.