Teaching Load Guidelines

Academic excellence is our reason for being and the core of our mission, best expressed in the exchange of knowledge among committed professors and students. To assure continued commitment of administrators and faculty to the teaching mission, the following guidelines are established:

1. Administrators who hold faculty appointment and serve as dean, assistant or associate vice president for academic affairs, vice president for academic affairs, president or comparable administrative ranks will normally teach one course per academic year. Persons newly appointed to such administrative positions may request from the president a waiver of teaching expectations during their first two years of service in order to have sufficient opportunity to become fully effective in their administrative responsibilities. Administrators who maintain a substantial program of scholarship or creative activity may seek a waiver of this requirement from the president.
2. Administrators who hold faculty appointment and serve as associate dean, assistant dean, department chair, academic director, or in comparable administrative positions will normally teach on course per semester or 50 percent of a standard course load in their unit, whichever is lower. Persons newly appointed to such administrative positions may request from the vice president for academic affairs a waiver of teaching expectations during their first two years of service in order to have sufficient opportunity to become fully effective in their administrative responsibilities. Administrators who maintain a substantial program of scholarship or creative activity may, with the endorsement of their dean, seek a waiver of this requirement from the vice president for academic affairs.
3. Faculty members who serve as associate chair, assistant chair, or director of a curricular program will normally be compensated for these responsibilities through a suitable salary attachment. Where required by the scope of these responsibilities, they may also have the standard course load reduced by not more than one course per academic year. Such a reduction in teaching responsibilities shall be approved by the dean of the college.
4. Faculty members will normally teach the standard course load of tenure track faculty 2/2 and teaching faculty at 3/2. Note that Fall 2023, resulted in a test to reduce teaching load to the above.  Whether this is a permanent case will depend on administration, faculty, and budgetary input.  Reductions in course load should be awarded sparingly and for no more than one year a time, in accordance with the following guidelines:
   1. In the first year of appointment at Wayne State, a new faculty may, in the discretion of the associate dean and dean, have the standard course load reduced by one course per academic year in order to prepare courses or take other steps necessary to prepare for productive performance in teaching, scholarship, and service at Wayne State University.

A reduction of one further course per academic year (for a total of two courses per academic year) may be granted for the same purposes with the approval of the vice president for academic affairs.

A reduction of one course per academic year in the second year of appointment but not beyond, for the same purposes may be recommended by the dean and approved by the vice president for academic affairs, where start-up activities for teaching or research are particularly complex.

1. 2. With only a few exceptions, present teaching loads at Wayne State University are established at levels that assume that substantial time will be devoted to scholarship. Therefore, reductions in the standard course load should not normally be awarded for research. However, where a faculty member is engaged in a research activity, he/she/their may be awarded reduction of not more than one course per academic year, upon the recommendation of the dean and with the approval of the vice president for academic affairs.

1. 3. A reduction in course load, not to exceed 50 percent of the standard course load, may be authorized by the associate dean to meet commitments to an external agency for research, where that agency is providing substantial resource to Wayne State University to conduct that research. Exceptions to this 50 percent limit will need approval from the provost.

A reduction in course load should not be awarded by allowing a faculty member or an external program sponsor to pay for substitute teaching, unless the payment is sufficient to support a portion of salary for a full-time replacement that is equivalent to the reduction in course load proposed for the full-time faculty member. This salary shall equal the percentage of the faculty member’s salary rate that corresponds to the percentage reduction in teaching that is awarded to the faculty member. For example, a faculty member who normally teaches five courses per academic year would be released from teaching responsibilities for one course if an external sponsor reimbursed the university for 20 percent of the faculty member’s salary rate. Release from teaching responsibilities for an amount of reimbursement less than is provided in this paragraph must be approved by the vice president for academic affairs.

1. 4. Course loads at Wayne State are fixed at levels that assume sufficient time for course development and course preparation. In rare instances, where development of curriculum or instructional materials is complex and involves more preparation than is required for teaching a standard course, a faculty member may be awarded a course load reduction of not more than one course for not more than one semester per academic year. The dean shall consult the vice president of academic affairs before approving reduced course loads for this purpose.

1. 5. Notwithstanding other limitations in this section, a reduction in course load may be granted where a faculty member has been awarded a university grant, prize, or recognition that includes, as part of the award, funds to replace some portion of his/her/their course load with part-time or limited term full-time faculty appointees.

5. Faculty members who are not engaged in significant scholarly or creative activities should be requested to assume additional teaching responsibilities pursuant to Executive Order 90-4.

6. In the third week of each fall and winter semester, the School of Information Sciences should submit to the vice president for academic affairs the following:
    
7. 1. A list of administrators holding faculty appointments together with their planned teaching assignments for the year or, where appropriate, their research commitments in lieu of teaching for the year
   2. A list of faculty members whose teaching loads have been reduced below the guidelines established in the memorandum together with the reasons for the reduction in teaching load and the identification of the section in this policy under which the reduced teaching load is awarded
   3. A list of faculty members who are assuming additional teaching responsibilities pursuant to Executive Order 90-4.