School of Education Faculty Load Guidelines
Approved by the SOE Leadership Team on November 22, 2011
The purpose of these guidelines is to articulate the load expectations for all full-time tenuretrack and clinical faculty in the School of Education. Using a four-unit load per semester, eightunit load per academic year appointment, or twelve-unit load per calendar year appointment1,
the expectations are for:
Tenure-track faculty:
• Two courses with the university’s minimum student enrollment to be taught each semester, 2
units of the 4 unit semester load2
• The other two units are part of a normal load and would be dedicated to the following
activities:
o Research (general research activities including scholarship, grant writing activities,
data collection, etc.)
o Grants (sponsored program activity not supported or ‘bought out’ by grant funds)
o Program leader depending upon the size and complexity of the program
o Student advising including dissertation advisement except as noted below
o Program, unit, school or university service
o National or international professional organization executive-level service (e.g.,
president)
o Major outreach initiatives (e.g., funded projects; PDS start-ups)
o Creative works (choreography, performance, etc.)
• By way of proposal to the program leader and unit chair, and approval by the Director3, one
or both of the units devoted to the teaching of courses may be replaced by major
responsibilities or commitments such as:
o Grants (time bought out from existing grant)
o Cohort coordinator/supervision (1 unit per academic year)4
1
The notion of unit is derived from Section 4.1 of the Faculty Handbook which states that “the normal load for
those engaged only in teaching is 12 didactic hours” per semester, with a didactic hour defined as “one
contact hour in a lecture course.” Given that most courses are 3 didactic/credit hours, one could possibly
teach 4 courses per semester as a normal load. Consequently, one’s time per semester is divided into four
courses or four “units”. While this section of the Handbook offers only a general guideline, it has historical
credibility university wide and serves as a way to articulate allocation of time across the various university
missions of teaching, research, and outreach.
2
Individual academic year (AY) faculty should negotiate within a program to teach three courses one semester
and one course another semester during a given academic year. This modification should be recommended by
the program leader and unit chair and approved by the Director.
3
Courses taught by faculty released for these types of activities may or may not be supported by adjunct/hire
behind. The individual program should develop a plan for dealing with a colleague’s release time. Issues to
consider include the consequences of not having the course being taught, the ability of other faculty within
the program to teach the particular course. This information should all be included in the proposal.
o Exceptionally heavy dissertation advisement (e.g., 5-6 students writing the final
dissertation document in the same semester, names must be submitted to the
program leader, unit chair, and Director)
o Major university responsibilities (e.g., major searches, interim appointments), money
to cover adjunct(s) must be available from the office assigning the responsibility
o Significant program (re-)development over and above the typical revision of courses
expected of faculty as part of their normal teaching load
o Significant major grant development (e.g., NSF, NIH), must have had the preapplication approved
OR, less than expected load (e.g., one scheduled course was cancelled due to
insufficient enrollment).
• Blacksburg-based faculty members who travel off-campus to teach at extended campus sites
other than Roanoke (i.e., Abingdon, Falls Church, Hampton Roads, Richmond) will be
credited for 1.5 units per course taught.5 If two courses are taught during the same
academic year, then the faculty member will be credited with 3.0 units for the year, and
must teach one course either during the Fall or Spring semester as needed by the program
or School.
• Department unit chairs have one course release across the academic year of the fall and
spring semesters and a 3-credit course equivalent in each summer session to support
program administration.
• Pre-tenured faculty members will have one course release during one of the semesters (fall or
spring) of their fourth year (or other year as negotiated). Arrangements need to be made
with the program in the Spring prior to the fourth year for course coverage. The School of
Education will provide the funding if an adjunct is needed (e.g., if the pre-tenured faculty
member is assigned to a “single-person program”).
Clinical faculty6:
• Clinical faculty members’ job assignment focuses on the teaching mission of the School. As
such these faculty members are not expected to do research or publish as part of their
rewards or merit consideration.
• Full-time clinical faculty members are expected to teach three courses (i.e., 3 units) per
semester, with the fourth unit devoted to significant student advisement and program, unit,
and/or school service.
• If a clinical faculty member is assigned to lead/coordinate a cohort or model, that person will
receive a one-course release across the academic year resulting in the expectation that s/he
will teach 5 courses during any given academic year.
4
Cohort/model supervision refers to those licensure programs that have specific faculty members assigned to
advise, coordinate activities, and supervise those groups of students in the program who begin and
matriculate through the program together.
5
“Off-campus” for NVC faculty includes Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke, Blacksburg, and Abingdon. “Offcampus” for Hampton Roads faculty includes NCR, Roanoke, Blacksburg, and Abingdon.
6
Clinical faculty members are primarily teaching faculty who also provide service in a clinical setting (Section
2.3.1.5 of the Faculty Handbook).