Policy on Teaching Loads for Tenure-Line Faculty
Tenure-line faculty members at American University contribute to the University’s mission in
the three areas of scholarship, teaching and service. Over the course of an academic career, it is
not uncommon to see the intensity of a given colleague’s contributions in these areas change
significantly. When that colleague takes on the duties of a department chair, for example, he or
she is routinely granted a reduced teaching load. If and when that same colleague’s research
activity wanes, he or she will typically be asked to teach more. The ultimate goal of this variable
scheme is to ensure that all members of our tenure-line faculty shoulder their fair share of our
common work.
American University’s Faculty Manual stipulates that tenure-line faculty members “active in
scholarship” generally teach 4 courses per academic year (section 7b). The Manual further
specifies that, “[o]n an annual basis, the Provost in consultation with the dean (and then the dean
in consultation with the chairs) shall establish overall average course load and credit hour
productivity measures for each academic unit.” To date, the average tenure-line faculty course
load required of all AU schools and colleges has been 4 courses per academic year.
Inherent to the Manual, therefore, is a process whereby individual departments (a.k.a. teaching
units) assess the “intensity and productivity of scholarship and service” for all of their members,
then make a recommendation through the department chair to the dean, who is responsible for
the “[f]inal determination of all course loads” (section 7b). Departments whose tenure-line
faculty members are notably active in scholarship may see their average course load fall below 4
courses per year. Conversely, departments with a higher concentration of inactive scholars may
teach more than 4 courses on average.
The purpose this document is to establish what we in the College of Arts and Sciences
understand by the phrase “active in scholarship” (with “scholarship” understood to encompass
both “research” and “creative activity”) as that phrase applies in the determination of whether an
individual faculty member merits a 4 course load. If they so desire, individual departments may
propose more specific criteria which, upon approval of the dean, will serve as addenda to these
general principles.
Activity in scholarship is as much about impact—both past and future—as it is about sheer
productivity. A much cited article in a top-tier journal thus counts for a good deal more than an
article in an obscure venue. Moreover, some research projects, including book projects and
2 projects funded by large grants, typically take several years to come to fruition. Assessing
research activity is thus not an exercise in simple arithmetic, but includes a holistic assessment of
the past and future impact of a given faculty member’s scholarly activity. It is the responsibility
of the department chair, on behalf of the relevant departmental committee (where applicable), to
make the case for impact in his or her discussions with the dean.
With these important caveats in mind, the following general guidelines apply in the ultimate
determination of regular teaching loads in the College of Arts and Sciences. Central to the
analysis below is the notion of a “regular teaching load,” understood as the faculty member’s
teaching obligation prior to the granting of releases for major administrative duties (such as
department chair or associate dean), externally-funded course buy-outs, junior faculty leaves,
sabbaticals, or family/medical leaves. (Please note that externally-funded buy-outs in particular
will not be counted against the average loads of departments or schools.)
•
3 course teaching loads are reserved for those exceptional faculty members whose
scholarly productivity, in whatever form, far exceeds that of their colleagues across the
College and whose record of teaching and service remains strong. (Distinguished and
University Professors are not eligible for a regular load reduction beyond that granted to
them upon conferral of these honorific titles.)
•
As stipulated by the Manual, a 4 course load is, and will remain, the norm for researchactive College faculty.
•
In order to support their timely progress toward the rank of Professor, the regular
teaching load for all pre-tenure faculty members and all faculty who have been tenured in
the College in the past 6 years will normally be capped at 4 courses per year.
•
In order to maintain a 4 course load beyond the 6 year post-tenure window, faculty
should be able to present one or more of the following indices of continuing scholarly
productivity, or an appropriate combination thereof. (Please note that these guidelines
should be read in conjunction with the priorities outlined in the relevant department’s
tenure and promotion and merit guidelines. If those guidelines, for instance, weigh book
chapters less heavily than journal articles, that relative weighting will carry over into the
determination of teaching load.)
o A consistent stream of exhibits, performances, exhibitions, and other creative
activities in significant venues beyond AU
o 3-4 new articles, book chapters and/or conference proceedings (published or in
press) over the past 3 years, with the exact number varying in inverse proportion
to the significance of the venue or (in the case of co-authored work) to the extent
of the faculty member’s contribution
o A scholarly book from a respected press or an important popular book (published
or in press) in the past 4-5 years
o An edited or co-edited volume (published or in press) from a respected press in
the past 3 years
3 o Receipt of significant external funding, in the form of a grant or major fellowship,
in the past 3 years
o Other evidence of significant impact on the faculty member’s field of scholarly
endeavor
•
To be considered research active in fields where external funding is the norm, faculty are
typically expected to continue seeking such funding in support of their work, in addition
to presenting one or more of the indices listed above.
•
A life of active scholarship includes many valuable contributions that, in and of
themselves, do not normally suffice as measures of scholarly productivity in the absence
of the indices above. These include:
o Conference papers, except in fields (such as computer science) where refereed
conference papers are a significant index of scholarly recognition or in bookdriven fields, where a steady stream of conference papers can serve as evidence of
progress toward a new book
o Review essays and book reviews
o Editorships of journals and related publications
o Blog posts, media appearances, op-ed pieces, public lectures, etc.
o Submission of a grant or fellowship proposal
o Technical reports for governmental or non-governmental agencies
o Expert testimony
•
For the duration of their term and for 2 years thereafter, faculty who take on the
university’s most significant administrative duties (such as department chair, associate
dean or vice provost) will maintain their current regular teaching load.
•
For the purposes of this review, time spent on approved family, medical or disability
leaves shall not count as part of the review period.
•
To promote an equitable distribution of duties and effort across the College’s faculty,
colleagues who are no longer active in scholarship will be asked to take on a
proportionally heavier (5 or 6 course) regular teaching load, with a 6 course load
typically reserved for those who have not produced any significant scholarship or creative
activity in the past 8 years or more. In consultation with department chairs, the College
deans will conduct a review of regular teaching loads across the College every other
spring, beginning in spring 2012. Faculty whose research activity has begun to lag by the
standards for active scholarship listed above will be given one year’s notice prior to
assignment of an increased teaching load, should their activity in scholarship not
increase. Faculty on 5 or 6 course loads are strongly encouraged to negotiate a stronger
weighting for teaching in their merit review formula. Faculty on 5 or 6 course loads who
effectively demonstrate strong improvement in research activity may request review for a
reduction in load in the spring of non-review years.
4 Section 7b of the AU Faculty Manual, cited above, lists a series of factors, related to both
scholarship and service, that may be considered in determining the teaching load of individual
faculty members. These include:
evidence of an active scholarly agenda and productivity; the scope and intensity of course
preparation; supervision of student scholarship, internships, and theses or dissertations;
credit hours taught; size of classes; teaching-related activities, such as contact hours,
advising, laboratory or studio time, and fieldwork; and significant contributions to service
(such as major committee assignments) at the university and beyond.
Given that the Manual-defined normal course load for research-active faculty and the current
average course load target for tenure-line faculty both stand at 4 courses per academic year, our
ability as an academic unit to offer an array of significant service-related load reductions is
highly constrained. In the interest of spreading departmental obligations out in the most
equitable possible way, departments are strongly encouraged to reallocate course assignments
among their faculty so as better to reflect actual service obligations. A department rewriting its
undergraduate curriculum, for example, might want to grant a one-time course release to its
undergraduate program director, counterbalancing that release with an extra course from a
faculty member who would otherwise be excused from service. As is the case for all
administrative releases (such as those enjoyed by department chairs), such an arrangement would
have no effect on the long-term regular teaching load of either faculty member.