Workload Policy for Tenure-track Faculty Members
Department of Mathematics
The University of Akron
Spring 2011
The nominal load for a tenure-track faculty member (hereinafter referred to as a faculty
member) is 24 load hours per academic year. This load is a combination of assigned
teaching, as measured by credit hours; coordination of programs and multi-section
courses; supervision of graduate and undergraduate research; service to the department,
college and university; advising; and research.
As a department with terminal degree the Master of Science, the goal is an average of
approximately 15 credits of teaching duties per year, with some consideration for
teaching very large classes.
The guiding principle behind the Workload Policy is that research activities are central to
the health of the department and the university, and faculty must be given the opportunity
to pursue such activities. The procedures and criteria listed below should always be
interpreted with that guiding principle in mind – the overall needs of the department must
be balanced with the professional activities of the individual faculty member.
1. Faculty teaching loads are 12-16 credits, 16-20 credits, or 20-24 credits per year,
depending on the level of activity of each individual.
a. Faculty members with loads of 20-24 credits are expected to engage in
professional activities as befits the position.
b. To receive a load of 16-20 credits, a faculty member is expected to engage
in a moderate level of scholarly activity. The standard benchmark is
measured over a rolling three year period: at least one refereed journal
article and one other activity (from the list in 1e) in that period, although
an equivalent level of scholarship may be considered.
c. To receive a load of 12-16 credits, a faculty member is expected to engage
in a high level of scholarly or administrative activity. The standard
benchmark for research productivity is measured over a rolling three year
period: at least two refereed journal articles and two other activities (from
the list in 1e) in that period.
d. Teaching loads lower than 12 credits per year will only be considered in
consultation with the Dean of the college.
e. Particular attention must be paid to untenured faculty members. Teaching
loads must be set so that untenured faculty have ample opportunity to
engage in a level of scholarly research that allows them to meet tenure
requirements.
f. A non-exhaustive list of professional activities that may be considered:
i. Refereed publications
ii. Awarded external grants
iii. Supervision of graduate student research
iv. Supervision of honors student research
v. Major service activities (e.g. course coordination, program
coordination, labor-intensive college or university committee
service)
vi. Significant professional service external to the department
(including major service on College and University committees,
editorial work, etc)
2. The determination of teaching loads for a given academic year will be made in the
preceding fall semester.
a. By the end of the sixth week of the fall semester, the Merit Review
Committee will compile the relevant information for each faculty member,
based on the previous Merit Activity Reports for the previous 3 years.
b. In the event that a recommendation is made to change a faculty member’s
teaching load, or if a faculty member requests a change of teaching load,
the department chair will meet with the faculty member to discuss the
options, after which the department chair will make the determination.
c. In the event of a major status change after the teaching load has been
determined, either the department chair or the faculty member may request
a meeting to reconsider the decision. This provision should not be used to
change a faculty member’s teaching schedule at the last minute.
3. Initial Implementation. Current teaching loads will remain in effect for the 201112 academic year. This policy will be implemented starting in fall 2012, with the
recommendation process beginning in fall 2011.