Policy: Policy 4-4-2: Workload for Part-Time Faculty Date Adopted:  
Department: Human Resources Contact: Vice President of Human Resources and General Counsel
Statement: The purpose of an academic workload policy is to provide the following: A guide that places students' educational and developmental needs as our highest priority while insuring the best use of institutional resources. A measure of institutional efficiency to external audiences Equitable treatment of all academic faculty Impetus for institutional development A measure of financial accountability An equitable measure of workload

Table of Contents:

  1. Responsibilities of Part-Time Instructional Faculty
  2. Part-Time Instructional Faculty Workload
  3. Stipends

Section 1: Responsibilities of Part-Time Instructional Faculty


  1. As stated in Board of Regents Handbook, Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 3, number 3, instructional faculty members are expected to teach; develop curriculum; conduct other instructional activities, including advising, grading, and preparing for classes; maintain currency in their academic discipline;
  2. A part-time academic faculty member
    1. Reports to appropriate Academic Director.
    2. Works cooperatively within the learning community.
    3. Provides instruction:
      1. Teaches students in assigned classes in accordance with official course outlines.
      2. Responds to the needs of students as learners and consumers by providing high quality educational programs and services.
      3. Prepares individual course syllabi before instruction begins and distributing them to students and to Academic Director on or before the first day of class.
      4. May be asked to select textbooks for classes.
      5. Identifies supplies, equipment, and other learning resources needed to support instruction and makes recommendations to Academic Director.
      6. Maintains accurate class records of student grades and rosters.
    4. Availability to students:
      1. Provides students with a way to contact them for help through e-mail, telephone, or by holding scheduled office hours.
      2. Should an emergency or illness require class cancellation, then the faculty member and the Academic Director shall work collaboratively to arrange for class make up, faculty substitute, or alternate student assignments.
    5. Professional development:
      1. Engages in professional development activities, maintains currency in assigned teaching fields, and keeps informed on new approaches to instruction.
      2. Maintains occupational/technical/professional credentials, if applicable, with the support of college resources.
    6. Promotes college educational programs and services to our communities.
    7. The rights, duties, obligations, and privileges of part-time faculty members contained in the Part-time Faculty Manual are incorporated herein by this reference.

Section 2: Part-Time Instructional Faculty Workload


  1. Contracts/Schedules
    1. Part-time academic faculty are hired through Letters of Appointment (LOA) on a per semester basis.
  2. Instructional Loads for Part-time Faculty
    1. Part-time academic faculty are restricted by the Board of Regents to less than 10 credits of instruction or 19.5 contact hours per semester.
    2. Faculty teaching more than 9.9 credit hours or 19.5 contact hours per semester but less than full time will be assigned a workload proportional to a full-time contract.
    3. Part-time faculty teaching one-credit science labs, or other one-credit courses where the contact hours equal that of a 3-credit lecture class are compensated by the formulas given in Section 2,C,3, not credits. This should not impact the maximum of 9.9 credit hour/ 19.5 contact hour load as stated above.
    4. There shall be a reduced class size of 8 students for nursing clinical hours.
    5. Lecture hours are 50 minutes in duration. Practicum, lab, and clinical hours are 60 minutes in duration.
    6. Faculty may be asked to teach both days, evenings and weekends as well as in different campus/rural center locations.
    7. Class scheduling is driven by the needs of full-time, degree-seeking students. If a division offers a degree, the division undertakes an obligation to assure that students can complete the degree in a timely manner by attending college full time. Academic Directors will consult with lead faculty, full-time faculty members in the discipline, the academic vice president, the director of institutional research, and the director of admissions and records to develop schedules of class offerings that meet student needs. Academic Directors, in collaboration with faculty members, will then develop appropriate courses and loads so that teaching faculty meet student needs.
    8. Any arrangement accepted by the instructor, recommended by the Academic Director, and approved by the academic vice president in consultation with the dean shall be a part of this workload policy if the agreement is written and enacted prior to the service being rendered.
    9. Part-time faculty may be released from their appointment at the discretion of the Academic Director for any of the following reasons:
      1. The teaching load of a full time faculty member not teaching the minimum expected load as stated in Section II.B.1 of the Academic Faculty Workload Policy needs to be adjusted by the addition of this class.
      2. Enrollment in the class is not high enough.
      3. Other reasons as determined by the Academic Director to be in the interest of the college.
  3. Reimbursement Formulas
    1. Instructional contact-hour definitions:
      1. (LE) Lecture: A lecture requires regular preparation of instructional material and student assignments and includes regular written work assignments graded by the classroom faculty member.
      2. (LA) Laboratory: A laboratory requires regular preparation of laboratory assignments and equipment or materials, continual faculty oversight and interaction with students, and regular written work assignments graded by the laboratory faculty member.
      3. (S) Studio: A studio requires regular preparation of studio assignments and continual oversight and interaction with the students by the faculty member.
      4. (P) Occupational Practice: An occupational practicum requires regular preparation of practice assignments and continual faculty oversight and interaction with students.
      5. (C) Clinical: A clinical experience requires regular preparation and grading of clinical assignments, including written work, and continual oversight and interaction with the students.
      6. Note: The Academic Director is charged with recommending to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs the instructional units for any new class. This determination will be based on information provided in the course description and syllabus at the time of course approval.
    2. Part-time faculty pay rate will equal the full time faculty overload rate.
    3. LOA Reimbursement Formulas for part-time Faculty:The calculation below is based on a 15-week semester.
      1. Part-time faculty reimbursement for lecture classes: Number of credits X per credit rate
      2. Part-time faculty reimbursement for courses that are lecture + lab (3+3 as defined in the catalog): (Lecture contact hours X per credit rate) + (Number of contact hours for lab X 15/18 per credit rate): Note that 15/18 is 83.3%.
      3. Part-time faculty reimbursement for lab, studio, and practicum classes with no formal lecture as defined in the catalog: (Contact hours) X (15/18 per credit rate)
      4. Part-time faculty reimbursement for physical activity classes: (Contact hours) X (15/18 per credit rate)
      5. Part-time faculty in professional programs such as nursing may be reimbursed on a per hour basis by agreement with the Academic Director and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
      6. Part-time faculty are reimbursed for serving on Academic Faculty Senate at the rate of $70 per meeting based on attendance.

Section 3: Stipends


  1. Any instructional stipend normally paid to full time faculty will also be paid to part-time faculty with the same assignment. This includes distance education, extraordinarily high enrollment, as well as others that may be defined.

Date(s) Revised June 19, 2013; December 1, 2009; September 2, 2008; May 11, 2004; Date(s) Reviewed