Professional-Track Faculty Workload Policy

The policies on this tab state the minimum workload expectations for full-time professional track faculty in the College of Education (COE) and refers to workload during the long (fall and spring) semesters. Note that teaching in the summer session does not count as part of the teaching workload minima discussed in the "Teaching-focused lines" section on this tab. Workload expectations differ as a function of professional track faculty title and role.

Each COE department is allowed a department-specific policy although these must be approved by the Dean and meet the core principles laid out in this College policy. The purpose of this policy is to ensure equity in workload across the College. This policy was adopted in the fall semester of 2019.

Teaching-focused lines

This section describes workload policy for full-time professional track faculty in the following professional track lines: professors of instruction, professors of practice, clinical professors, and lecturers engaged in organized course instruction termed “teaching-focused” lines, here.

Full-time professional track faculty in teaching-focused lines in the COE are required to teach a maximum of four organized courses [for a total of 12 semester credit hours (SCHs)], or the equivalent, each long semester. To maintain robust enrollment in College of Education courses, the minimum enrollment for an organized undergraduate course is 20 students, and the minimum enrollment for an organized graduate course is 10 students. However, the Dean’s Office allows Department Chairs discretion to offer organized courses that fall below these College minima but that still satisfy the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board enrollment requirements.

Note that the number of organized courses required of a full-time professional track faculty in a teaching-focused line will be a function of departmental policy related to enrollment, students’ degree level (undergrad, Masters, PhD), instructional level (introductory, advanced), within-semester multiplicity (e.g., teaching multiple sections of same course within a semester). For example, at the discretion of the department chair and the Dean, a faculty member’s teaching workload may be adjusted in order to meet other needs in the department, such as coordinating field placements or internships or taking on administrative or programmatic responsibilities. The Dean will approve each program and department’s policy that determines the maximum number of organized courses per teaching-focused professional track faculty.

The percent time for a teaching-focused professional track faculty member is proportional to the number of organized courses taught. Thus, if a teaching load of four courses per semester is the typical maximum load for the kind of courses that the professional track faculty member is teaching, then a 50%-time teaching-focused professional track faculty member would be expected to teach two such courses per long semester. Note that, as mentioned, a teaching-focused professional track faculty member serving in a substantial administrative role might teach a smaller number of organized courses with some of the organized class teaching workload being replaced by these other responsibilities.  Service will be considered part of the faculty member’s work. Specifically, a four-four teaching load is equivalent to 80% of a professional track faculty member’s appointment, leaving 20% time to be allocated for service.

There is an expectation that teaching-focused professional track faculty are also significantly involved in either service or research and considerations for promotion will include review of teaching and contributions in one of these additional areas. For successful promotion, expectations for performance in research should be comparable to those for tenure-track faculty in the department. Performance in service should involve leadership and participation across multiple levels including the Department and other levels (e.g., College, University and the larger field). In addition, promotion review can also consider community service related to the professional track faculty member’s teaching content.

Research-focused lines

As noted in UT’s General Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure of all Faculty Ranks, for professional track faculty in the research line, their contribution is “principally in the area of research” and “a well-documented record of research excellence is required. In addition, a record of active contribution to the academic enterprise in other ways is required and must be adequately documented.” Contributions to the academic enterprise can result from teaching, service and/or student advising activities with involvement levels that reflect the professional track faculty member’s percentage of time appointed.

See additional information at COE: Research-Related Policies > Research Expectations.

Other professional-track faculty lines

Other professional track titles include Adjunct and Specialist lines. These lines are predominantly part-time positions with duties that are unique to specific programmatic needs. As a result, the workload reflects the percentage of time appointed in consultation with the Department Chair and the Dean.

See additional information at COE: Titles and Ranks - Professional Track Faculty.

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy

The policies on this tab state the minimum workload expectations for full-time faculty in the College of Education (COE) and refers to workload during the fall and spring semesters. Note that teaching in the summer session does not count as part of the teaching workload minima discussed below. Each COE department is allowed a department-specific policy although these must be approved by the Dean and meet the core principles laid out in this College policy. The purpose of this policy is to ensure equity in workload across the College. This policy was adopted in the fall semester of 2019.

The expected distribution of effort for tenure/tenure-track faculty is 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service. The expectations delineated for definitions of research productivity, teaching, graduate student advising, and service contributions must be transparently defined and annually assessed at the department and program level to help inform whether to adjust workload. In all cases, workload (teaching and service) expectations can be adjusted at the discretion of the department Chair and Dean for a limited period of time to address:

• Excessive research and scholarly productivity and responsibilities;

• Research commitments (e.g., FRA, Dean’s fellowship, or grant-funded course release);

• Administrative and service responsibilities;

• Recruitment or retention reasons;

• Personal challenges (through official leaves); or

• Other special temporary circumstances.

Such adjustments will be awarded under the expectation that faculty workload will return to normal College policy as soon as it is feasible. In addition, and as described in more detail below, tenured faculty members’ teaching and service workloads can be increased in scenarios where research productivity expectations are not met.

Joint appointments

T/TT faculty with joint appointments must work with their department chairs to coordinate and clarify workload policies (including organized course workload, cost of course release, etc.) across departments.

Research workload policy

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) is a top research university and its institutional goals include a focus on both research and creativity as well as enhancing student success. This is reflected in the expectations that we hold for tenured/tenure-track faculty’s research and creativity. See additional information at COE: Research-Related Policies > Research expectations.

Tenure-track faculty

If the research portfolio of a tenure-track faculty member (assistant professor) does not meet expectations consistent with those of a faculty member of that rank in the relevant discipline, then that can negatively impact their chances of being awarded tenure.

Tenured faculty

If a tenured faculty member’s research productivity does not meet expectations, then it is expected that teaching and service workload will be increased to ensure equity in workload across COE faculty. The increased workload in teaching and/or service will remain at this increased level until the tenured faculty member’s research productivity meets expectations. Note that each department must establish clear criteria and an assessment plan (including timeline) for what is expected for a faculty member’s research to meet expectations and these criteria can look different by rank. Options to compensate for reduced research productivity can include, for example, teaching up to two additional organized courses in an academic year. The process and timeline for evaluation and potential re-distribution of workload due to insufficient research productivity is described below in the section entitled Workload Re-distribution Assessment.

Service workload policy

All T/TT faculty are expected to participate in department, college, university and national service at a level at least commensurate with rank-specific norms. This includes serving as a member and/or chairperson of administrative committees as well as participating (not just attending) standard meetings and events (e.g., program, department and Graduate Studies Committee meetings, commencement ceremonies, etc.).

Service-intensive positions in the College include those holding an administrative and professional (A&P) appointment (e.g., Dean, associate Dean, vice provost), and those holding other department (department Chair), College and University-level positions.

For those in A&P appointments, their percentage time in those appointments will be applied to relieve the corresponding proportion of the typical 2-2 organized teaching workload. Thus, for example, Associate Deans are appointed with 50% A&P effort and will thus be assigned half the teaching workload (i.e., they are assigned to teach one organized course per semester). At the discretion of the Dean, Department Chairs are also assigned to teach half the typical 2-2 organized teaching workload. This workload can be further modified given additional workload adjustment that might be needed (e.g., leaves, grant-related course releases, etc.).

Note that departmental expectations for annual evaluations of portfolios of A&P appointed faculty members should also be adjusted proportional to the percentage of A&P effort. For example, expectations for the research and scholarly contributions of administrators assigned 50% A&P appointment would be half of what is typically expected for a 100% faculty member’s rank, program and department. And expectations for the administrator’s service would be increased accordingly.

See additional information at COE: Service-Related Policies > Service expectations.

Teaching workload policy

Organized Courses

Each T/TT faculty member is expected to teach two organized courses each long semester [for a total of at least 12 semester credit hours (SCHs) across the two long semesters]. To maintain robust enrollment in College of Education courses, the minimum enrollment for an organized undergraduate course is 20 students, and the minimum enrollment for an organized graduate course is 10 students for each of the two long semesters. However, in collaboration with the Dean, Department Chairs can use discretion to allow offering of organized courses that fall below these College minima but that still satisfy the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board enrollment requirements.

There are a number of scenarios in which a faculty member’s teaching load will be reduced to compensate for other workload. For example, teaching release might result due to a leave, funded research course release, or an administrative and professional (A&P) service appointments (e.g., associate dean, vice-provost, etc.). At a minimum, each T/TT faculty member is expected to teach on average one organized course during each academic year (unless the T/TT faculty member is on a leave or has other temporary, mitigating circumstances).  Also, enrollment size varies depending on course type and student demand. The department chair should be attendant to workload balance for individual faculty members as it relates to course size. The chair will consult the TA policy to ensure that the faculty member has appropriate support for courses with higher enrollment.

Each full-time T/TT faculty member is encouraged to teach organized courses in some combination of levels of instruction, including undergraduate courses, master's degree, and doctoral degree program courses per departmental needs.

Department Chairs must clarify workload expectations for a T/TT faculty member who is awarded a leave (e.g., FMLA, Modified Instructional Duties), research leaves like FRA and Dean’s Fellowships, etc.). In addition, the associated performance criteria considerations for annual evaluation for faculty on any kind of leave must also be clarified for the candidate and for the departmental and College evaluation committees.

At the discretion of the department chair, team teaching can count as one of the organized courses for each co-instructor if the class enrollment is twice the minimum enrollment required by the College of Education.

Student advising

Supervision of student research constitutes another important component of teaching workload for T/TT faculty member.  Each T/TT faculty member is expected to contribute to a sufficient amount of supervision of graduate and undergraduate student research and academic work consistent with the faculty member’s rank and with program and department expectations. Insufficient contribution to student supervision can result in an increase in workload assignment in another area (e.g., organized course instruction increase).

Course buyout

Faculty can be released from the equivalent of one organized course using external funding that covers a minimum of 16.67% (1.5 months) of the faculty member’s nine-month salary. Note that a course release only covers the faculty member’s release from organized course teaching that is replaced by the research effort workload. At the discretion of the department chair, T/TT faculty should teach on average a minimum of one organized course per academic year. Faculty with a course buyout must maintain service and research responsibilities.

A tenured/tenure-track faculty member who remains in residence and active in their department may buy out up to three courses per academic year from the instructional budget. Buyouts are at the discretion of the department chair based on departmental needs. Faculty who generate substantial indirect costs for The University, as well as those who hold large endowments, should be accorded all due consideration in Buyouts. Buyout from personal funds is not allowed.

At the discretion of a department Chair and the Dean, faculty members taking on temporary, additional workload might be permitted additional organized course or other workload release.

Faculty must inform the department chair about course buyouts that will be included in a grant proposal prior to its submission to the sponsor and again when/if the grant is funded. Course buyouts and the associated courses from which faculty will be released are at the discretion of the department chair based on departmental needs. Buyouts are typically funded from sponsored research. Course buyout from personal funds is not allowed.

To request course buyout, faculty must complete a COE Release Time Request form the semester prior to the buyout. The faculty member should work with the AM to complete the form, following the instructions at COE: Courseload Reductions > tab Buyout.

Newly-promoted tenured faculty

In recognition of the additional service responsibilities that come with promotion, the college will make available up to one course release to be used in the first two years following promotion for newly promoted faculty (once after promotion to the rank of associate professor and once after promotion to the rank of professor), at the discretion of the department chair. 

Process for workload redistribution

Workload redistribution is intended to ensure equity in tenured faculty workload and will involve assigning additional teaching and/or service workload to compensate for workload either in research and/or service areas. Teaching workload is not a consideration because the workload is monitored by the department chair every semester for each faculty member.

Workload redistribution assessment and plan

Each associate professor who is not going forward for promotion to the rank of professor and each full professor undergoes a comprehensive periodic review after every six-year period since promotion. During this comprehensive periodic review, the research, teaching and service portfolio of the tenured faculty member will be assessed by the relevant department’s budget council or executive committee. If it is determined that the tenured faculty member has exhibited insufficient research productivity and/or service contributions, then in consultation with the Dean, a workload re-distribution schedule and plan will be put in place. This will begin with a performance improvement plan, which may include the assignment of a mentor or advisory committee. If improvement has not been demonstrated within three years, a workload re-distribution plan will be put into place to coincide with the next academic semester. Once the research productivity and service contributions meet standards for norms of the faculty member’s rank, their workload re-distribution will revert to the more typical research-intensive tenured faculty member’s workload. Inadequate contributions to the enhancement of student success (through advising of students) will also result in remediation and possible workload redistribution plans.

Note that the period of six years summarized for comprehensive periodic review cannot include years in which the tenured faculty member had certain kinds of personal leaves (e.g., FML).

Extensions to deadlines due to re-distributing a tenured faculty member’s workload can be offered, at the discretion of the department chair and with the approval of the Dean, for mitigating circumstances. Circumstances that might support a faculty member receiving an extension include exceptional service workload without additional workload release (e.g., serving as a graduate advisor, or associate chair). Appeals to changes in workload designation from research intensive to re-distributed will be reviewed by a faculty committee led by the Dean.

Workload redistribution options

Given insufficient research productivity and/or service and/or student advising contributions, a typical workload re-distribution can entail an increase in teaching load from a 2-2 to up to 3-3 organized course load for the fall and spring long semesters. Service load increases offer another workload re-distribution option. Note that an increase in teaching workload is not considered to be punishment. Workload re-distribution is instead designed to ensure that workload is equitable across tenured faculty. Thus, workload re-distribution should not be used to exclude individuals from research and teaching opportunities nor consideration for awards and merit if a faculty member’s performance in several areas (research, teaching and service) are exceptional.   

Leaves

Department Chairs must clarify workload expectations for a T/TT faculty member awarded a leave. The different kinds of workload and thus performance expectations differ as a function of the kind of leave.

For additional information, see:

• COE: Leave and Modified Assignments - Overview

• EVPP: Leave & Related Policies

Personal Leaves  

• Modified instructional duties. Assignment of modified instructional duties is intended to modify organized teaching responsibilities of faculty members during certain personal circumstances that “prevent them from being able to perform their classroom teaching duties, and when such modifications are found to be in the best interest of the University’s instructional programs.” (HOP 2-2240) The faculty member seeking this kind of leave must have a proposal approved by their department chair, Dean, and Provost. The proposal should entail the equivalent workload that will be accomplished in place of the relevant long session semester’s organized instructional workload. Faculty members on modified instructional leave “are expected to continue to fulfill all of their other duties as members of the faculty during the period of modification.” See COE: Modified Instructional Duties for additional information.

• Family Medical Leave (FML). Faculty members participating in FML are on full leave from their workload duties for the duration of their FML. Evaluation of faculty members who use FML should include consideration of the workload release during the leave. See COE: Sick Leave and Family Medical Leave - Faculty > Family Medical Leave (FML) for additional information.

Research Leaves

• Grant-funded course releases. If a faculty member receives a grant-funded course release, then only the workload for the organized course is replaced by the effort expended on the grant’s research. The remainder of the faculty member’s research, service, and teaching workload remains unchanged. See COE: Release Time (aka Course Buyout) for additional information.

• Other research leaves. Tenured/tenure-track faculty members awarded other research leaves should work with their Department Chairs and the Dean to determine the relevant workload (and associated performance) expectations.

Phased Retirement workload

When a tenured/tenure-track faculty member starts serving out their phased retirement contract, they no longer hold tenure and thus are considered non-tenure-track faculty although their typical full-time teaching workload can be assumed to be a 2-2 organized course load. The phased retirement contract for a faculty member on phased retirement should include the teaching schedule agreed upon by the department chair and Dean.

See additional information at COE: Phased Retirement.