Unit Policy
Title
School of Education: Policy on Faculty Workload
Introduction
Purpose
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC-Chapel Hill” or “University”) School of Education (“School”) workload policy aims to:
- Provide clear guidelines and expectations for School faculty workloads that align with the University’s mission and objectives;
- Support and recognize faculty contributions; and
- Ensure consistent, efficient, and effective deployment and monitoring of faculty workloads across the School.
The policy serves these purposes by articulating expected percentages of effort associated with work within the domains of research, teaching, service, and administration.
Scope
This policy applies to all full-time tenured, tenure-track, and fixed term faculty in the School.
Policy
Policy Statement
Standard Distribution
- The standard distribution of effort for full-time, tenured and tenure-track, 9-month faculty members is 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service.
- The standard distribution of effort for full-time, fixed-term 9-month faculty members is 70% teaching, 20% service, and 10% professional development, research, and/or other projects (adjusted for a 12-month period for fixed-term faculty with 12-month appointments).
Workload Categories
Research and Scholarship
Research and scholarship include the systematic collection and analysis of data and information to:
- Generate new knowledge;
- Verify existing knowledge; and/or
- Revise existing knowledge about the education and development of children, youth, and adults.
These activities include individual, collaborative, and interdisciplinary activities and work focused on significant educational issues. This work addresses problems and concerns at various levels, such as individuals, schools, families, communities, or other systems, aiming to enhance the education, development, and well-being of children, youth, and adults.
Research and scholarship may happen in a wide range of settings, including:
- Schools,
- Communities,
- Homes,
- Clinics,
- Laboratories,
- Field settings, and
- Libraries.
Research may also use secondary and other available data sets.
Activities may involve collaboration with:
- Other faculty,
- Individuals from other disciplines,
- Public or private organizations, and/or
- Agencies.
Research and scholarship include:
- Empirical work (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and other accepted methods);
- Philosophical investigations;
- Theoretical conceptualizations; and
- Methodological contributions that influence the research and practice of others.
Teaching
Teaching is a fundamental mission of the University and is an important aspect of all faculty promotion decisions.
Teaching includes instruction of university courses as well as supervising undergraduate and master's theses and projects, doctoral dissertations and capstones, and other forms of student research. Teaching may also include collaborating with and providing related training to field-based supervisors (i.e., practicing professionals).
The standard teaching load for a 9-month academic year (i.e., Fall and Spring semesters) is as follows:
- For tenure-track or tenured faculty members: four courses.
- For fixed-term faculty members: seven courses.
This excludes Summer teaching unless otherwise specified for some faculty members with 12-month contracts.
Teaching may be delivered in a variety of modes, including:
- In-person,
- Virtual/online, and
- Hybrid formats.
Teaching may happen in a wide range of settings, including:
- Formal University classroom or research settings;
- Informal learning settings;
- School settings; and
- Other settings appropriate for the supervision of students in professional preparation programs who engaged in practica, internships, or other clinical/field-based activities.
Service
Service can encompass both professional and public service. Professional service is service to the academy and scholarly community and may occur in various arenas: the School, the University, and professional communities. This service is undertaken at the local, state, and/or national levels.
All School faculty members are expected to participate in service work necessary to maintain the School and University's operations and contribute to the maintenance and growth of their profession. Faculty members are also encouraged to serve communities and the public at large in a professional capacity that benefits broader society and enhances the University's stature.
Annual Workload Planning
Annual Workload Review and Report Submission
- During the spring semester, all full-time faculty members undergo an annual workload review for the following academic year via the annual online report.
- Faculty review the default workload distribution for their faculty track and service period by March 15 and may make limited adjustments for the subsequent academic year, subject to review by the Dean’s office.
- Tenured and tenure-track faculty identify goals for research, teaching, and service.
- Fixed term faculty identify goals for teaching, service, and professional activities.
- Goals are aligned with the criteria specified for appointment, promotion, or tenure for tenure-track faculty and for fixed-term faculty in the School’s Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) manual.
Adjustments for Bought-Out Time
- Faculty whose time is formally bought out on grants during the academic year can shift the corresponding time percentage toward their research/scholarship allocation (for tenure-track faculty) or other activities (for fixed-term faculty).
Example: If a tenure-track faculty member has 5% effort bought on a grant, they can adjust their effort to 45% research/scholarship, 35% teaching, and 20% service for the year. A fixed-term faculty member with 5% effort bought on a grant can adjust their effort to 70% teaching, 20% service, and 15% other activities for the year.
Course Buyouts and Leadership Time Release
- Faculty can shift 10% of their effort per course bought out.
- Faculty with formal time release for leadership roles (e.g., program coordinators) can allocate this time toward their service effort.
Example: A tenured or tenure-track faculty member coordinating a program may adjust their effort to 40% research, 30% teaching, and 30% service. A fixed-term faculty member coordinating a program may adjust their effort to 60% teaching, 30% service, and 10% other activities for the corresponding year.
Automatic Reset of Redistributed Effort
Approval Process for Faculty Workload Plan
A review team comprised of the Dean and the two Associate Deans will review each faculty member’s workload plan at the time of annual review.
- Course load reported by faculty is compared to course assignments developed for each faculty member.
- Each spring, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (“ADAA”) works with faculty coordinators for each of the School’s programs to plan course assignments for tenure-track, tenured, and fixed-term faculty.
- Initial course plans are developed based on the standard teaching loads described above, with adjustments for:
- Course releases or buyouts related to faculty funded research commitments,
- Approved leaves, and
- Service responsibilities that have been approved by the Dean in accordance with the School’s Policy on Faculty Workload.
- Faculty are assigned to courses based on program needs, faculty interests and expertise, and faculty availability.
- During the spring semester, the ADAA shares a draft workload plan with each tenure-track, tenured, and fixed-term faculty member for review. In rare cases in which faculty members identify problems with their workplan, the ADAA works with the faculty member and relevant program coordinators to address concerns and identify a mutually agreeable plan.
- Each faculty workload plan will be approved in writing by the Dean.
- Approval of the workload plan for the following academic year is communicated to faculty in their annual review letter.
Annual Faculty Evaluation
School leadership reviews faculty performance annually based on the established work plan. This review reflects performance during the calendar year (i.e., January 1 – December 31) before the review period.
Submission and Review Process
- Annual Online Report Submission
- Faculty must submit their annual online report during the Spring semester by the Dean’s office deadline, using the recognized system used by the School.
- Optional Meeting with Associate Deans:
- Between April 1 and May 15, faculty members have the option to meet individually with one of the School’s Associate Deans to discuss their report. This meeting provides an opportunity to elaborate on their professional activities during the calendar year or provide additional context about the activities reported in their annual online report.
- Review Team and Evaluation:
- A review team comprised of the Dean and the two Associate Deans will review each faculty member’s submitted annual online report.
- For tenured and tenure-track faculty, each member of the review team will independently rate performance in research/scholarship, teaching, and service.
- For fixed-term faculty, each member of the review team will independently rate performance in teaching, service, professional development, and/or other projects.
Rating Scale
The School uses a 5-point rating scale for evaluation:
- Unacceptable
- Below Expectations
- Good, Meeting Expectations
- Very Good, Exceeds Expectations
- Exceptional
Criteria for Evaluation
- All faculty are evaluated using the criteria for research/scholarship, teaching, professional development, and/or other projects (fixed-term faculty) and service outlined in the School’s Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) manual. While consensus is not required, review team members may adjust their individual ratings based on the discussion.
- For tenure-track faculty members, individual ratings by the review team will be used to generate a mean rating for each of the three areas (research, teaching, and service).
- By July 31, faculty will receive an annual review letter via email from the Dean that provides their mean ratings for each assigned workload category.
- Annual review letters for faculty are retained for three years.
Faculty Success Plans
Faculty Success Plans are intended to be a supportive and personalized approach to help individual faculty improve their performance and excel in their role. Any faculty member that receives a mean rating of 2-Below Expectations or a mean rating of 1-Unacceptable on one or more of their annual performance goals, will be placed on a Faculty Success Plan. Faculty Success Plans should be individualized and flexible, taking into account the faculty member’s intellectual interests, abilities, and career stage, as well as the needs of the School.
The Dean will meet with the faculty member and establish, in writing, a faculty success plan designed to assist the faculty member in addressing the deficiencies.
The Faculty Success Plan will include:
- Clear performance goals,
- Specific steps designed to achieve the goals,
- Definite indicators of goal attainment,
- Clear and reasonable time frame for implementation of the plan, and
- Identification of the consequences of failure to attain the goals.
The Faculty Success Plan remains in effect until either the next annual evaluation or until the faculty member meets the expectations outlined in the plan, whichever occurs first. The Dean should acknowledge in writing the faculty member’s successful completion of the Faculty Success Plan. In the event deficiencies in performance continue to exist at the end of the Faculty Success Plan, the Dean will notify the faculty member in writing and make a recommendation regarding any remedial action, consistent with the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Faculty Success Plans will be filed in the faculty member’s personnel file.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Jill Hamm, Dean
Telephone: (919) 966-7000
Email: jill.hamm@unc.edu