Teaching and learning constitute the central mission of Western Carolina University (see proposed mission statement adopted by Board of Trustees 6/97). During the past 18 months, Chancellor Bardo initiated a broad review of factors which impact the teaching-learning process, including program reviews, review of class scheduling and class sizes, as well as a review of faculty professional loads (see http://www.wcu.edu/updates-april97.html and http://www.wcu.edu/updates-oct.html). Preparation of this report, in response to the request by the Board of Governors, has contributed to this ongoing review process at Western. Attached are the "Institutional Summary Report on Faculty Teaching Loads, 1996-97" and the "Standard Teaching Loads by Department/Division and Category of Faculty, 1996-97." Below is the institutional review of findings from these reports.

It should be noted that the teaching load definitions used within the Board of Governors workload report and those used by Western Carolina University differ in several important aspects. As a result, overloads or less-than-standard loads within this report do not always equate to over- or under-loads by university standards. Reasons for these discrepancies are explained within the section on determination of teaching loads.

Determination of teaching loads at Western Carolina University

Teaching workloads at Western Carolina University are based on the general policy adopted by the Faculty Senate (Faculty Handbook 5.01), as follows:

The normal teaching load for full-time faculty will be: (1) 24-27 semester hours aggregated over an academic year if teaching undergraduate level courses or (2) 18-21 semester hours aggregated over an academic year if teaching solely graduate-level courses (courses numbered 500 and above).

This definition in teaching loads differs from the guidelines within the Board Of Governors (BOG) Plan, which specifies a minimal annual standard departmental teaching load of six courses. Assuming three credit hours per course, the minimal annual teaching load would be 18 credit hours.

In completing the requested report, WCU established 24 credit hours as the standard load for all tenure and tenure-track faculty in departments offering undergraduate only or undergraduate and graduate courses. A standard load of 27 credit hours was set for full-time, off-track faculty. Therefore, some faculty reported as having reduced teaching loads nevertheless taught loads above the BOG plan minimum. Similarly, tenure- and tenure-track faculty who taught 25-27 hours and listed as having taught overloads within this report are not considered having taught overloads according to the Faculty Handbook policy.

Western Carolina University's policy also includes the following statements which impact assignment and reporting of faculty teaching loads:

In assigning loads, the supervisor should take into consideration such factors as off-campus regular teaching load, number of preparations, thesis direction, courses involving more than normal individual supervision such as internships and problem courses, number of students enrolled, advising duties and research activity.

Since administrative duties, advising duties and research activity vary between individual faculty members and between departments, and since the immediate supervisor knows the needs of the unit, the resources available, and the productivity of the department, the immediate supervisor shall have considerable discretion in assigning teaching loads.

The Board of Governors plan includes the use of undefined course credit hour equivalencies (CHEs) for faculty activities which contribute to instruction. Only a few departments at WCU have developed specific guidelines and course equivalencies for assigning loads. In order to prepare this report, departments were asked to assign CHEs based on "existing practices." This has resulted in a wide range of CHE assignments. Some departments assigned CHEs to activities which typically were handled as a part of the faculty member's professional duties in addition to the standard teaching load, which resulted in teaching loads in great excess of the standard load. For example, many faculty elect to work with students in independent study courses in addition to offering their regularly assigned courses. Faculty in the performing arts area are regularly involved in co-curricular activities in addition to their standard teaching loads. In the case of other departments, no CHEs were assigned due to a reluctance by department heads to set up a system without thorough faculty review. In these departments, teaching loads of some faculty appear to be below the university standard load.

Summary of standard teaching loads in each department

Standard teaching loads for all departments are listed in the attached form, Institutional Summary Report on Faculty Teaching Loads, 1996-97. Teaching loads for all departments are at or above the reference levels in the Board's report. Teaching loads for many faculty members are above or below this standard. This is partly due to differences in reporting definitions (see above). However, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is reviewing all cases of over- and under-loads to ensure equitable load distributions and to determine future needs for staffing reallocations.

Most faculty teaching below the university standard load have release time for activities closely related to instruction. WCU holds over 17 external program accreditations. Faculty normally receive release time ("accreditation/program review") when preparing reaccreditation documents, and also release time ("academic administration") to maintain these accreditations, many of which lead to student professional certifications or registrations. Release time is also granted to faculty who are developing new courses; this type of release activity is especially important to allow the introduction of new forms of technology into the classroom and curriculum.

Course reduction release time for research is provided to allow faculty to maintain the levels of scholarship necessary for good teaching and to meet the scholarship standards for program accreditations. Frequently this scholarship involves undergraduate and graduate students on a one-on-one basis, and makes an important contribution to the learning process.

Rewards for faculty who teach more than the standard load

Overload stipends are provided to faculty who elect to teach USI 130: Academic and Career Planning (a freshman orientation course) in addition to their regularly assigned teaching load.

A majority of WCU faculty teach loads above the BOG minimum, and many teach loads above the WCU standard load. However, no overload stipends are given to faculty who teach above the standard load. Reasons for teaching above the standard load include very small class sizes, independent study, internship and cooperative education courses, supervision of multiple laboratory sections taught by graduate students, and offering of program-related co-curricular activities. As noted previously, measurement of loads for faculty involved in these activities is difficult due to variation in use of credit hour equivalencies in various disciplines.

Involvement of teaching assistants and regular faculty in teaching undergraduates

Less than 1.5% of the student credit hours were offered by graduate teaching assistants last year. Most of these teaching assistants were used in physical education activity courses, basic study skills courses, and science laboratories.

All graduate teaching assistants are required to attend an instructional teaching workshop offered by the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. In addition, most departments have discipline-specific requirements related to instruction. For example, GTAs in introductory biology labs are required to watch the professor of record teach the new lab each week before they meet their lab sessions. GTAs who instruct English composition courses have a full year apprenticeship (including class observations, taking a methods course, practice teaching one or two classes, etc.) before they assume full classroom responsibilities during their second year.

Regular, tenured or tenure-track faculty, department heads, and full-time off-track faculty were responsible for 88% of all undergraduate instruction and 87% of undergraduate instruction at the basic skills and lower-division level.

Attachments:
Institutional Summary Report on Faculty Teaching Loads, 1996-97
Standard Teaching Loads by Department/Division and Category of Faculty, 1996-97