2.11 FACULTY WORKLOAD
The duties and activities that contribute to the load experienced by a teacher-scholar-citizen are
recognized as being many and varied. Teaching and advising are the foremost responsibility for
Roanoke faculty members, and teaching related activities are expected to represent the largest
investment of faculty time and effort. Maintaining competence as a scholar and campus citizen
requires, however, a share of the work week and individual workloads should assure that the
faculty member can claim this share while keeping teaching primary. Moreover, beyond work, it
is important to affirm the need to protect enough hours during the week to allow for personal
and family time.
2.11.1 TEACHING
Each full-time faculty member:
1. has a 6-6-7 course teaching load over a three-year period,
2. serves as advisor to approximately 20 students, and
3. participates in both professional development and professional service. (NOTE: Although item 3 continues with the phrase “but declares one area as an emphasis,” there is currently no administrative mechanism in place to carry out this provision.) Furthermore, it is required that faculty teach a seventh course every third year, and it is expected that this course be in the May Term. Some faculty may wish to teach in the May Term more often and some may prefer less often; such flexibility is permissible, but in order to guarantee that an adequate number of May Term courses are offered, one-quarter to one-third of the faculty will need to participate each year. It is important and essential that all departments participate in the May Term. (This policy was recommended by the Faculty on 22 April 1998 and approved by the Board of Trustees on 1 May 1998.)
Teaching assignments are made by the department chair within faculty and administrative
guidelines and policies, subject to approval by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. To
provide maximum equity across the disciplines and in recognition of the wide variety in
instructional modes, the chairs and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs monitor the total
course load for each faculty member.
In determining workloads, the following are equivalent to a lecture course that meets 3 hours/week during Fall or Spring Term:
Laboratories 3 hours/week
Studio Art 3 hours/week
Applied Music 4.5 hours/week
Choir, Ensemble 1 course/week
Physical Education Activity Course 4.5 hours/week
Student Teaching 8 students/year FTE
In addition to this contact-hour limitation, the department chair is urged to take into account
when making individual assignments both the number of different course preparations and the
total number of enrolled students expected for the term. While hard and fast rules are not set,
the following guideline is offered:
· The individual faculty member should teach no more than 210 students per year in lecture courses.
In the departments where non-lecture courses represent a significant portion of total instruction, the department and associate dean for academic affairs will work out appropriate modifications of the above guidelines.
The chair is encouraged, too, to arrange departmental schedules whenever possible to give significant blocks of unscheduled time (a) to new faculty who might need it to prepare courses for the first time, and (b) to some faculty in the department each term for use in scholarly or course-development projects. Instructional budgets will be set each year to provide at least one course responsibility to be assigned to a temporary faculty member in each department, should that be needed, so that a full-time faculty member can be released from teaching to work on a project approved by the department chair and the associate dean.
Additional released time for work on projects is available through the Faculty Research Program (see section 2.10 above).
2.11.2 PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The individual faculty member has no specific assignment on either a term or yearly basis in the
performance area labeled "Professional Growth and Development." Faculty members have as
their primary responsibility keeping abreast of their discipline and their profession. Ways of
doing this include writing of text materials and manuals and attending workshops on subject
matter and teaching techniques. Efforts for professional growth and development can also be in
other chosen areas of scholarly interest, inquiry, or creativity. Students should be involved in
scholarly projects, as appropriate. Some faculty choose to use the summer months, May
through August, to concentrate their efforts of scholarship and creativity; others take
advantage of the grants-in-time offered through the Faculty Development Committee (see
Section 2.10). The annual evaluation by the department chair includes professional
growth and development, and in order to become tenured competence must be demonstrated in
this area (see Section 2.5). The contribution to total workload represented by
scholarly and creative efforts will, of course, be determined by individual choices about projects
and the approaches taken to them.
2.11.3 PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
The individual faculty member has no specific assignment in the area of "Service." Rather he or
she is expected to assume a reasonable share of those citizenship duties that are required for
faculty governance and effective operation of a department. If elected to a standing committee
of the faculty, he or she is expected to serve. At the same time, each faculty member is urged
to limit the number of commitments which he or she makes, with a view to preserving enough of
the work week to give teaching and scholarship proper attention.
2.11.4 OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT
2.11.4.1
Courses taught for other institutions should not compete with Roanoke College courses.
2.11.4.2
No outside activity may prevent faculty from meeting their professional obligations at the College.
2.11.4.3
Such outside employment may be accepted only after approval of the chair and Dean of the College. The same requirement applies to any outside activity demanding extensive time commitments.
2.11.5 OFFICE HOURS
Faculty members are expected to maintain reasonable office hours. Reasonable means
sufficient hours distributed over different times and days of the week to accommodate students
and advisees. Department chairs are responsible for defining the reasonable standard.
2.11.6 NON-TEACHING DUTIES
2.11.6.1
Advising students (see Section 2.9.1.6).
2.11.6.2
Professional development and improvement in the form of maintaining currency in one's
discipline; researching; writing; being active in professional organizations; performing; other
means of professional expression;
2.11.6.3
Preparing class syllabi/policy statements designed to provide adequate knowledge about class policies and about the schedule of class materials (see Section 3.2.1);
2.11.6.4
Participating in College, Faculty, department committees, meetings, and activities assigned in
accordance with contractual obligation;
2.11.6.5
Recommending library holdings.
2.11.7 DEFINITION OF CONTRACT YEAR
The contract year, which constitutes the annual contract period for faculty, begins one week
before the first day of classes in the Fall. The contract year ends as follows: one week following
commencement in the Spring when no May Term course is taught, or when a May Term course
is taught, upon completion of and submission of the final grades for the course.
2.11.8 OTHER TIME COMMITMENTS
Faculty are professionals expected to set and maintain high standards of performance.
Therefore, it is not appropriate or desirable to specify detailed hourly or daily work standards.
Roanoke College has specific degree programs that can be completed via evening classes.
Adequate offerings in general education, major, and elective courses must be available. To
support this program, faculty may have to teach in the evening program unless they have
contracted otherwise.
The Faculty recognizes that special circumstances arise which compel the President to request
faculty participation at important functions. It is expected that such requests will be infrequent
and reserved for truly important occasions.
2.11.9 USE OF COLLEGE SUPPORT STAFF AND FACILITIES
Faculty may utilize College assigned office and appropriate support facilities without prior
approval when engaged in their normal professional activities throughout the entire calendar
year.