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All full-time tenured and tenure-track Faculty of the department are expected to carry a maximum workload of twenty-four (24) credit hours per academic year.  Full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty members are expected to carry a maximum workload of thirty (30) credit hours per academic year.  (See, UPR 3342-6-18)  The workload for each individual Faculty member is assigned by the Chair with the approval of the Dean.  The FAC shall advise the Chair on issues related to teaching assignments, class schedules and the appropriate application of workload equivalents. The Chair shall provide each Faculty member with a statement of her/his workload.

The Chair or relevant unit administrator may, in consultation with the FAC and with the concurrence of the Dean, assign workload equivalencies for specific duties which are considered essential to the academic mission of the Department.  The department’s expectations and specifications for workload equivalencies are given in Table 1.  Where a range of hours is specified for an equivalency, the Chair shall determine the appropriate assignment. See Section III.B. for detailed descriptions of Departmental Administrative and Service positions.

Table 1. Workload Equivalents Table

Course Instruction

Research

Faculty members are assigned to teach specific courses by the Chair.  The primary considerations for course assignments are prior teaching experience, subject expertise, and the importance of the departmental mission to provide quality service and introductory courses.  Questions regarding teaching assignments should be addressed to the Chair.  In the case of a dispute or request for reassignment the Faculty member may request review by the FAC, which will make a recommendation to the Chair.

Scheduling of classes is the responsibility of the Assistant to the Chair with approval of the Chair.  The primary consideration for scheduling classes is student need with regard to meeting program or major requirements within a reasonable time frame.  In addition, the scheduling of some classes may be determined by the need to serve nontraditional students.

The Chair welcomes requests for summer teaching assignments from all full-time Faculty members.  Summer teaching cannot be guaranteed to any Faculty member and most summer teaching assignments are for a partial load.  The size, content, and staffing of summer courses are dictated by budgetary constraints and curricular needs.  Within these requirements Faculty members are offered summer teaching assignments on an annual rotation system. The department will endeavor to distribute summer teaching opportunities equitably among members of the bargaining unit without regard to academic rank.  Faculty members may elect not to accept a summer assignment. See also CBA Article IX, Section 3.

Advising: Student advising of undergraduate physics majors is conducted by the student’s assigned undergraduate major advisor.  Student advising at the graduate level is conducted by the student's assigned curriculum advisor until a Research Advisor is chosen, after which this individual and the student’s dissertation committee members assume the role.  In order to assist in student advising, Faculty members should maintain current knowledge of University, College, and Department programs and requirements.

Final examinations: Final exams in all courses must be offered at the time and date specified in the University’s schedule of final examinations.  Changes of the time and/or date of a final examination require prior approval of the Chair and the Dean, but in any case, the exam must also be offered at the time scheduled and publicized by the University for those students who desire to take the exam at that time.

Grades and Student Records: Faculty members must inform students of their progress throughout the semester.  Grades are a Faculty member's responsibility and should be assigned fairly and objectively.  Submission of final grades must comply with University Policy, including but not limited to the deadline for the timely submission of grades.   Materials used in computing grades (e.g., exams, papers, reports, etc.) should be retained by the Faculty member for two (2) years after final grades are submitted.  Students have a right to inspect the written work performed during a course and discuss grades with the Faculty member.

All members of the Department must comply with all laws and University Policies that govern the privacy of student education records, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  These regulations require, among other things, that Faculty members keep thorough academic records and forbid the posting of grades by name, social security number or any other system that might identify a student with her/his education record.

Failure of Faculty members to provide grades in compliance with University Policy will be taken into consideration in reappointment, tenure, promotion, and merit decisions.

Office Hours:  Faculty members are expected to schedule and attend at least five (5) office hours per week (See, UPR 3342-6-18.101).  The times for office hours shall be communicated to the Department office as well as to the Faculty member's students, and will be posted on the Faculty member’s office door.  If a student, for a legitimate reason or reasons, is unable to meet during the Faculty member’s scheduled office hours, the Faculty member shall make appointments to meet with the student at an alternate time.

Participation in University Activities: Faculty members are expected to participate in recruitment programs, graduation ceremonies and other activities that are appropriate to their role as a Faculty member in the Department.  Details of such participation shall be decided by the Chair.

Student and Peer Evaluation: A Student Survey of Instruction (hereafter “SSI”) is required in each course in each semester and will be conducted under the auspices of the Chair pursuant to applicable University policies and procedures (See, Section IX of this Handbook).

Probationary Faculty members are required to undergo peer review of teaching during each year of the probationary period.  Details of this process may be found in Section V. B. of this handbook.

Syllabi: Faculty members are expected to provide students with a syllabus that describes the subject matter to be covered in a course, the expectations of the instructor regarding students, grading policies, and other pertinent information.

All tenure-track Faculty members are required to prepare and submit an Annual Workload Summary Report for the previous academic year.  This Report includes the following items:

• An updated curriculum vitae
• Course evaluations (provided by the Chair) and syllabi for each course taught.
• A brief summary of professional activities related to the 24 credit hour workload (e.g., if a Faculty member has a 3 hour assignment for program coordination, a brief summary of activities related to his/her work as a Coordinator should be provided; if a Faculty member has a 3 hour assignment for research, a brief summary of research activities should be provided).

All leaves, sponsored or unsupported, personal or professional, are subject to the approval of the Chair, the Dean and the Provost.

University leaves include but are not limited to:

1.  Research leaves (See UPR 3342-6-11.8).
2.  Leaves of absence without pay (See UPR 3342-6-11.9).
3.  Faculty professional improvement leaves (See UPR 3342-6-12).
4. Research/Creative Activity appointments (See UPR 3342-6-15.3).

Faculty members who will be absent from campus for professional or personal travel must submit a Request for Absence Form to the Chair.  The request should be made at least one (1) month prior to the planned absence, when possible, and is subject to the approval of the Chair and the Dean.  Arrangements for any classes to be missed during the absence must be addressed to the satisfaction of the Chair before approval will be granted.

Attendance at professional meetings is encouraged and approved travel expenses incurred in attending such meetings will be reimbursed when approved prior to travel according to the University's travel policies and are subject to the availability of Department funds.  In general, greater amounts of support will be granted to meeting participants (i.e. those presenting a paper or chairing a session) than to Faculty members who simply attend professional meetings. 

The Chair is responsible for keeping complete records of Faculty sick leave; however, faculty members are also required to record their sick leave accurately on the University’s online system.   Sick leave should be reported online within forty-eight (48) hours after an absence, whenever possible. (See UPR 3342-6-11.1)

Faculty members may engage in professional activities outside the university provided the activities do not interfere with the Faculty member's teaching, research, or service responsibilities to the Department, Campus, College or University (See, UPR 3342-6-24).  These activities must be approved in advance by the Chair and the Dean. Each academic year, each Faculty member must disclose and seek approval for all outside employment on the form provided by the University.  Any outside employment is subject to the Faculty Code of Ethics and the University’s conflict of interest policies.  (See, UPR 3342-6-17 and 3342-6-23)