Faculty Work Week and Teaching Loads
TBR Policy Reference: 5:01:00:00 and P-020
Approved by: President's Cabinet
Original Date Effective: 2023-10-16
Last Modified:
Purpose:
Outlines faculty teaching schedules, office hours, and teaching loads related to meeting the needs of the students and other responsibilities of the faculty.
Policy:
All full-time personnel, including faculty, shall be required to devote a minimum of 37.5 hours per week to the institution and shall maintain appropriate office hours as determined by the president or designee. Calculating the 37.5-hour workweek shall follow guidelines promulgated by TBR and JSCC policy.
Faculty Teaching Load and Responsibilities:
Faculty members will accommodate teaching schedules, day or evening, on all campuses and teaching sites to meet the needs of the students. Faculty at JSCC shall be required to carry a full teaching load, which shall be fifteen (15) credit hours or the equivalent per term.
Academic deans and chairs/program directors should work together to prepare an equitable schedule. Course offerings and schedule of courses are approved by the dean and submitted to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, who may also request the addition or deletion of courses to accommodate enrollment trends.
Scheduled class meetings are an implied contract between the college and the student. Faculty are expected to meet the duration of the scheduled times except when sound educational judgment, compliance with approved college activities, or authorized professional travel dictate otherwise. In those cases, compensatory assignments or activities should be made.
Moreover, faculty are charged with continuous curriculum improvement, service to the college, scholarly pursuits, and professional development, all of which require regular and predictable work attendance throughout the work week.
Faculty Non-Instructional Expectations:
The college operates on a five-day work week and a minimum of 37.5 hours per week. For faculty, this includes 30 hours of regular on-campus presence. The remaining 7.5 working hours are flexible. During peak times and for other college-related activities and services, faculty may be required to be on campus for additional hours beyond the minimum of 30. “On campus” includes any facilities and/or grounds owned or operated by Jackson State Community College or any clinical facility affiliate of the College. Drive time (15-minute increments) from a faculty member’s official station to designated off-campus sites and back is also considered “on campus.” It is credited toward the faculty member’s minimum of 30 hours of “on campus” time.
Of the 15 non-instructional hours, 6 must be designated as fixed and posted office hours.
Faculty shall post schedules on office doors, including class, lab, and office hours. This practice provides students and staff necessary information to locate faculty for consultation. The faculty will submit a copy to the immediate supervisor and/or dean no later than one week after the beginning of classes.
During the non-instructional time, whether on campus or remotely, faculty will be available to respond to student emails and inquiries and meet with students as requested. Faculty shall respond to student inquiries within a reasonable time (not including holidays and college closures) and make every effort to schedule a meeting time and modality (in person, by phone, or virtual) that is most convenient to the student and within reasonable operating hours.
Faculty Contractual Timelines:
All academic-year and fiscal-year faculty have the same contractual responsibilities and obligations. The academic year contracts begin on the Monday following the summer session and conclude following commencement in the spring semester. The fiscal year contracts begin July 1st and conclude June 30th.