System Perspectives on Teaching Load/Work Load
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
270 Washington Street, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-1450
|
Office of the Senior Associate |
Phone: 404 651-5342 |
| TO: | Academic Advisory Committees |
| FROM: |
Dorothy Zinsmeister Senior Associate for Academic Affairs |
| DATE: | September 14, 1999 |
| RE: | Faculty Teaching Load/Workload |
While working in the System Office, first as Faculty Associate, and now as Senior Associate for Academic Affairs, I was given the opportunity to work with the Academic Advisory Committees. My own 14 years of experience as a department chair and as an active member of one of the academic committees, was excellent preparation for assisting committees in revitalizing their role in the academic system-level decision-making process.
Probably the single most frequent question that continues to arise from work with the academic committees, and certainly related to semester conversion, is the issue of faculty workload. I have discussed the issue of teaching load/workload with many of you individually as well as in committee. The issue has been addressed with the System Office staff, and it has also been a topic of discussion among the Chief Academic Officers during the academic year. While we understand and are sympathetic to the many concerns that are expressed about teaching load/workload, we have held firmly to the position that faculty teaching load/workload is the prerogative of individual institutions rather than the System Office and the Board of Regents.
Why has the academic leadership in the State taken that position? First, managing faculty workload is a complex issue, and no one understands that better than a department chair. It is clearly a function of institutional mission, resource availability and allocation, campus culture, variation among fields of study, and the diverse professional requirements and needs of the faculty. Faculty in different departments at the same institution have different workloads, and it is not unusual for faculty in the same department to have different teaching loads/workloads as chairs attempt to manage the diverse activities that constitute department/division work. Given the many facets of this complex issue, it is clear that legislating teaching loads, and putting workload decisions in the hands of those far removed from the role of managing departments, may not be in the best interests of the faculty or the institutions.
Second, embedded within any discussion of faculty teaching load/workload is the issue of quality instruction. Let me say again that the University System of Georgia is committed to the Guiding Principles for Strategic Action that call for national patterns of academic excellence in line with our peers. A brief perusal of the Faculty Development Calendar demonstrates that the University System of Georgia actively promotes and supports excellence in teaching, and encourages professional development opportunities that enhance teaching and maximize student learning.
Many of you are already meeting some of the challenges of faculty teaching load/workload management in creative ways. Sharing strategies and working cooperatively with one another may help you to address some of the concerns related to instructional quality. Please call on me if you think I may be of some assistance to your Committee.