/Institutions/MGH-Institute-of-Health-Professions/json/2018-2019/Faculty-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/MGH-Institute-of-Health-Professions/json/2018-2019/Faculty-Handbook.json

Faculty Handbook 2018-2019 > Section III - Faculty Policies and Procedures > Academic Policies and Procedures > Work Plan and Evaluation > General Guidelines for Assigning Work Plan Credit

General Guidelines for Assigning Work Plan Credit

The following guidelines have been developed for assigning faculty work plan credit (WLC). These guidelines provide a common framework for all programs where reasonable, but may not be equivalent across programs because of different curriculum configurations and accreditation requirements. Therefore, these guidelines are flexible and may be adapted for individual department or programs. Each department or program will establish internally consistent guidelines.

• Teaching work plan accounts for 50% of a 1.0 FTE work plan, which is equal to 18-21 work plan credits. This percentage of teaching work plan may vary depending on a faculty member's other responsibilities. The expected work plan is prorated for faculty members who have less than 1.0 FTE or for those who have portions of their FTE allotted to research or administration.
• Service and scholarship account for the remaining work plan, with some faculty members also having administrative FTEs assigned. The work plan associated with scholarship should generally be 20% and service 30%, but these can be adapted to individual responsibilities.
• Work plan credit will generally equal course credit, with the assumption of 1 course credit = 1 work plan credit; WLC for lab hours shall be determined by programs based on programmatic and accreditation requirements/guidelines.
• Work plan for a course will be increased by 1 credit to account for first time teaching a course, and for extra large classes (>50 students). The increased WLC for a large class will account for increased time for student advising and adapting the course to meet students’ learning needs. If a co-instructor or teaching assistant is provided to help cover increased student responsibilities, the extra WLC may not be assigned to the faculty member but may be assigned to the teaching assistant. For online courses, enrollment above 30 students shall warrant the assignment of a co-instructor or teaching assistant.
• Extra service pay shall be provided when assigned work plan exceeds FTE expectations. Extra service does not qualify as merit, and this is subject to approval by the Office of the Provost. In general, when faculty take on extra teaching assignments it may be that their other responsibilities are reduced. This is the preferred practice, as opposed to paying extra. Extra service pay should be viewed as an extraordinary, rather than routine, decision.
• Work plan credit may be increased by 0.5 credit for coordinating a course, with appropriate justification of that individual's increased responsibilities for a course.
• Contact hours may be factored into the teaching work plan when the credit assignment does not adequately reflect the number of hours spent in class.
• Thesis supervision will be given one WLC for the primary reader per student for the entire thesis experience. Work plan credit for other committee members may be negotiated with the program director or department chair based on expected responsibilities on the project.
• Clinical practice or consulting positions outside the framework of a faculty work plan or scholarship are not counted towards the faculty FTE. Faculty members may engage in outside activities up to the equivalent of one day per week or 20% of appointment (applies only to full-time faculty members who submit a Conflict of Interest or Conflict of Commitment form and receive approval). However, they are still responsible for full teaching, scholarship, and service responsibilities relative to their faculty FTE.
• Many faculty members provide guest lectures in courses taught by other faculty members. These are not counted in the faculty work plan, but are instead considered part of their service to the Institute. The work plan associated with guest lecturing should be considered in determining the faculty member’s scope of responsibilities.
• Faculty members are expected to participate in program, Institute, and professional service activities. The extent of service responsibilities shall be negotiated with the program director or department chair each year. Faculty may be given WLC for administrative responsibilities that are related to program or Institute goals.
• Faculty members who have administrative responsibilities, such as associate directors or clinical coordinators, shall be assigned a portion of their FTE toward their administrative role. The remaining FTE will be assigned to teaching and/or research. The faculty member’s expected teaching work plan shall be prorated to match their teaching FTE. The work plan associated with service and scholarship will also be developed proportionately.