Academic Workloads

Intent

To detail the parameters used in determining academic staff workloads.

Policy and Procedures

1. Principles

The major elements of academic work are teaching, administration, research and consultancy. Although the proportions of these elements will differ between one individual workload and another across the University, the four are equally valued as contributions to the University's academic life.

Teaching is a valued activity which should be undertaken by all academic employees, with the sole exception of research-only appointments. Class contact hours must be allocated in a systematic, equitable and open manner, within clearly understood annual limits to total hours.

The specific characteristics and requirements of each School, discipline and location should be taken into account in determining and assessing appropriate academic workloads across the University. Consideration should also be given to the backgrounds of students involved in a particular course and the size and character of the student population.

The diverse and changing nature of teaching and learning methods in the University, the introduction of flexible and distance delivery over multiple campuses, and the incorporation of new technologies, will bring significant changes to the ways in which academic work is conducted and workloads are measured.

Beginning and junior employees should not be required to undertake teaching duties and administrative tasks for which they have neither the experience nor the training. Beginning employees should have a lower teaching load than established employees, and should receive appropriate support and guidance from their senior colleagues.

Relative teaching loads and the allocation of School development funds should reflect the additional workload consequent on the development of any new course or subject.

Each Faculty and School will develop a Teaching and Learning Plan.

Individual teaching loads may be adjusted according to the research performance of academics. This provision should not be viewed as a punitive measure, but should be used as part of a systematic, equitable and open allocation of teaching within a School, and as a means of containing workloads. Nor should this provision prevent employees from pursuing teaching as an object of academic interest: employees involved in research teaching, curriculum development, the utilisation and deployment of new technologies, and related areas, should not be allocated heavy teaching loads as a consequence of such commitment. This policy recognises the need to manage academic work in a time of change in a consultative and collaborative manner.

2. Division of Academic Work

Academic work is divisible into the following four areas:

• Teaching (undergraduate and postgraduate), including course and subject development;

• Research and scholarship;

• Professional and community involvement; and

• University administration.

Workload allocations shall provide opportunities for employees to participate in, develop and balance their expertise across all areas of academic work. Employees will not necessarily be required to undertake duties in all four areas.

3. Quantitative Standards

Quantitative standards will be developed for the assessment of teaching workloads. These will be evaluated on an average across the year on the basis of equivalent class contact hours. Each School will be expected to develop and maintain:

• Clear criteria and open processes to ensure that academic workloads are equitably distributed, and

• Mechanisms for consulting with employees in setting the priorities and objectives of the School.

4. Workload Determination

The following factors should be considered when determining academic workloads:

• Class size and marking load;

• Postgraduate supervision;

• Course and subject development;

• On-line teaching;

• Research and consultancies;

• Publications;

• Higher degree studies;

• Publicity and promotion activities;

• Community and professional service;

• Academic administration;

• Service on school, faculty and university committees; and

• Other factors that the university considers contribute to its mission and objectives.

5. Contact Hours

Scheduled class contact hours should include:

• Lectures;

• Formally timetabled tutorial classes;

• Seminars;

• Workshops and practical classes;

• Supervision of field-work and professional placement;

• Professional assessment.

Contact hours weighting for teaching through flexible delivery, block mode or professional programs taught outside the standard semesters will be the same as for an equivalent subject taught through face-to-face methods unless schools have negotiated with employees appropriate contact hour weighting based on their experience.

6. Thesis Supervision

Thesis supervisions count as follows:

• Equivalent Full-time (EFT) research student supervisions count 25 hours each;

• There is a 10% loading for co-supervisions;

• Honours students and coursework postgraduate students with a research project count as a fraction equivalent to the proportion of their assessment devoted to the project.

7. Workload Criteria

The workload criteria for each School will specify what constitutes high, standard and low activity in regard to research, consultancy, service and administration, and workload allocations will be transparent to staff within Schools.

8. Appropriateness of Duties

The duties of members of academic employees are to be appropriate to their stage of development as members of the academic community. In particular, it is inappropriate for employees to act as the sole or chief supervisor of a research degree which they do not themselves possess. Level A employees should not normally have sole responsibility for the design and delivery of whole subjects.

9. Undergraduate Teaching

With the exception of research-specific appointments, all academic employees are expected to take part in undergraduate teaching.

10. Teaching Load

10.1 Contact Hours

All staff are to have between a normal minimum of 200 and a normal maximum of 400 class contact hours, with 300 hours as the standard maximum load for staff with standard level of activity in research and/or consultancy or service or administration. Employees whose research activity, consultancy commitments and/or administrative and service workloads are below the discipline average, will carry a teaching load above 300 hours. Employees with higher than average research, consultancy and/or administrative/service records will carry a teaching load below 300 hours. Any teaching load contact hours below 200, or above 400 hours would be allocated in consultation with the staff affected.

10.2 Academics Level A

Level A employees are not normally required to initiate subject material or to undertake complex subject coordination. Level A employees may be asked to produce teaching materials for students for whom they have responsibility, and/or to develop subject material, with appropriate guidance from the unit or course coordinator. For employees at level A, lecture hours should not normally exceed 15% of a total formal teaching load, and then only where skills and experience demonstrate the employee's capacity to complete the work at the appropriate standard. Level A employees who hold a doctorate or are required to carry out full unit coordination duties will be paid a salary no lower than Step 6 on the Level A scale.

10.3 Academics Level B and Above

For employees at level B and above, lecture hours should not normally exceed 40% of a total formal teaching load.

10.4. New Academics

New employees who have no substantial prior experience in academic teaching should not normally be allocated more than 250 hours of class contact and research student supervision in their first year of employment.

10.5 Reduction in Teaching Load

An employee who is developing a course or subject not previously taught in their School, or who is adapting an existing course or subject for flexible delivery, may have their teaching allocation reduced for the semester in which the course or subject is developed. The academic employees of each School will be required to develop and approve criteria for the scale of reduction appropriate to the disciplines taught by the School.

10.6 Fractional Appointments

The teaching workloads of employees on fractional appointments should normally be in proportion to the fraction of their appointment.

10.7 Class Size

The allocation of class contact hours to individual employees and between employees shall take account of class sizes and ensure that the work of teaching of large classes is equitably distributed. Post graduate supervisory loads for academic units are set in accordance with individual workloads formula.

11. Requirement to Travel

Where an employee is required to travel to another campus either interstate or overseas to conduct classes for the University, the employee will reach agreement with his or her supervisor as to the appropriate travel loading.

12. Work Offshore or Interstate

Where an employee undertakes work at a non-JCU owned campus, the employee's entitlements, hours of work, travel, insurance and sickness benefits will be the same as if the employee were working at a JCU owned campus unless otherwise agreed with the employee.

13. Grievance Resolution

Grievances about workloads should be raised through the University's grievance resolution procedures. An employee shall not be disadvantaged as a result of raising a grievance.

14. Advertising of Consultation Hours

Academic employees will advertise times at which they will be available for consultation with students.

15. Teaching and Learning Plan

Each Faculty and School will develop and maintain a Teaching and Learning Plan which will include the allocation of teaching hours in each School, strategic objectives, plans for deployment of employees (including inter-campus movements), and funding and resource packages.

16. Workload Planning

The workload allocation for individual employees shall be discussed with their supervisor as part of performance management. The supervisor is required to ensure equitable allocation of duties and workload between employees in the work area. Transparent principles and procedures for the allocation of workload are to be established for each work area. The principles are to be developed in consultation with employees of the work area.

17. Workload Review

The intention of this clause is not to deal with minor and temporary variations of workload or performance issues.

17.1 Workload Review

Employees may raise questions about the allocation of their workload with their supervisor at any time.

Where one or more employees in a work area believe that the overall workload in the area is excessive they, may make a case to the Director, Human Resources to investigate.

Where the Director, Human Resources considers there is bona fide evidence of work overload and duties are being completed with a reasonable level of efficiency and commitment, a nominee of the Director, Human Resources and a nominee of the relevant employee shall jointly conduct a review.

17.2 Reasonable Working Hours Test

The reviewers may apply a reasonable working hours test:

• For Academic employees workloads will be considered reasonable where the required duties can be completed to a satisfactory level in an average 36.25 hour week, taking into account annual leave, public holidays and close-downs. The review will take into account the Workload Allocation Guidelines for the School, custom and practice of the discipline, casual relief, research 'days' as 7.25 hours and actual hours for academic administration. This will be averaged across an appropriate period according to the type and nature of the work involved;

• For general employees, the test will be that required duties can be completed without unpaid overtime.

17.3 Recommendations

The reviewers shall work expeditiously and have access to relevant information, records and employees. They shall report their investigation to the Director, Human Resources and make recommendations to remedy any situations of excessive workload.

The recommendations may include but not be confined to:

• Reducing the total workload by eliminating functions, or

• Changing functions, or

• Altering working methods, or

• Increasing employees and other resources.

A copy of the report will be provided to the employee involved, and the manager of the work area.

17.4 Implementation of Recommendations

The Director, Human Resources will liaise with the manager of the work area regarding the implementation of the recommendations.

Approval Details

Modification History