Teaching
The full-time teaching assignment for TAMIU is twelve Semester Credit Hour Equivalents (SCH) per semester. A commitment to excellence in Teaching is the first requirement for all faculty at TAMIU. Faculty should be expected to provide evidence of intellectual contributions to their discipline, the University, and the community at a level that ensures that they remain current in their fields. Because of the unique and extensive growth at this moment in the University's history, expectations for Service are high for all. The administration, in conjunction with the Faculty Senate and faculty, will establish for all faculty a peer review process, including a portfolio, to evaluate and improve Teaching. Classes must be scheduled at times suited to the demonstrated needs of our students. At the same time, chairs are expected to try, insofar as possible, to schedule classes so as to reduce the number of preparations. Expectations, outcomes, and rationale must be clear for any faculty member who teaches fewer than twelve SCH.
Release Time for Research
Tenure-track faculty are eligible for release time in order to establish their research agenda and to demonstrate scholarly productivity during their probationary period. The amount and terms of their release time will be negotiated with the Dean or director of their school or college at the time of their initial appointment. This process is separate from release time for research for tenured faculty.
Tenured faculty are eligible to apply for a two course release time per year to pursue research. Expectations for excellence in Teaching remain the same for faculty awarded release time for research as they do for all faculty. For faculty receiving release time for research, scholarly efforts should continue with the same scope and intensity as during probationary period (see Baseline Expectations below). An application (submitted by filling out a common form) will outline the research plan. Research plans will be renewed every year.
Baseline Expectations for Faculty Awarded Release Time for Research
If faculty do not meet Baseline Requirements, they must submit a written explanation justifying continuance for release time to the College Research Committee, who will forward their recommendations to the Dean. Recommendations will be forwarded to the Provost, who will make the final decision on whether release time will be awarded in the following year.
Additional Release Time for Intensive Research
Faculty whose scholarly achievements are characterized by consistently high levels of productivity over a sustained period of time are eligible to apply for one additional course release time per academic year, or a total of three courses release time per academic year, to support their research efforts. Faculty receiving three courses release time under the terms of this policy are expected to produce one refereed article per year or to make substantial progress toward completion of a book or the equivalent. Expectations for excellence in Teaching remain the same for all faculty. Faculty members with three courses of release time for research should pursue all appropriate avenues for securing sponsored research through grants. The review process for faculty seeking three courses release time for research is the same as for faculty seeking two courses release time for research, with the following additional requirement: faculty requesting three courses release time for intensive research must submit their application for external review.
Release Time for Non-Research Activities
The statement below is intended to provide greater clarification for TAMIU's Faculty Academic Workload and Reporting Requirements policy (TAMIU Rule 12.03.99.L1 sections 5.1 to 5.3).
“Any reduction in the standard teaching load has to be justified by administrative assignments or a unique and time-consuming feature of a faculty member's assigned courses. The chair, the dean, and the provost must approve in writing all course reductions in advance of the first day of class for a semester. A course reduction for any of these reasons should be equivalent to approximately 135 hours per semester (equivalent to 45 hours of face-to-face time, plus 90 hours for course preparation/grading/student interactions). Course releases may be granted on a case-by-case basis under exceptional circumstances. Possible rationales for non-research related releases include but are not necessarily restricted to the following situations: inordinately large class sizes, excessive number of new course preparations, teaching multiple writing intensive courses, administrative responsibilities, etc. Note that releases are not granted based on a single course but are evaluated based on the entirety of an individual faculty member's load.”
Considerations other than the merit of proposals or the performance of faculty may, from time to time, be a factor in the number of tenured faculty who teach full-time or who have research release time. Such considerations may include changes in college or department missions or programs, college commitments to equitable support for disciplines within the college or for faculty careers, and budgetary considerations. In the event that University resources are insufficient to fund all qualifying applications, the President in consultation with the Provost will determine the amount of release time that will be made in a given year.
Faculty teaching a doctoral seminar will receive one course release time during the semester in which the seminar is delivered, and may receive one course release time in the semester prior to the semester in which the seminar is delivered. Faculty teaching a doctoral seminar are expected to engage in a level of scholarly activity consistent with that of faculty receiving release time for research. Faculty teaching exclusively graduate level courses may receive appropriate release time in recognition of the need for extensive research and course preparation. It is expected that faculty will follow the application and review process for release time and will meet or exceed the Baseline Expectations for research.
Faculty may submit proposals of a more limited scope, requesting a one-course release for one semester. An outcome clearly achievable in a short time should accompany the proposal.
Additional release time may be granted for research projects of exceptional merit that require an extensive commitment of time.
The minimum teaching load for full-time faculty who do not have administrative assignments and who are not on development leave is six semester credit hours or equivalent per semester. Exceptions must be approved by the President upon the recommendation of the chair, Dean, and Provost.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, some faculty members are employed for nine months and are thus not guaranteed employment during the summer session. Nonetheless, a significant number of faculty have the opportunity to teach during the summer based on student enrollments, department and/or college needs, and budgetary considerations. When possible, all faculty will be offered the opportunity to teach one session (i.e., class) in the summer. Any additional classes would be offered to faculty based upon rank / seniority within the department.5
5 Texas A&M International University offers two sessions each summer. As of September 1996, a "full-time teaching load" is defined as six semester credit hours, or the equivalent, per summer session.