Policy on Teaching Load

January 29, 2001

I. The Basis for a Teaching Load Policy:

As a group, Bowdoin faculty members work long and hard, and they fulfill their teaching obligations with diligence and good spirit. Teaching, however, is only one component of the faculty member's total workload. While this policy statement deals only with teaching, all faculty recognize that other aspects of their work - especially scholarly and artistic activities and collegial service - are important to their lives as professionals.

Faculty teach in widely varied ways, and there are often substantial differences in approach, particularly across disciplines. These differences sometimes lead to questions about equity and fairness. Teaching load assessment based on a given number of courses per year fails by itself to capture the wide range of faculty teaching roles, nor does it give effective guidance regarding the apportionment of a faculty member's time. However, it does provide the necessary rough structure for development of a teaching load policy.

The Teaching Load Policy has several objectives:

  • To recognize the many and varied teaching activities in which faculty members engage;
  • To recognize and reduce significant disparities in teaching loads through a process that emphasizes teaching load considerations in departmental planning activities;
  • To ensure fairness across and within departments at the college.

II. Statement of the Teaching Load Policy:

The standard teaching load for full-time members of the Bowdoin faculty is four courses per year plus a variety of additional teaching activities, including the supervision of honors projects and independent study courses. Specific practices will vary from department to department depending upon the nature of the discipline and the particular requirements necessary for a quality academic program. Faculty in science departments, for example, often have a three-course load when this includes a substantial laboratory commitment on the part of the faculty member.

Each department will draw up a statement of its understanding of the components of the teaching load. This statement should give attention to various specific teaching activities and circumstances, including the laboratory components of courses, the size of courses, engagement in team-taught courses, the number of honors projects and independent studies, the use of discussion sections for large courses, writing-intensive courses, field trips, artistic performances, and any other activities that faculty undertake to contribute to the educational enterprise.

III. Implementation of the Policy:

  1. Before the end of the current academic year, all departments will establish in writing their own description of the components of teaching load. The departmental statement will be submitted to and reviewed by the Dean for Academic Affairs, who will consult with the Faculty Affairs Committee if necessary.

  2. Every year in April, the Office of Institutional Research will provide each department Chair with information on the teaching activities of faculty within that department over a period of at least three years. This information will be compiled from institutional records and from the annual faculty activities form submitted to the Dean.

  3. Every fall semester, the Chair will distribute the assembled data to members of the department and will subsequently convene a meeting to identify and discuss any teaching load issues within the department. this meeting should also be used to plan strategies to maintain fair and appropriate teaching loads and to respond to curricular changes.

  4. Every other year, the department's meeting will precede and serve as the basis for a later meeting with the Dean to discuss teaching patterns in the context of departmental curriculum, pedagogical strategies and resources. A schedule for the later meeting will be established by the Dean's office, and reminder will be provided at the beginning of each academic year.