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COHS Workload Policy

Download a PDF of COHS Workload Policy

Boise State University College of Health Sciences Policy 218

Effective Date:

(Original issue date: March 2025)

Last Revision Date:

March 2025

Responsible Party:

Office of the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Office of the Dean of College of Health Sciences

Specific school/department designee

Scope and Audience:

This policy applies to all full-time tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and teaching faculty within the College of Health Sciences.

1. Policy Purpose:

To establish guidelines and procedure governing the assignment of workload specific to all College of Health Sciences full-time tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and teaching faculty. 

2. Policy Statement

In accordance with university guidelines, professional expectations of faculty members within the College of Health Sciences include teaching, research/scholarship, and service. Formal workload allocation amongst the aforementioned expectations should achieve a general uniformity while taking into account variations given faculty member academic rank and assigned responsibilities. 

The distribution of workload should balance nuanced roles resulting in optimal delivery of programs that exceed a high-quality educational standard. Varied distribution allows faculty members to pursue professional scholarly and service interests that coincide with successful delivery of academic coursework.    

3. Definitions:

Administrative Service: School/Department specific assignments that assist in or enhance system operation (e.g., chair, director, coordinator). See University Policy 4000, University Policy 4560, and/or COHS Policy 217. 

Faculty: Tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and teaching faculty as defined in position categories within University Policy 7000, University Policy 4490, and University Policy 4730 who occupy full-time faculty positions within the College of Health Sciences.

Professional Development: The acquisition and/or update of discipline-specific skills. Professional development may be a requirement for disciplines that require state licensure, certification, etc., and, under the Boyer Model of Scholarship, constitute a form of scholarship.

Research/Scholarship: Scholarly, creative, and research activity as aligned within the Boyer Model of Scholarship. Clinical and Teaching faculty are not required to engage in formal research/scholarship activity outside of professional development as defined above (unless otherwise noted in their workload assignment).

Service: See University Policy 4000. Professional activities outside of teaching and research/scholarship that include, but is not limited to:

  • Institutional activities that contribute to the University, the College of Health Sciences, or specific school/department (e.g., committee participation, faculty senate participation)
  • Serving students in advising or mentoring roles outside of formal graduate culminating activities
  • Formal participation in discipline-specific professional organizations, holding office in discipline-specific professional organizations, professional conference organization/participation, clinical practice within the community
  • Public/Community service as a representative of the University (i.e. using professional abilities for the community’s benefit)

Sponsored Project: Professional research, consulting, or service. These projects may be institutionally sponsored, federally sponsored, or other sponsored as defined in University Policy 4440.

Standard Teaching Assignment/Responsibility: Baseline teaching allocation as identified within specific faculty-type university and college policy.

Teaching: The development, preparation, delivery, and sustainability of academic courses via in-person or electronic delivery. This includes associated pedagogic activities including, but not limited to, subject content research and student performance evaluation.

Workload Units: A measurement used to calculate professional activity/productivity. Faculty workload units are assigned based on length of employment contract. The percentage of workload assigned to teaching, scholarship, and service must sum to 100% (regardless of workload unit assignment). See FAQ for more detail.

4. Responsibilities and Procedures

4.1 Development of School/Department Policy

  1. Each school/department is responsible for developing and maintaining a written workload policy for tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and teaching faculty. The policy must define annual workload expectations consistent with university and college policy and outline a process for negotiated variance.
  2. Each school/department must have a statement in their specific workload policy regarding expected annual scholarly activity for full-time faculty assigned such activity. In addition, the policy must contain guidelines for any variance from faculty-specific standard teaching assignments.
  3. If the annual professional activities of an individual faculty member and/or collective faculty within a school/department are inconsistent with this policy, the appropriate designee (e.g College Dean, Divisional Dean, Department Chair, Program Director) will reexamine the professional expectations and bring them into conformity with this policy.

5. General Distribution

The College of Health Sciences includes academic programs with scheduled curriculum occurring within a 12 month academic calendar (fall, spring, summer), and a 9 month academic calendar (fall, spring). As a result, faculty may have varying employment contract length (e.g., 9 month contract, 12 month contract, etc.). Workloads are delineated by assigned workload units (see Section 3, workload unit definition). 

6. Distribution Requirements and Variance: Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty

Baseline expectations for all full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty include teaching, scholarship, and service. The standard 9 month teaching assignment is three 3-credit courses per semester (3-3 load) which is generally equivalent to 60% of the total workload. The remaining workload is allocated to scholarship (20%) and service (20%). Faculty are expected to maintain comparable effort among all responsibilities assigned. Workload distribution aligns with faculty workload guidelines as outlined in University Policy 4560.

6.1 Variance

a. Any variance from baseline distribution requirements must be approved by the appropriate school/department designee (e.g Divisional Dean, Department Chair, Program Director). The variance in workload distribution must achieve a reasonable balance between scholarly and service interests of the individual faculty member coupled with their responsibility to assist in the delivery of an academic program of high quality. Program needs, individual expertise, and faculty preference should be considered in determining workload allocation.

b. In accordance with University Policy 4560, general workload distribution and workload variance must be uniformly applied to all tenured/tenure track faculty in achieving a balance of scholarship, service, and the delivery of a high quality academic program.

c. Workload distribution is negotiated between the faculty member and school/department designee. The aforementioned designee has assigned authority in the final determination of workload distribution. A written document outlining annual workload distribution is to be jointly created and included in the faculty member annual evaluation. This document may be subject to review by the Dean of College of Health Sciences and must include:

  1. The percent of total workload assigned to teaching, scholarship, and service.
  2. An explanation for any teaching assignment that is lower or higher than the standard 60% allocation.
  3. The course designation and course load value assigned for each course taught, if available. If specific course assignments for the following year have not been made, this information should be submitted to the designee when it is available.
  4. An indication if the course is team-taught with another member of the faculty.

d. Each school/department must have a defined mechanism for implementing workload modifications during the academic year should needs arise.

6.2 Workload Value of Teaching, Graduate Culminating Activities, and Service Activities

6.2.1 Teaching

The course load for a full-time tenured, tenure-track faculty member may vary each semester based on scholarly activity, service, and other needs of the school/department. The appropriate designee must approve the annual distribution of course loads for faculty who deviate from the standard teaching responsibility. The percentage of workload assigned to teaching, scholarship, and service must sum to 100%.

Guidelines for assigning course load value to specific courses are outlined in University Policy 4560. The course load value for courses outside of the standard 3-credit lecture course (e.g., laboratory, clinical courses, etc.) is determined by each school/department with the stipulation that specialized accrediting bodies may place limits on such courses. Those limits must be respected by school/department policies and delineated in said policies.

6.2.2 Graduate Culminating Activities

Per University Policy 4560, effort expended on graduate culminating activities (e.g., thesis, project, dissertation) is included as part of the annual teaching assignment, but only to the extent the culminating activities are represented by registered academic credits. The assigned course load value assigned to such activity should be outlined in each school/department policy.

6.2.3 Service

Service, as defined in University Policy 4000, should balance the interests of faculty members with their responsibility to deliver an academic program of high quality.

School/Departmental administrative service assignments (e.g., chair, director, coordinator) are designated as administrative service. The reduction of standard teaching assignments based on administrative service assignments is determined by each school/department and subject to constraints imposed by this policy.

6.3 Workload Assignment in the Case of a Salary Buyout

As described in University Policies 4560, 4440, and 7590, a faculty member can be paid by a sponsored project during an academic year under an arrangement known as “salary buyout.” This buyout will, in general, be a percentage of the faculty member’s salary, but can be negotiated by the appropriate school/department designee in maintaining the integrity of the department. In cases where faculty members charge salary to sponsored projects, their workload distribution must be consistent with their actual effort and the terms of said sponsored projects. The workload distribution may include a redistribution of activity based on the terms of the sponsored project, and it may not be possible to meet the distribution requirements amongst teaching, scholarship, and service stated in Section 6.

The above referenced sponsored projects and corresponding workload allocation is to be negotiated between the faculty member and the faculty member’s direct supervisor, stated in writing, and filed with the Dean of College of Health Sciences. 

7. Distribution Requirements and Variance: Clinical and Teaching Faculty

Baseline expectations for all full-time clinical and teaching faculty include teaching and service. The standard 9 month teaching assignment is four 3-credit courses per semester (4-4 load) which is generally equivalent to 80% of the total workload. The remaining workload is allocated to service (20%), though some allocation may be designated for scholarship (which includes professional development) per school/department discretion. Faculty are expected to maintain comparable effort among all responsibilities assigned.

7.1. Variance

a. Any variance from baseline distribution requirements must be approved by the appropriate school/department designee (e.g., Divisional Dean, Department Chair, Program Director). The variance in workload distribution must achieve a reasonable balance in the culmination of delivery of an academic program of high quality. Program needs, individual expertise, and faculty preference should be considered in determining workload allocation.

b. General workload distribution and variance must be uniformly applied to all clinical and teaching faculty in achieving a balance of service/professional development and the delivery of a high quality academic program.

c. Workload distribution is negotiated between the faculty member and school/department designee. The aforementioned designee has assigned authority in the final determination of workload distribution. A written document outlining annual workload distribution is to be jointly created and included in the faculty member annual evaluation. This document may be subject to review by the Dean of College of Health Sciences and must include:

  1. The percent of total workload assigned to teaching and service (and scholarship, if allocated).
  2. An explanation for any teaching assignment that is lower or higher than the standard 80% allocation. 
  3. The course designation and course load value assigned for each course taught, if available. If specific course assignments for the following year have not been made, this information should be submitted to the designee when it is available.
  4. An indication if the course is team-taught with another member of the faculty.

d. Each school/department must have a defined mechanism for implementing workload modifications during the academic year should needs arise. 

    7.2 Workload Value of Teaching, Service, and Scholarship

    7.2.1 Teaching

    The course load for a full-time clinical or teaching faculty member may vary each semester based on service responsibilities and other needs of the school/department. The appropriate designee must approve the annual distribution of course loads for faculty who deviate from the standard teaching responsibility. The percentage of workload assigned to teaching, service, and scholarship (if applicable) must sum to 100%.

    Guidelines for assigning workload to teaching activity are outlined in University Policy 4560. The course load value for courses outside of the standard 3-credit lecture course (e.g., laboratory, clinical courses, etc.) is determined by each school/department with the stipulation that specialized accrediting bodies may place limits on such courses. Those limits must be respected by school/department policies and delineated in said policies.

    7.2.2 Service

    Service, as defined in University Policy 4000, should balance the interests of faculty members with their responsibility to deliver an academic program of high quality.

    School/Departmental administrative service assignments (e.g., chair, director, coordinator) are designated as administrative service. The reduction of standard teaching assignments based on administrative service assignments is determined by each school/department and subject to constraints imposed by this policy.

    7.2.3 Scholarship

    Per University Policy 7000, clinical and teaching faculty members may participate in scholarly activities as time and expertise warrant, but they are not required to participate in scholarship activities as part of their regular assignment. Scholarship, which includes professional development, if allocated, must take into account the sum weight of teaching and service values as they relate to optimal academic program delivery and operational success.

    8. Exceptions

    1. This policy does not apply to research faculty. Per University Policy 5010, specific workload allocation is to be negotiated within the initial employment procedure.
    2. This policy does not apply to faculty members on sabbatical leave (see University Policy 4400), military leave (see University Policy 7230), family medical leave (see University Policy 7230), sick leave (see University Policy 7260), or workload release due to birth/adoption of child (see University Policy 4700).

    Frequently Asked Questions

    FAQ – COHS Workload Policy