Staff teaching requirements
At the University, student academic success courses focused on developing students’ learning skills and habits may be taught by qualified staff, unlike disciplinary or within-field courses which remain the responsibility of faculty. This webpage outlines the distinctions and conditions under which staff may teach.
Instruction of student academic success courses
While faculty bear responsibility for teaching University courses, one exception is for the instruction of student academic success courses, for which staff have long served as instructors of record.
Student academic success courses
The purpose of student academic success courses is to engage students in their own learning, thereby advancing their understandings of themselves as learners and supporting their development of the knowledge, skills, abilities and habits of mind that promote persistence and achievement.
Student academic success courses are distinct from disciplinary and other within-field courses, which remain the responsibility of faculty and are out of scope for this policy.
Staff as instructors of record
Staff may serve as instructors of record for student academic success courses under the following terms and conditions:
- The course is approved as a student academic success course, as per the above definition, by the dean/chancellor the offering college/school/campus/unit.
- The employee is considered staff under APS 40.1.
- The employee is qualified to teach the student academic success course, as per the determination of the dean/chancellor of the offering college/school/campus/unit.
- The employee may have, but is not required to have, a faculty title.
- The employee understands that a faculty title is not conferred by virtue of their instruction of a student academic success course.
- The employee’s supervisor ensures that review of the employee’s teaching is included in routine performance evaluations.
- The employee’s position description appropriately reflects teaching duties if it is a regular responsibility, or the employee receives formal communication if it is not a regular responsibility, as outlined below.
Position description requirements
If teaching is a regular responsibility:
If teaching is a regular responsibility, the employee’s position description must contain the following:
“Serve as instructor of record for academic success courses such as [insert name(s) of course(s) here] between [#] and [#] times per academic year. This course(s) promotes academic success by facilitating students’ engagement in their own learning. Specifically, the purpose of this course(s) is to ensure that students are better able to [insert 1-3 learning outcomes]. Teaching this course is a part of this position’s regular duties, does not authorize additional compensation, does not require nor confer a faculty title, and is subject to UWHR policies (e.g., student complaint resolution).”
If teaching is not a regular responsibility and is being absorbed into duties:
If teaching is not a regular responsibility noted in the employee’s position description and is being absorbed into the employee’s duties such that additional compensation is not warranted, the following is included in a formal communication to the employee by their supervisor:
“Serve as instructor of record for academic success courses such as [insert name(s) of course(s) here] between [#] and [#] times per academic year. This course(s) promotes academic success by facilitating students’ engagement in their own learning. Specifically, the purpose of this course(s) is to ensure that students are better able to [insert 1-3 learning outcomes]. Teaching this course is undertaken on an ad hoc basis, does not authorize additional compensation, does not require nor confer a faculty title, and is subject to UWHR policies (e.g., student complaint resolution).”
Instances such as these should be infrequent and are subject to the approval of the dean of the college/school/unit which maintains responsibility for the student success course in question.
If teaching is not a regular responsibility and is undertaken ad hoc:
If teaching is not a regular responsibility noted in the employee’s position description and is undertaken on an ad hoc and above and beyond manner, the following is formally communicated to the employee and is included in a request for additional compensation:
“Serve as instructor of record for [insert name of course here]. This course promotes academic success by facilitating students’ engagement in their own learning. Specifically, the purpose of this course is to ensure that students are better able to [insert 1-3 learning outcomes]. Teaching this course is above and beyond the responsibilities explicated in [insert name of staff person]’s job description. Teaching this course does not confer a faculty title and is subject to UWHR policies (e.g., student complaint resolution).”
Instances such as these should be infrequent and are subject to the approval of the dean/chancellor of the college/school/campus/unit which maintains responsibility for the student success course in question.
Resources
Student grievances are managed using standard UWHR complaint resolution policies; due process and other provisions of the Faculty Code to not apply to staff.
Instruction of disciplinary and other within-field courses
Disciplinary and other within-field courses are distinct from student academic success courses and remain the responsibility of faculty.
The Non-Faculty Teaching Allowance (NTA) is a type of temporary pay supplement that is used to compensate staff who have agreed and been approved to teach a credit-bearing disciplinary or other within-field course, but whose primary UW position is something other than faculty. Additional compensation is limited to one course per academic year. See Additional Compensation – Academic Personnel for applicability and processing.