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KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF REGENTS

DATE: June 11, 2026

SUBJECT: Full-Time Equivalence Faculty Load

FROM: Academic & Student Affairs

ACTION ITEM: Yes

University Policy on Faculty Workload Allocation Using Student Credit Hours

Policy Number: [To be assigned]

Effective Date: [Insert Date]

Responsible Office: Office of the Provost and Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs Applies To: All full-time instructional faculty

Background:

Kentucky State University offers comprehensive residential and fully online academic programs. The growth in the demand has increased faculty needs and will continue to grow as enrollment, and new program development continues to expand. The current definition of full-time equivalence is not responsive to the University’s growth in an expanded online and residential program portfolio. Thus, changes in existing policies and definitions are warranted.

Policy Statement:

The University establishes this policy to define faculty workload expectations using Student Credit Hour (SCH) production as the primary quantitative measure of instructional activity. This policy ensures compliance with SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, including standards related to:

  • Faculty qualifications and sufficiency (6.2a, 6.2c)
  • Faculty evaluation and workload (6.3)
  • Institutional effectiveness (7.1)
  • Academic responsibility and oversight (6.1)

Purpose:

This policy is designed to:

  1. Ensure sufficient and qualified faculty resources to support all academic programs (SACSCOC 6.2c)
  2. Provide a systematic and documented approach to faculty workload (SACSCOC 6.3)
  3. Demonstrate institutional effectiveness through measurable instructional productivity (SACSCOC 7.1)
  4. Maintain appropriate balance among teaching, research, and service responsibilities

Scope:

This policy applies to:

Tenured faculty

  • Tenure-track faculty
  • Full-time non-tenure-track instructional faculty

All academic units must implement this policy in a manner consistent with SACSCOC requirements for faculty sufficiency, oversight, and credential alignment.

Definitions:

Student Credit Hour (SCH)

A unit of instructional production representing one student enrolled in one credit hour.

Faculty Workload Unit (FWU)

A comprehensive measure incorporating SCH production, research activity, and service responsibilities (including program assessment, accreditation and faculty performance evaluation requirements).

Policy Provisions:

Faculty Sufficiency and Assignment (SACSCOC 6.2c)

The University shall ensure that:

  • Faculty workloads support adequate coverage of all programs and courses
  • SCH assignments reflect sufficient instructional staffing
  • Faculty are not assigned workloads that compromise instructional quality or student learning

Standard Workload Distribution (SACSCOC 6.3)

Faculty workloads shall include:

  • Teaching: 60%
  • Research/Scholarship: 20%
  • Service: 20%
  • Workload expectations must be:
  • Clearly defined
  • Consistently applied
  • Subject to regular evaluation

Teaching Workload (SCH Framework)

Annual SCH Expectations

Faculty TypePer Term SCH Range
Research-intensive180–270 SCH
Balanced270–360 SCH
Teaching-focused360–540 SCH

These ranges ensure:

β€’ Adequate course coverage (SACSCOC 6.2c)

Alignment with institutional mission

Internal Teaching Overload SCH Pay Scale (not to exceed 90 SCH)

SCHPay amount (submit to available budget)
36-90 SCH$2700
30-35 SCH$2160
24-29 SCH$1620
18-23 SCH$1080
15-17 SCH$540
  • Provost approval prior to faculty assignment to course REQUIRED, supervisor disciplinary infraction if disregarded
  • Independent study courses with less than 15 SCH are not eligible for additional compensation

SCH Calculation SCH = Course Credit Hours Γ— Student Enrollment

SCH data shall be used as evidence of instructional productivity in institutional effectiveness reporting (SACSCOC 7.1).

Instructional Oversight (SACSCOC 6.1)

All courses contributing to SCH must:

  • Be approved through the institution's curriculum process
  • Be taught by faculty meeting credentialing requirements (SACSCOC 6.2a)
  • Be subject to academic oversight by qualified faculty

Research and Scholarly Activity

Research Expectations

Faculty research and scholarship must:

  • Align with institutional mission
  • Be appropriate to appointment type
  • Be documented for evaluation purposes

SCH Adjustments for Research (SACSCOC 6.3)

Documented research productivity may reduce teaching load:

ActivitySCH Reduction
External funded research (PI)60–120 SCH
Scholarly publications10–90 SCH
Creative worksCase-based

Service Contributions

Service is required to support institutional governance and accreditation.

Service Credit

RoleSCH Reduction
Department Chair120–180 SCH
Unit level accreditation leadership30–60 SCH
University level committee leadership30–60 SCH
Service assignments shall demonstrate faculty participation in institutional responsibility and governance (SACSCOC 6.1).
Annual Workload Agreements (SACSCOC 6.3)
Each faculty member shall have a documented annual workload plan that includes:
β€’ SCH teaching targets
β€’ Research expectations
β€’ Service commitments
These plans must:
β€’ Be approved by the department chair and dean
β€’ Be retained as institutional documentation
β€’ Be used in faculty evaluation processes
Evaluation and Institutional Effectiveness (SACSCOC 7.1)
The University shall evaluate faculty workload through:
β€’ SCH production data
β€’ Student outcomes and course evaluations
β€’ Research and service documentation
Data shall be used to:
β€’ Assess effectiveness of academic programs
β€’ Inform planning and resource allocation
β€’ Demonstrate continuous improvement
Documentation and Recordkeeping
The University shall maintain:
β€’ Faculty workload agreements
β€’ SCH production reports
β€’ Faculty qualification records
β€’ Evaluation outcomes
Equity and Compliance
The University shall:
β€’ Ensure equitable workload distribution across faculty
β€’ Monitor for disparities
β€’ Ensure compliance with SACSCOC standards and federal requirements
Exceptions
Exceptions must:
β€’ Be justified based on academic or strategic needs
β€’ Be documented and approved
β€’ Not compromise compliance with faculty sufficiency or quality standards

Requires Provost approval prior to implementation of an exception

Policy Review

This policy shall be reviewed every three (3) to five (5) years to ensure continued alignment with:

  • SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation
  • Institutional mission and goals

RECOMMENDATION:

President Koffi C. Akakpo recommends that the Board of Regents approve the proposed full-time equivalency for faculty using the student credit hour calculation.

MOTION:

To approve the recommendation as stated.

Approval

Approved by:

[Provost Name]

Office of the Provost

Date: [Insert Date]

Appendix A: SACSCOC Alignment Summary

Policy ElementSACSCOC Standard
Faculty sufficiency (SCH targets)6.2c
Faculty qualifications oversight6.2a
Workload definition and evaluation6.3
Faculty responsibility for curriculum6.1
Use of SCH data in assessment7.1

Appendix B: Compliance Notes

This policy provides evidence for SACSCOC reviewers that:

  • Faculty workloads are documented and consistently applied
  • Instructional capacity is sufficient and measurable
  • The institution uses data-driven decision-making
  • Faculty maintain primary responsibility for academic quality