(approved by faculty on 1 May 2007)
Introduction
This handbook provides a set of guidelines regarding suggested policies and practices for Biological Sciences faculty, assistant professor to professor. The handbook is intended to aid new faculty and to establish consistency and accountability among all departmental faculty. Although the handbook is not a legal document, faculty members who are considering major deviations from any of the suggested policies and practices described herein are advised to discuss their plans with the department chair and departmental colleagues.
1.Teaching Load
A full teaching load for one semester is generally considered to be either 12 credit hours or 15 contact hours with a maximum of four preparations. Fifty minutes of lecture meeting time count as one credit-hour and one contact-hour; however, the state of Tennessee defines two contact hours of laboratory meeting time as only one credit-hour. A teaching load is one full time equivalent (FTE) and can be lectures, laboratories, or any combination of lecture and laboratories not to exceed 1.05 or be less than 0.95 FTE. For example, one FTE is four lecture classes x 3 credit hours or 12/12 = 1.0 FTE. Three lecture classes at 3 credit hours each (9/12= 0.75) + 2 labs at 2 contact hours each (4 /15= 0.266) would be 0.75 + 0.266 or 1.02 FTE.
Each lecture course and each type of laboratory that an individual teaches count as separate preparations. For example, a person teaching four sections of Biology 120 lecture has one preparation; a person teaching two sections of Biology 110 lecture, one section of Biology 120 lecture, one Biology 110 lab, and Biology 411 has four preparations.
Occasionally, individuals may have overloads (i.e., more than 15 contact hours, or more than 12 credit hours). Overload pay may be available. The term “banking” refers to the practice of carrying over those hours taught as overload and counting them as part of the load for a subsequent term. The Biology Department does not participate in banking.
2. Laboratory Coordinators
Courses with numerous laboratory sections typically have a laboratory coordinator. Each laboratory coordinator receives 2-4 contact hours of release time from course duties to compensate for the amount of time needed to coordinate the laboratory instructors. Coordinator duties typically include ordering supplies, supervising lab prep assistants, guiding lab instructors in effective lab instruction, holding meetings with lab personnel, and ensuring that labs are set-up, including make-ups and exams, where appropriate.
3. Teaching Duties
Most faculty members are recruited for their expertise in specific areas and will, consequently, be assigned to relevant courses. Involvement in specific courses may change due to factors such as enrollment variations and employment of new faculty with related areas of expertise. All faculty members are expected to teach in the introductory biology courses as needed and as permitted by the demands of the courses in their area of expertise. Most faculty members will have the opportunity to teach at least one course in their area of expertise at least every other year. The addition of new courses is a complex issue. In general, an existing course must be deleted in order to introduce a new one and the faculty must support the deletion and addition. Courses designated as field courses should incorporate field experiences.
4. Classroom Responsibilities
Faculty are expected to attend meet their classes. In case of an anticipated absence of short duration, faculty should plan to use exams, assignments (including web-based assignments), or guest lecturers while away from their class. Emergencies should be reported to the Chair, who will respond appropriately. Each faculty member should establish and clearly communicate in the course syllabus policies regarding food, drink, and conduct in lecture class. The syllabus should also explain the type of exams given and the grading scale for the course. In general, we use a 90-80-70-60% A-D grading scale. We discourage awarding points for non-academic efforts. We do not give extra credit assignments. Teachers who detect academic dishonesty (on any quiz, test, or assignment) usually assign the grade of F for the course. Students who have their grade reduced because of academic dishonesty should be told that they have specific rights (e.g., the right of appeal) as described in the UTM Student Handbook. Instructor policy on academic dishonesty should be clearly explained early in the semester and also included in the course syllabus. Many teachers explain their academic dishonesty policy on the first day of class and again at the time of the first major exam. In general, a final exam will be given to all students in all lecture courses, as scheduled by the university. Final exams in introductory courses are comprehensive but may not be comprehensive in other courses.
5. Class Size
Maximum class size varies depending on the course requirements. The Department prefers to set class sizes in such a way as to maximize the amount of individualized attention for each student given the constraint of the maximum number of faculty in the department. For lower division classes the maximum number of students will generally be about 7248, although factors such as the size of available rooms may reduce this number. Upper division courses with no laboratory generally have a maximum number of 50 students unless the course has been designated as a writing intensive course, in which case the maximum number will be limited to 30. Courses currently designated as writing intensive are Biology 331 (General Ecology) and Biology 391 (Organic Evolution). Upper division courses with a laboratory will be limited to 48. The lecture instructor in courses numbered 200 or above will usually teach one or more of the associated labs. Seminar enrollment is usually limited to 10. Special circumstances may influence enrollment limits; for example, courses with numerous field trips may restrict enrollment to the carrying capacity of the university vans used for transportation. Minimum class size will be determined by the chair.
6. Advising
All tenure-track faculty advise Biology majors and/or Pre-Health students. Faculty usually begin advising during their second year in the Department. First-year faculty are encouraged to seek mentoring by colleagues experienced in the advising process. Although the number of advisees fluctuates, the current average number of advisees per faculty member is approximately 40. Faculty advising students in the Pre-Heath fields are expected to participate in the pre-professional interviews.
7. Office Hours
Each faculty member is expected to be available to students and advisees a minimum of five hours per week outside class either during set office hours or by appointment. Contact information such as phone number, e-mail address, etc. should be made accessible to students through the syllabus, web site, and/or by posting the information on the office door.
8. Committees
Committee duties usually begin the academic year after a faculty member was hired. Faculty are expected to serve on departmental, college, and university committees. Committee appointments are designated by the chair and made either by appointment or on a volunteer basis. Membership on the Faculty Senate is limited to tenured faculty of minimum rank of Associate Professor.
9. Medical and Family Leave
Departmental and University policy abides by federal law, which guarantees that faculty can not be terminated for the reason of taking legitimate medical or family leave, but makes no requirement on salary or benefits during the period of leave. For further information, see <http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/>. In the past, the administration has provided funds to hire instructors to help cover courses for the person on leave.
Freshman Course Coordinators
Each introductory biology laboratory has a faculty laboratory coordinator. Each laboratory coordinator receives four contact hour release time from course duties to compensate h/h for the amount of time needed to coordinate the laboratory instructors.
10. Summer School
Faculty members may have equal the opportunity, but are not required, to teach in summer school. Opportunity depends primarily on enrollment demand and summer school budget. Summer school offerings and faculty participation are usually discussed at a department faculty meeting early in Spring Semester. Faculty who teach a summer class are expected to participate in the Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) programs in the summer and attend summer graduation. Faculty who teach in summer school receive payment in addition to their regular salary. Summer school pay is calculated using the following formula: (regular salary x credit hours produced x .03125). (This formula is from the UTM Faculty Handbook 2.12.2.)
11. Seminar Courses
All faculty should have the opportunity to instruct in seminar courses. Faculty wishing to participate should inform the Chair. Generally students make one or more oral presentations during the semester. Most faculty select a theme for the seminar.
12. Graduation Exercises
All UTM faculty are expected to attend either the Fall Semester or the Spring Semester graduation ceremony each year. In addition, faculty teaching during the summer are expected to attend the Summer Semester graduation ceremony. The Department has a limited amount of regalia for faculty use, but faculty usually provide their own regalia..
13. Freshman Studies Course
A large percentage (but not 100%) of the UTM freshmen participate in an orientation course during the first semester of their freshman year. The course involves learning about the UTM catalog, time management, study skills, campus life, etc. It begins the week prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester and concludes just after Thanksgiving. Students receive 2 hours of credit and the instructor receives additional pay. Instructors are recruited for this course by the Chair or other administrative official.
14. Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR)
The Admissions Office annually holds four SOAR sessions prior to Fall Semester. The first is in April, two are in June, and one is in late July. During these sessions most incoming freshmen register for classes. Biology faculty assist in the advising and registration of these students. Faculty who teach summer school are required to assist in the SOAR session(s) occurring at that time. Faculty who are not available to work the June and July SOAR sessions usually help with the April SOAR. Faculty are encouraged to voluntarily help with the SOAR sessions.
15. New Courses
The addition of new courses is a complex issue, because it affects teaching loads, staffing, room use schedules, equipment needs, and budgets. However, these constraints should not prevent faculty from proposing new courses. Faculty who are interested in developing new courses should discuss their ideas with the Chairman.
16. Sharing of Laboratory Equipment
Laboratory equipment purchased using departmental funds is to be shared among faculty. Instructors in the lab in which the equipment normally resides should be informed when someone wishes to borrow the equipment.
17. Banner
Banner is a software program to manage student and faculty information. Banner is accessed on-line and is password-protected. Training sessions in the use of Banner are offered periodically.
18. Blackboard
Blackboard is a software program used for communication between faculty and students enrolled in their classes. Training sessions in the use of Blackboard are offered periodically by the Instructional Technology Center.
19. Office Computers
An office computer and printer are provided for each faculty member. Computers are replaced every three years. A newly hired faculty member will not necessarily be given a new computer initially. Computers are networked to the Department photocopier. The Dept. of Computer Services Help Desk assists the faculty with their office and classroom computers.
20. Support Staff
The Department has three full-time support staff members. Susan Lemond is a Program Resource Specialist, Linda Little is the Principle Secretary, and Donnie Turner is a Research Technician. Susan orders supplies and equipment, deals with all aspects of the department budget, handles travel requests and re-imbursements, and works on class schedules and other department matters. If you need advice about test preparation, textbook orders, etc. or if you have a question and do not know who to ask, see Linda. Donnie maintains chemical and equipment inventories, does minor repairs on equipment, takes care of the greenhouse, purchases supplies that are locally available, and helps supervise student workers, along with numerous other duties. The department typically has several student employees who assist in the department office and in lab preps and cleanup. Most faculty prepare and duplicate their own exams; the support staff may occasionally be able to assist in exam preparation. Support staff do not assist in grading of exams. Student workers should not be asked to either help prepare or to grade exams.
21. On-line Courses
The Department currently offers two on-line courses, Biology 300 (Medical and Scientific Vocabulary) and Biology 336 (Introductory Genetics). Students who take these courses must pay fees that are currently about $200/credit hour. Students who take on-line courses and on-campus courses during the same term must pay the on-line fees in addition to the fees associated with registration for their on-campus classes. The department requires that on-line courses cover the same topics and have academic standards equivalent to the on-campus courses. The department does not support the offering of lab-based courses as on-line courses. Faculty wishing to develop on-line courses should talk with the Director of On-line University Studies.
22. Professional Travel and Dues
The department encourages professional travel (e.g., travel to and participation in professional meetings, conferences, symposia, etc.) and generally has some (but rather limited) money available to support this type of travel. The Dean and the Provost occasionally help provide funding to support travel in exceptional situations. The University encourages faculty to become members of professional organizations appropriate to their discipline, but the University does not pay professional dues for faculty.
23. Graduate Faculty
UTM offers graduate degrees in Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences, Business, and Education. Some Biology courses can be taken for graduate credit. These courses are assigned two numbers. For example, Plant Ecology is listed at Botany 431 for undergraduates and as Botany 631 for graduate students. Faculty who teach graduate courses are required to be members of the Graduate Faculty. Requirements for admission to the Graduate Faculty are in the University’s Faculty Handbook at 2.5.3.
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