School of Music Faculty Teaching Load Policy

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DOCUMENT TYPE:

Policy

PURPOSE:

To align the School of Music Policy with the University Policy on work allocation for faculty members.

APPLIES TO:

All School of Music Faculty.

CAMPUS:

Lawrence

POLICY STATEMENT:

Overview

Because teaching is the core academic mission of the School of Music, it is essential that teaching loads be calculated with careful consideration. This policy establishes a clear, equitable, and consistent framework for assigning teaching responsibilities within the School. It recognizes the diverse and specialized nature of music instruction—including classroom, ensemble, studio, clinical, and other types of instruction.

This policy applies to all instructional faculty in the School of Music. It uses as a baseline the 40% teaching allocation that is typical for tenured and tenure-track faculty in the School.

Load calculations are expressed in load units, which accommodate various modes of classroom, ensemble, studio, and clinical instruction. Under this policy, the 40% baseline corresponds to 15 load units per semester, or 30 per academic year (Fall and Spring). Load units for other FTE allocations are calculated using a sliding scale, provided below. Certain types of teaching (including classroom, ensemble, studio, and clinical instruction) are included in load calculations due to standard scheduling practices and have formulas to determine load units per course.

Other types of teaching are excluded from load calculations but are recognized as requiring significant faculty effort. The School recognizes that the actual contact hours for calculated teaching loads are less than a direct proportion of a 40-hour workweek—for example, a 40% load equates to 15 load units, which corresponds to fewer than 16 contact hours.

Modes of Instruction

Teaching loads in the School of Music are calculated based on four distinct modes of instruction, each of which represents a diverse range of courses with certain key characteristics. It is standard for faculty members to teach in more than one mode and, in some cases, to teach courses offered by more than one Area and/or Department. These modes are:

1. Classroom instruction: Courses with organized meeting times during which the instructor delivers the course to a significant group of students (designated as LAB, LBN, LEC, and SEM courses).
2. Ensemble instruction: Large and small performing ensembles (designated as ACT courses).
3. Studio instruction: Weekly one-on-one lessons, group lessons, and studio classes (which may be designated as LAB, LBN, or STU courses).
4. Clinical and Internship instruction: Supervision of clinical practicum, practicum in college teaching, student teaching, and internships (designated as INT and PRA courses).

In addition, School of Music faculty frequently offer a variety of one-on-one or low enrollment course instruction without organized meeting times. These are typically designated as FLD, IND, RSH, or THE courses.

Calculation of Expected Teaching Loads

The calculation of expected teaching loads is based on instructional load units during the Fall and Spring semesters. These units correlate to the allocation of teaching effort as follows:

Instructional load units are calculated as follows:

1. Classroom instruction
   1. In-person: 2 times the instructional contact hours per week.
   2. Online: 2 times the credit hours per course.
   3. Co-taught: 1 times the instructional contact hours per week.
2. Ensemble instruction
   1. Large ensemble: 2 times the instructional contact hours per week.
   2. Small ensemble: 1 unit per semester.
3. Studio instruction
   1. Individual lesson: 1 unit per semester.
   2. Group lessons: 1 times the instructional contact hours per week.
   3. Studio class: 1 unit per semester.
4. Clinical and Internship instruction:
   1. Clinic Coordinator: 6 units per semester
   2. Clinical supervision and Practicum in College Teaching: 6 units per semester (6+ students; if fewer than 6 students, then prorated)
   3. Internship Coordinator: 3 units per semester
   4. Internship supervision: 3 units per semester (6+ students; if fewer than 6 students, then prorated)

Oversight of Teaching Responsibilities

Department chairs, in consultation with Area Coordinators, are responsible for ensuring that courses in their department are adequately staffed to meet the needs of students and the School.

Area Coordinators and Department Chairs may consult the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for any questions and concerns regarding instructional loads of their faculty.

Ensuring Stewardship of Institutional Resources

Minimum enrollments in LAB, LBN, LEC, and SEM courses are 12 students in undergraduate courses and 6 in graduate courses (pro-rated for cross-listed courses). If a classroom course enrolls fewer than the 12/6 minimum, the Department Chair may assign the instructor additional teaching responsibilities to meet the needs of the School. Such decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the entirety of the instructor’s teaching load, and should be made in coordination with the instructor and relevant Area Coordinators.

Department Chairs should submit requests for paid teaching overloads to the Dean at least 6 weeks before the start of the relevant term. Such requests must include justification for why the paid overload is necessary and how it benefits the School.

CONTACT:

Dean, School of Music
Paul Popiel, Dean
785-864-3421
ppopiel@ku.edu

RESPONSIBLE UNIT: 

School of Music

APPROVED BY:

Dean, School of Music

APPROVED ON:

2013-11-18

EFFECTIVE ON:

2013-11-18

REVIEW CYCLE:

Annual (As Needed)

CHANGE HISTORY:

06/01/2026: Substantively reviewed and revised to reflect current practice.
10/08/2025: Updated formatting. 
04/02/2025: Migration to TeamDynamix from Drupal.
10/25/2021: Converted from PDF to live text page.
04/13/2015: Published to KU Policy Library.

TITLE: 

School of Music Faculty Teaching Load Policy