Policy 2.15 - Adjunct Teaching Load
Date: October 18, 2021, Resolution #21-117
Supersedes:
NA
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidance on Adjunct Teaching Faculty workload, quantify weekly hours worked based on credit hour teaching load and approval steps taken to exceed part-time teaching status.
Policy
It is important to quantify the academic teaching load in order to determine weekly hours worked for a variety of purposes. A central reason to quantify this is to determine a standard for determining if an adjunct teaching load is considered part-time or full-time based on number of credit hours taught. The full- and part-time designation is also important for compliance purposes within the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA).
In 2014, the College adopted “Resolution #14-156 Concerning the Hours of Work for Adjunct Faculty for Eligibility for Health Care Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act.” This resolution affirmed the amount of time adjunct faculty teach in the classroom and work outside the classroom to prepare lectures and grade papers. These adopted standards are consistent with IRS guidance that each hour of adjunct faculty classroom time should equal 2.25 hours of work.
A chart showing Adjunct Teaching Hour Equivalency is as follows:
| Credit Hours Per Semester | Hours Worked Per Week | 16 Weeks Total Hours Worked |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.25 | 36 |
| 2 | 4.50 | 72 |
| 3 | 6.75 | 108 |
| 4 | 9.00 | 144 |
| 5 | 11.25 | 180 |
| 6 | 13.50 | 216 |
| 7 | 15.75 | 252 |
| 8 | 18.00 | 288 |
| 9 | 20.25 | 324 |
| 10 | 22.50 | 360 |
| 11 | 24.75 | 396 |
| 12 | 27.00 | 432 |
These ratios are for classroom contact hours only and do not apply to music lessons, tutoring or other work performed by adjunct faculty.
Procedures
Based on the information above and to ensure compliance with the U.S. Affordable Care Act, all approved adjunct faculty teaching loads must be cognizant of time associated with classroom teaching per the chart above.
To ensure compliance with the ACA adjunct faculty classroom teaching loads of 12 or more credits per semester will be considered full-time employment. Full-time employment requires the college to offer medical fringe benefits that are available to full-time employees.
Prior to the College committing to an adjunct teaching load greater than 11 credits per semester to any individual adjunct faculty member, a request must be made by the Dean to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) justifying why the course load exceeds 11 credits. If the VPAA approves the request, the VPAA will submit a written request to the College President with supporting documentation requesting approval to exceed teaching 11 credits. If approved by the President and only in rare circumstances, the VPAA will share that approval with both Human Resources and Payroll with all other relevant appointment documents. This approval must be received in Human Resources prior to the adjunct members teaching start date. Documentation to Payroll must be attached with the regular semester Adjunct Teaching load report.