UHCC Policy 9.237

9.237 - Teaching Equivalencies

UHCC Policy Chapter 9, Personnel
UHCC Policy 9.237, Teaching Equivalencies
Effective Date: February 2018
Prior Dates Amended: March 2013, April 2018 (recodified)
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges
Governing Board of Regents Policy: N/A
Review Date: February 2021

  1. Purpose:

    BOR Policy, Section 9-14, establishes the standard teaching assignment for full-time Community College instructional faculty as 27 semester credits per academic year or equivalent. This UHCCP defines the equivalencies for modes of instruction other than lecture and for non-instructional assignments. This UHCCP also establishes the criteria for the general duties and responsibilities of division/department chairs, provides the general criteria by which chairs are to be compensated, and provides the general criteria by which teaching equivalencies will be determined for chairs to perform their duties and responsibilities.

  2. Definitions:
    1. Teaching Equivalency is defined for each course based on the contact hours divided by the basis multiplied by 15 where the contact hours equals the faculty contact hours for the course. This calculation may result in a fractional teaching equivalency.
    2. Basis is defined as the assigned category of the course as follows:
      1. Lecture or lecture discussion is organized instruction where the faculty presents information and leads discussions. The basis for these courses equals 15.
      2. Lab or lecture/lab requires special purpose equipment for student participation, experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. Labs or lecture/labs may involve discussion of a forthcoming lab or review of a completed lab session. The basis for these courses equals 18. The instructional equivalency is the same whether or not a related lecture/lab course is taught as a combine class or as a separate lecture and laboratory course.
      3. Studio is an organized method of instruction with emphasis on the synthesizing nature of the design process and conducted through critique and one-to-one interactions. The basis for these courses equals 21.
      4. Shop is a method of instruction where faculty provide supervised instruction to students engaged in applying hands-on experience of skills in areas such as the trades and culinary arts. The basis for these courses equals 24.
      5. Practicum and clinical instruction is a method of instruction where students are performing skills in work settings. The faculty member’s contact hours are determined by the number of hours the faculty member supervises the students in the clinical setting or supervises the clinical instructor. The basis for these courses is 24.
      6. Cooperative education and internship courses are supervised experiences in an area of specialization and may be conducted on or off campus with the student making periodic reports to the instructor. The basis for these courses is five students equals one teaching equivalency.
      7. Individual music education is one-on-one instruction in a musical instrument or voice. The basis for these courses is five students equals one teaching equivalency.
      8. Directed reading and independent study courses have no teaching equivalency. However, faculty who are responsible for such courses may include these responsibilities in assessment documents as service to their department.
      9. Any other course not covered in the above definition shall have individually assigned teaching equivalencies.
    3. The current teaching equivalencies for each course taught by the Community Colleges may be found at the Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges website.
  3. Executive Policy:
    1. Responsibilities
      1. Vice President for Community Colleges (VPCC) shall have the responsibility to:
        1. Define the equivalencies for modes of instruction other than lecture and for non-instructional assignments.
        2. Establish the criteria for the general duties and responsibilities of division/department chairs.
        3. Provide the general criteria by which chairs are to be compensated.
        4. Provide the general criteria by which teaching equivalencies will be determined for chairs to perform their duties and responsibilities.
        5. Generate and disseminate a report that displays and reports the non-instructional equivalencies.
        6. Maintain a record of the teaching equivalencies and non-instructional assignments for all faculty.
        7. Ensure consistency across campuses so that comparable courses have comparable teaching equivalencies.
        8. In recognition that changes in pedagogy, such as on-line courses, hybrid courses, open laboratories, field studies, and emporia approaches all reflect environments different from the traditional self-contained classroom, the VPCC will review teaching equivalencies on a regular basis to determine whether new equivalencies need to be established. Establishment of new equivalencies will be done in consultation with the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly.
      2. Chancellors shall have the responsibility to:
        1. Ensure that full-time 9-month community college instructional faculty are assigned 27 teaching equivalencies and 11-month community college instructional faculty are assigned 36 teaching equivalencies per academic year or equivalent as defined by this policy.
        2. Compensate faculty whose teaching load exceeds 27 (9-month) or 36 (11-month) teaching equivalencies or equivalent through overload payment or carrying forward the balance to the next academic year.
        3. Establish policies and procedures for the approval of non-instructional teaching equivalencies in accordance with this policy. At a minimum, the procedures must include documentation of all non-instructional assignments and the related teaching equivalency granted each year.
    2. Policy
      1. Faculty responsibility:
        1. The instructional responsibilities of faculty, as they relate to this policy, appear below, excerpted from the Community Colleges Faculty Classification Plan in the Tenure and Promotion Guidelines:
        2. “Instructional faculty members are primarily teachers. This primary focus entails the responsibility to develop an educational philosophy and methodology that will challenge and stimulate students; to require academic rigor and discipline; and to assist students to understand concepts, solve problems, and learn to think independently. At the same time, faculty members need to be responsive to students, be concerned with developing their potential, and be willing to serve as role models, academic advisors, mentors, and leaders. Faculty mst motivate students, work with a wide diversity of student abilities and needs, and develop within them the capacity to become life-long learners. In this manner, faculty members promote social responsibility while providing professional assessment of student learning. To carry out these responsibilities, faculty members must maintain currency and understanding in their fields, must continually search for the most effective means of teaching, and must contribute to the development of the curriculum and program improvement.”
      2. The duties and responsibilities of full-time faculty members consist of a combination of instructional and non-instructional activities designed to conform with established Board of Regents policy. The “mix” of these activities may vary from individual to individual.
        1. When the non-instructional assignments exceed that which is normally expected of an individual faculty member, the faculty member may be assigned a non-instructional equivalency based on the guidelines in Appendices 1-5. If special circumstances arise, the Chancellor may make modifications to the established range of semester hour equivalencies.
        2. The assignment of non-instructional equivalencies is intended to provide faculty who have assumed responsibilities beyond the normal expectation the time necessary to meet both their remaining teaching obligations, and the demands of their additional responsibility. Therefore, except for unusual circumstances, faculty who are assigned non-teaching equivalencies should not be assigned classes that result in an overload payment.
    3. Procedures
      1. In implementing the policy on teaching equivalencies, the following will occur:
        1. Faculty will be credited with the specific teaching equivalency for each course assigned.
        2. Faculty assigned non-instructional equivalencies shall be credited with equivalencies in accordance with the following:
          1. Department/Division Chair – Appendix 1
          2. Program Coordinators – Appendix 2
          3. Discipline Coordinators – Appendix 3
          4. Faculty Governance Leadership – Appendix 4
          5. Other Teaching Equivalencies – Appendix 5
        3. The total teaching load for the academic year shall be calculated by adding the instructional and non-instructional teaching equivalencies to total 27 teaching equivalencies, with a maximum of 18 teaching equivalencies in any one semester.
        4. If the faculty member’s teaching equivalencies, including non-instructional equivalencies, exceed 27 teaching equivalencies in a year, the college may either pay overload or carry forward a balance to the next academic year. The college may not carry forward a balance in excess of 3 teaching equivalencies without the faculty member’s concurrence. Overload payments shall be made after the Spring Semester assignments are finalized.
  4. Delegation of Authority:
  5. Contact Information:

    Subject Matter Experts

    Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges
    Phone: (808) 956-7038
    Email:

  6. References:
    1. University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents Policy, RP 9.214, Teaching Assignments for Instructional Faculty
    2. Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly and the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i
      1. Article IIIG, Conditions of Service, Teaching Assignments and Equivalencies, and
      2. Article XXIII, Appointment, Duties and Compensation for Academic Chairs
    3. UH Systemwide Administrative Procedure, A9.235, Administrative Stipends for Department Chairs, Special Program Directors and Chairs of Academic Subdivisions
  7. Exhibits and Appendices:
    1. Department/Division Chair – Appendix 1
    2. Program Coordinators – Appendix 2
    3. Discipline Coordinators – Appendix 3
    4. Faculty Governance Leadership – Appendix 4
    5. Other Teaching Equivalencies – Appendix 5