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Overload Policy

Teaching an overload is sometimes necessary due to unanticipated or extenuating circumstances that make it desirable to have a full-time faculty member assigned as instructor. 

Guidelines

  1. An overload is defined as the addition of a course during Fall or Spring semester that would result in more contact hours than a faculty member’s regular teaching load.
  2. Extenuating circumstances resulting in an overload may include a sudden resignation, illness, or death of a faculty member, the initiation of a new major or minor that necessitates offering courses not yet fully staffed, a part-time faculty member not fulfilling their assigned responsibility, or any other situation that necessitates offering courses not yet staffed.
  3. Before assigning an overload, School or Division Chairs and Deans must exhaust other options, such as:
    • Reassigning courses to other full-time faculty to ensure faculty member’s regular teaching loads are met; or
    • Cancelling low-enrolled or less essential courses.
  4. An overload shall be assigned only to a faculty member who has agreed to teach additional hours.
  5. All overloads must be assigned by the School or Division Chair.
  6. Should an overload be necessary, the School or Division Chair shall submit an overload request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs no later than two weeks prior to the start of classes, unless extenuating circumstances require submission after this deadline. Deans have the authority to approve such an overload, with notification to the VPAA. In the event a school does not have a Dean or is operating with an acting or interim Dean, the VPAA shall approve overloads for courses offered within said school.