CON Faculty Workload Guidelines

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Appendices

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Faculty Workload Guidelines	Subsection: Appendix B2
Section - Appendices	Originating Date: January 2006
Responsible Reviewing Agency: Executive Council	Revised: September 2006 Revised: January 2008 Revised: August 2009 Revised: August 2010 Reviewed: January 2015 Revised: November 2020 (changes) Revised: February 2024 (changes) Revised: May 2024 (changes) Revised: September 2024 (changes)
Related documents: Policy 4.4.8 Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track Appendix A1 Standards and Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure for Academic Rank Appendix A2 Standards and Guidelines for Promotion for Clinical Rank Newhouse, R., Berry, D., Burson, R., Dorough, C., Johnson, B., McSweeney, J., Pereira, K., Swanson, K., Thompson, P., Vitello, J., McGuinn, K., Garcia, R. (2018). Defining scholarship for academic nursing; AACN Position Statement. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/position-statements-white-papers/defining-scholarship-for-academic-nursing Board of Regents bylaws Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

1.0    General Principles

1. The work of the College of Nursing (CON) is accomplished through the committed and collaborative activities of its faculty which are based on the professional model and directed toward achievement of the College of Nursing mission, goals, and strategic plan.
   1. The work of the CON faculty includes teaching, scholarship, and professional service (including practice) as defined in the Standards and Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure for Academic Rank (Appendix A1) or in the Standards and Guidelines for Promotion for Clinical Rank (Appendix A2).
2. Consistent with the promotion and tenure documents faculty select their two areas of focus. Work allocation is decided by the nursing leadership and based on the needs of the College of Nursing.
3. Faculty are encouraged, in collaboration with their supervisor, to focus their professional development in two of three areas (teaching, scholarship (in teaching, research, practice), or professional service) as consistent with the Promotion and Tenure Standards and Guidelines.
4. The work of the CON faculty will fulfill the educational mission aligned with existing resources.
5. The CON supports all forms of scholarship: (teaching, scholarship (in teaching, research, or practice), or professional service) defined as: generating new knowledge, translating knowledge, and disseminating knowledge to the professional community and the public.
6. The goal of this document is to provide a framework within which faculty members, their division assistant deans, and associate deans and program directors collaborate to meet the college’s mission, support the strategic plan, and foster individual faculty growth, development, productivity, and success. Effort allocation guidelines are designed to promote faculty effectiveness to meet the mission, goals and strategic directions of the College of Nursing.
7. Faculty effort is communicated in relation to percentage of FTE. The full-time equivalent (FTE) percentage makes work assignments comparable across various contexts. An FTE of 1.0 means that the person is a full-time faculty member.

2.0    Faculty Role Preferences

Faculty role expectations are varied and depend on expertise, professional goals (academic promotion and tenure or clinical promotion), rank and credentials, employment negotiations, and organizational needs.

2.1    Teaching

Teaching is a core value; all faculty are expected to have a teaching assignment. Faculty who has identified teaching as a priority focus area are expected to fully engage in those efforts, with the support of their division assistant dean and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs.

An example of full-time work for faculty focused on teaching and scholarship and may vary depending on funding and progress towards goals is:

• 70% (.70 FTE) teaching
• 10% service in a semester
• 20% teaching scholarship

An example of full-time work for teaching faculty who do not have allocated time for scholarship is:

• 90% (.90 FTE) teaching
• 10% service

2.2    Scholarship

Scholarship is highly valued by the CON and university. Scholarship is defined broadly in the College of Nursing, using Boyer’s model as the framework for the types of scholarship that contribute to achieving the college’s mission. Thus, scholarship includes the scholarship of discovery, dissemination, application, and integration. It is an expectation that all doctoral prepared faculty in the CON actively engage in scholarship. According to the AACN (White Paper, 2018) scholarship in nursing can be defined as the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of knowledge that aims to improve health and transform health. It is the communication of knowledge generated through multiple forms of inquiry that inform clinical practice, nursing education, policy, and healthcare delivery. Scholarship is inclusive of discovery, integration, application, and teaching (Boyer, 1999). The hallmark attribute of scholarship is the cumulative impact of the scholar’s work on the field of nursing and health care (Newhouse et. al., (2018). Defining scholarship for academic nursing. AACN White Paper.)

Faculty are responsible to seek and bring in funding to support their scholarship if funding is required to conduct the investigation. Investment time received for scholarship carries the expectation that the faculty will become funded and disseminate teaching, research, and practice scholarship for this effort allocation (See Appendix B1). Tangible outcomes, such as funded grants, contracts, and publications, are considered examples of productivity. It is an expectation that faculty with active programs of scholarship will establish annual goals with specific outcomes for their continued FTE effort.

After the first three years of employment, faculty members who declare scholarship as one of their areas of emphasis are expected to have pilot data and first author publications demonstrating movement toward allocated effort reimbursed by grant funding. If the faculty does not meet the above standards, faculty can negotiate with their assistant dean to determine if they will continue at the same level of research effort, reduce the research effort, or move to a clinical track.

Doctoral-prepared faculty not wishing to participate in scholarship activities or not meeting their expected scholarship goals, will be evaluated if their effort to the teaching and/or practice missions commensurate with the FTE effort that had been allocated.

The following are examples of scholarship in the areas of teaching, research, and practice. These are consistent with promotion & tenure (P&T) criteria.

Examples of teaching scholarship may include:

• Receipt of intramural/extramural educational grants
• Author of educational peer-reviewed publications on teaching innovations and/or evaluations
• Edit, review, or author textbooks and book chapters
• Development of simulation activities
• Regional, national, international presentations of learner-centered strategies and evaluation
• Editor of an education journal
• Development of evidence-based guidelines
• Program consultant
• New course development and evaluation
• Program development and evaluation
• Writing test questions for national certification exams
• Member of editorial boards of education journals
• Inter-professional collaboration to develop new courses or learner-centered activities
• Develop and/or pilot-test innovative use of technology in teaching
• Serve in leadership roles in state/regional/national organizations with education focus
• Serve on state/national/regional education committees, panels, task forces, etc.

Examples of research scholarship may include:

• Recipient of intramural and extramural research grants
• Dissemination of research in peer reviewed journals, and at regional, national, & international meetings
• Serve on editorial boards of research journals
• Serve on national grant review panels (e.g., for national specialty organizations, private foundations, NIH)

Examples of practice scholarship may include:

• Recipient of intramural and extramural practice related grants
• Author of practice related peer-reviewed publications on practice innovations and/or evaluations
• Develop innovations in clinical teaching and disseminate through peer reviewed publications and regional, national, or international presentations
• Develop and publish practice guidelines/clinical pathways
• Serve on regional, national, or international practice evaluation panels
• Consultation to clinicians or agency administrators
• Evaluation of practice outcomes and dissemination through peer reviewed publications and regional, national, or international presentations
• Translate and evaluate research into practice
• Develop disease state management protocols

2.3    Practice

Practice is another area valued within the college of nursing. Practice is considered with professional service in the Promotion and Tenure Standards and Guidelines. The CON supports all types of faculty practice for purposes of teaching, maintaining credentialing and scholarship.

Nurse practitioner faculty are expected to keep current their knowledge and skills to support continued licensure and certification, and quality nursing education. However, practice is not limited to APRNs.

The most desired models of practice are CON reimbursed practice through the Morehead Center, as this provides the opportunity for practice time to contribute to the resources of the CON and engages faculty fully in practices addressing the full range of reimbursement and billing issues. Faculty practice not reimbursed is not considered in workload. A faculty practice of one day per week is allocated 20% time per semester. If faculty want to practice more than one day per week, additional FTE can be negotiated based on overall needs of the college. If additional time is needed for documentation, on-call, or care coordination, it is included in the negotiations with the practice agency so the time is reimbursed.

Faculty have the privilege of engaging in outside work up to 16 hours per month according to the Board of Regents bylaws (Outside Employment Policy #1049). Such work is outside the faculty effort allocation guidelines, but per university policy, it is expected that faculty members complete the Outside Employment Form and submit it to their supervisor.

An example of full-time work for faculty focused on practice and teaching and may vary depending on funding and progress towards goals is:

• 60% teaching
• 20% funded practice
• 10% service
• 10% scholarship

2.4    Professional Service

Professional service is important to the university and community. Faculty are asked to participate in service activities that align with mission of the CON, UNMC, and the profession. Faculty members are allocated 10% (60 hours/semester) effort for service. As rank progresses from assistant, associate, to full professor, the level of service could change with dean approval.

The following are examples of service activities:

• Chair or co-chair or member of committees within the CON or university
• Professional service provided to community groups
• Committee/task force service to local, regional, national, international professional organizations
• Holding a leadership position in a professional organization
• Serving on a PhD dissertation committee.
  Service as a dissertation committee member or chair on dissertations outside the CON will count toward service.

2.5    Administration

The role of Specialty Track Coordinator will receive 0.20 FTE (120 clock hours/semester). Please see Policy 4.4.8 Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track.

College Dean, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, Directors, and Program Coordinators will receive the FTE designated for the role.

3.0    Effort Calculation information ^*

•      FTE for calculating effort per semester:
  • The unit for calculating teaching work assignment is the FTE.
  • Example: 0.2 FTE = 120 clock hours per semester
    • 0.025 FTE = 15 clock hours per semester
  • Faculty effort is based on a 15-week semester.
  • Faculty can renegotiate FTE distribution based on new developments.
  • Scholarship (in teaching, research, professional service) and teaching activities are all considered in total FTE.

3.1    FTE for classroom teaching

A classroom course is allotted 0.067 FTE per credit. Therefore, a 3-credit course is assigned as 0.20 FTE or 20% effort.

Total FTE allocated for a course will be divided among faculty based on percentage of course taught by each faculty.

Additional FTE may be assigned based on the following factors:

Course Coordinator: Didactic

• Course coordinator role for theory courses calculated at 0.02 FTE per credit hour.
  • In addition, course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 50 students receive an additional 0.05 FTE.
  • Course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 75 students receive an additional 0.10 FTE.
  • Course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 100 students receive an additional 0.15 FTE.

Course Coordinator: Clinical

• Course coordinator role for clinical courses is calculated at 0.025 FTE per credit hour.
  • In addition, course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 50 students receive an additional 0.05 FTE.
  • Course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 75 students receive an additional 0.10 FTE.
  • Course coordinator FTE for courses with greater than 100 students receive an additional 0.15 FTE.
• Cross-campus coordinator role (See CON Undergraduate cross-campus coordinator role description section 4.4.5) receives 0.025 FTE.
• Teaching a course for the first time or developing a new course may receive an additional 0.05 FTE.
• Mentoring of new faculty in the coordinator role may receive 0.025 FTE.
• Committee chair for PhD = 0.025 FTE per semester and final semester FTE = 0.05
• DNP project chair = 0.025 FTE per project per semester.

Student advising is considered part of a faculty member’s service. Similarly, independent study courses are considered part of service because such courses do not meet the minimum class sizes for regular courses and are highly variable depending upon negotiated agreements between faculty and students. Faculty effort allocation may be negotiated if an independent study course results from providing a course needed by a small number of students to meet program requirements.

3.2.1    FTE for face-to-face clinical supervision

FTE’s are assigned 0.067 FTE per credit hour for face-to-face undergraduate clinical supervision. Thus, a 3-credit hour direct clinical supervision course would receive 20% or 0.20 FTE (120 clock hours). A single section in face-to-face clinical is considered a group of 8-10 students.

Time spent in simulations and skills labs is included in the FTE and will be calculated based on the hours a faculty is assigned in the clinical, lab, or simulation. FTE allocations for clinical assignments include skills labs, course simulations, and Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) for all programs.

Undergraduate Health Assessment lab/clinical supervision is assigned at 0.067 FTE per credit hour for groups of 16 students.

Undergraduate Leadership seminar/clinical supervision is assigned at 0.067 FTE per credit hour for groups of 16 students.

Undergraduate Population Centered Care seminar/clinical supervision is assigned at 0.067 FTE per credit hour for groups of 16 students.

Graduate clinical assignments are assigned as 0.10 FTE for each clinical group of up to 8 students.

3.2.2    FTE for Dedicated Education Unit supervision

FTE’s are assigned at 0.067 per credit hour for DEU clinical supervision. Thus a 3-credit hour DEU clinical model would receive 20% or 0.20 FTE (120 clock hours). A single section is considered a group of 16 students.

3.2.3    FTE for Preceptor Clinical Supervision

FTE are assigned at 0.067 FTE per clinical group in the undergraduate course Transition to Professional Practice. A clinical group for precepted clinical supervision is a group of 10 students.

 

 

^*  Incoming graduate students in Fall 2024 will have a 60:1 clinical credit starting in their specialty (2025). Current students are 45:1 clinical credit. Graduate clinical calculation until Fall 2025 will use 3 contact hours x 15 weeks x credit hour.

^**  Undergraduate clinical calculation for Fall 24 & Spring 25 semesters 3 and 4 will continue to use the clinical hour calculation of 3 contact hours x 15 weeks x credit hour.