Overloads and Release Time

Overloads are not guaranteed; they are work units for which Full Time faculty may be responsible, beyond their contractual agreement of 15 hours of teaching. The district standard limitation on the number of hours of overload allowed for any faculty member is less than 24 hours, usually with permission of the Dean for Academic Success or Vice President for Academic Success (VPAS).

In some instances, work unit Release time may be awarded to either Full or Part Time Faculty who are engaged in tasks beyond their usual teaching duties. At NVC, this is especially applicable to Discipline Coordinators, but may also apply to project leaders.

As of November, 2015, the following guidelines were adopted by Academic Chairs at NVC:

Northwest Vista College Formulas for Determining Release for Discipline, Workforce Program, and Special Project Coordinators:

Formula to Determine Faculty Workload.docx Download Formula to Determine Faculty Workload.docx 

Determinations Concerning Release Time Formulas:

• Unless otherwise stated, Academic and Workforce Chairs will determine appropriate release time for duties in which a range is offered.
• Duties inherent in the role of faculty members do allow for release time, including, but not limited to, the following:
• Classroom instruction; selection of course materials; cross-college collaboration for continuous improvement; support for the online student survey process; completion of mandatory evaluation measures; student advising; serving and playing active roles in discipline, college, program specific, and/or district committees; classroom management; assessment of student learning outcomes; development or revision of curriculum and instructional materials; participation in research to improve institutional or educational effectiveness; maintaining a minimum of 10 office hours per week; maintaining professional credentials and engaging in professional development; and assisting in policy development and other governance matters within the department, college, and/or district.
• Adjunct and temporary faculty EPAF contractual agreements based on formulas may be assigned. It is also possible for FT Temp or Interns to be assigned release time, given Chair, Dean, and/or VPAS support.
• For the purposes of this release formula, 3 hours of release is equivalent to a minimum of 128 hours of service, calculated at 42.67 hours/ 1 hour of release for the fall and spring semesters, and at 33.3 hours/1 hour release for summer release at the non-instructional rates. By accepting release hours for service responsibilities, faculty agree to perform the minimum number of clock hours required, and any additional clock hours needed to complete the assigned tasks.

Resources

For specific questions, contact your Department Chair or Administrative Services Specialist.

Contact

Problems with your Paycheck? Need Help Calculating Your Overloads or Release Time?

Payroll/Compensation:
Alamo Colleges Center of Excellence for Student Success (ACCESS)
2222 N. Alamo St.
210-485-0370
dst-BannerPayroll@alamo.edu 
dst-hrcomp@alamo.edu