The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for adjunct faculty regarding teaching, service responsibilities, compensation, and employment expectations for adjunct faculty.
This policy applies to all faculty members with adjunct appointments within the California Health Sciences University.
Adjunct faculty are essential to the educational mission of California Health Sciences University. To ensure the delivery of high-quality education and to support adjunct faculty in their instructional roles, adjunct faculty will be provided with appropriate compensation for their work. Policies concerning employment of adjunct faculty will be applied consistently across all colleges and programs within the University and comply with applicable federal and state laws, and University policies.
Definitions
Adjunct Faculty: An adjunct faculty member is a part-time employee holding an academic rank who is hired on an at-will basis. Adjuncts do not receive the same benefits or salaries as full-time faculty. Their responsibilities primarily include teaching courses, although they may also engage in some service activities. A full-time faculty in one of the CHSU Colleges who has an adjunct appointment in a different CHSU College is also considered adjunct faculty member.
Preparation Time: Preparation time for a learning or assessment session refers to the total amount of time a faculty member invests in preparing all necessary materials and activities to effectively deliver or assess a session. This encompasses a range of tasks designed to ensure that the content is accurate, engaging, and conducive to learning.
Statement of Terms of Appointment
Teaching, assessment, service, and scholarly responsibilities for adjunct faculty are on an as-needed basis.
Compensation
Adjunct faculty are compensated either on an hourly or lump sum basis depending upon the nature of the assignment.
Compensable Work
Time spent directly preparing for a session content and assessments is considered compensable time. Compensable time does not include the time spent attending continuing education programs or on other professional development activities outside of CHSU.
Typical Time Allocation:
Course Preparation time is different than session preparation. Course Preparation Time
includes but is not limited to the following activities:
- Developing syllabi, lecture/lab slides, handouts, TBL readiness materials, and other instructional aids.
- Revising and enhancing previously used materials to align with current course objectives.
- Preparing questions, discussion topics, case studies, or problems for in-class activities and group work.
- Writing multiple-choice questions, short-answer prompts, case studies, or other types of assessments to evaluate students' understanding.
- For TBL classes, developing individual and team readiness tests to assess students' preparedness before engaging in group activities.
- Answering student queries and office hours.
General Guidelines for Time Allocation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBL or Lecture Course Presentation | TBL Course Prep | Lecture Course Prep/others | Physical Diagnosis or Skills or SIM Labs or anatomy lab | Physical Diagnosis or Skills or SIM Labs or anatomy lab Prep (Lead Presenter only) |
| 1 for 1h | *up to 6 per 1h **up to 2 per 1h | *up to 4 per 1h ** up to 2 per 1h | 1 for 1h | *up to 4 per 1h **1 per 1h |
| PRHS Student Research Project Monitoring | Committee Work | Admission Interviews | Assigned Student Advising | |
| 1 for 1h #Other Projects | 1 for 1h | 1 for 1h | 1 for 1h | |
| *When the course/TBL/lecture/labs taught first time. | ||||
| **When the course/TBL/lecture/labs taught subsequently. | ||||
| #Time allowance for non-PHASE projects must be reviewed and pre-approved by the Department Chair and Dean/Program Director or designee. | ||||
Exceptions
Approval Process: Deans, Program Directors, and Department Chairs are accountable for staying within budget. Therefore, any deviations from the established teaching load, preparation time, or office hours must be approved by the College Dean/Program Director or designee prior to the change occurring.
Before accruing significant additional hours (averaged over two pay periods) beyond their standard full-time equivalent (FTE) schedule, the adjunct must obtain approval from their Department Chair/Program Director or designee.
Request for Exception: Adjunct faculty seeking an exception must submit a written request detailing the rationale for the deviation and any supporting documentation.
Decision and Notification: The Dean or Program Director or designee will review the request and provide a written decision within one week of the request. The decision will be communicated to the adjunct faculty member and the Department Chair.
Compliance and Accountability
Documentation: Adjunct faculty are expected to maintain records of their teaching hours, preparation activities, and office hours, service hours, assessment hours, etc. All adjuncts are responsible for timely reporting their hours and documentation for time worked to their department chair for review and approval. Prior to any hours worked beyond their regularly scheduled FTE, the adjunct must have approval from their Department Chair/Dean/Program Director or designee.
Support: The institution will provide resources and support to assist adjunct faculty in meeting their responsibilities. This may include access to instructional materials, professional development opportunities, and technological tools.