Course Banking and Research Scheduling Policy

The semester system enables more flexible scheduling of faculty teaching and research time than was possible on the quarter system. There will still be occasions, however, when faculty need to arrange additional time to focus on research. The Dean's Office is therefore implementing on a trial basis two programs to enhance faculty research time on the semester system. One method will be course banking. Another will be teaching-replacement units (TRUs) available through a College-wide competition. Together these should permit flexible scheduling of faculty research time. Both programs will be evaluated for continuation at the end of a two-year trial period, during which guidelines and criteria will be subject to revision.

As a matter of general principle in the Franklin College, faculty assigned additional time for research must remain in residence, keep regular office hours, and meet all University and departmental responsibilities outside the classroom. Faculty who need to conduct research off campus must apply for reassignment of location, in accordance with College and University leave of absence policies.

Course Banking

Course banking allows faculty to distribute their standard teaching load over an extended period so that a semester can be scheduled for intensive research. By teaching an extra course in an academic year, faculty can "bank" courses to free time that can be applied later toward research.

Departments and schools should develop course banking policies and submit them for approval to the Dean's Office. They should follow these guidelines:

Policies must preserve the department's ability to offer a balanced range of courses at all instructional levels. Faculty who bank courses must teach an instructional schedule that helps their department meet this goal. Department heads must approve all course banking plans.

Only tenured and tenure-track faculty active in research may bank courses.

Courses may be banked during fall and spring semesters only. Faculty must bank extra courses prior to taking a research-intensive semester. Faculty may not teach more than three courses a semester and may not bank more than one course per year, unless they receive a TRU from the College competition, which they may count as a second banked course.

No more than a quarter of eligible participating faculty in a department may take research-intensive semesters at a time.

Junior faculty, especially at the assistant professor level, should receive priority in setting course-banking schedules.

Department heads must determine when and if research-intensive semesters can be assigned and should track teaching and research assignments so that faculty maintain the standard annual work load. On occasion, research-intensive semesters may have to be delayed to allow for a balanced offering of courses.

Faculty who bank courses must sign a letter, co-signed by the department head, that describes their course banking plan and indicates acceptance of these guidelines. A copy of the letter should be sent to the Dean's Office. Course banking records should be kept in departmental personnel files. Faculty who complete a course banking cycle must seek approval of a new course-banking schedule to begin planning for another research-intensive semester.