Article XI

TERMS OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Section A. Professional Workload

1. Teaching Credential.
Instructors possess an academic degree relevant to what they teach and have earned a
credential at least one level above the level they teach, except in programs for terminal
degrees. In terminal degree programs, faculty members minimally possess the same level
of degree. (HLC 2012 Criterion Book-Assumed Practices) Only in exigent circumstances,
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when a qualified existing faculty is unavailable, will a professional employee be hired
without meeting these minimum educational standards. In those rare cases, an individual
will have a maximum of five years to complete the required coursework.
2. Normal Professional Workload.
The regular instructor workload for full-time Professional Employees shall consist of
fifteen (15) credit hours or twenty (22.5) contact hours per week per semester, or thirty
(30) credit hours or their equivalent per year. The average instructor workload for regular
part-time Professional Employees shall consist of at least nine-fourteen (9-14) credit hours
per semester. Instructional credit hours for the fall and spring semesters of the academic
year are the only basis for determining a regular part-time Professional Employee.
Teaching with an alternative method of delivery will continue to be voluntary. Priority for
hiring instructors for all online and alternative course delivery methods will first be offered
to qualified on-campus instructors before bringing in non-tenured instructors from offcampus.
3. Overload, Outreach, and Alternative Teaching Method Compensation.
If full-time and regular part-time Professional Employees, as defined in the negotiating
unit, teach more than the normal workload, including summer school, late-fall, and
outreach, as defined in Article XI, Section A, Paragraph 1, they will be compensated at the
rates listed in the Overload and Alternative Teaching Method Pay Schedule in Exhibit 8.
a. Overload shall be paid for courses that exceed an instructor’s 15-hour Normal
Professional Workload based on the average number of students enrolled in all courses
taught. The maximum overload per instructor per semester is two classes or seven
credit hours, whichever is higher. An exception may be made when the Vice President
of Academic Affairs and the instructor mutually agree that the additional overload
hours above the two classes or seven credit hours would benefit the institution, the
instructor, and the students.
4. Assignments Other Than Teaching
If full-time and regular part-time Professional Employees assume non-teaching duties
related to their discipline, students, or instructional oversight (example-division chair) on
supplemental contract, the contract amount will be the same dollar amount as other
Professional Employees with the same general duties. Supplemental contracts will be
reviewed every three years by a committee consisting of two members appointed by the
administration and two members appointed by the Faculty Alliance. The committee will
discuss if a cost-of-living increase is needed and/or if changes in duties warrant a change in
supplemental contract amounts. Committee recommendations will be given to Faculty
Alliance and Board negotiation teams to discuss and determine if recommended
adjustments will be implemented. Professional Employees whose supplemental contracts
are pro-rated based on salary will not be included in this adjustment. Committee review
will be scheduled in 2019-20 and every three years following.
5. Hours On-Campus
Full-time Professional Employees with a Normal Professional Workload shall be required
to be on campus for a minimum of thirty-five (35) hours per week, including workload,
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miscellaneous assignments, office hours (minimum of fifteen (15) hours per week), and
other student availability hours. Instructors required by their position or requested by the
college to teach overload classes will not be obligated to post additional weekly oncampus hours beyond the meeting times required for the additional courses. Instructors
who choose to offer additional overload classes will be required to add one additional
office hour weekly per overload hour taught. Full-time professional employees shall be
required to be on campus every day of a normal work week except when program
instruction requires otherwise. Regular part-time Professional Employees shall be
required to be on-campus weekly on a pro-rata basis of a full-time Professional Employee.
If a Professional Employee's normal professional workload includes night or off-campus
classes, a pro-rata reduction in travel time will be made from the number of hours the
Professional Employee is required to be on campus. Professional Employees teaching an
online or hybrid course under FT contractual obligations will be approved for 2 hours per
week of e-time during that semester. These hours may be used at the instructor's
discretion, reducing the number of on-campus office hours required to thirteen (13) and
the total number of on-campus hours to thirty-three (33) per week, based on a regular
workload.
6. Remote Work Clause
Remote work may be enacted under extenuating circumstances. This requires pre-approval
from the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Faculty Alliance Leadership. If granted,
the Professional Employee must keep regular posted online office hours congruent with
that of a part-time or full-time professional employee and must be available to students
during reasonable hours. Established start and end dates will be given and reviewed.

Section B. Professional Involvement and Committee Assignments

1. Professional Employees shall assist with final fall and spring semester enrollment, student
registration, academic counseling, and advising. Participation in college committees is also
considered a regular part of the Professional Employee's duties.
2. Professional Employees shall participate in the institution's student outcomes assessment
program and shall demonstrate the use of student outcome assessment data to improve
instruction.
3. All professional employees will complete the Professional Development Plan to ensure
growth and improvement in skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective
instructor/teacher. The specific steps of the plan will be determined by the Vice President
of Academic Affairs and a committee of Professional Employees based on available
resources. Completion/success of the Development Plan will be noted on the Professional
Employee's evaluation in the "Other Comments" section.

Section C. Employee Files

Any Professional Employee's payroll and personnel files shall be open to the inspection of the
employee during regular business hours. An Alliance representative may inspect the employee's file at
the employee's written request. The employee shall have the right to respond to all materials contained
in said file. Such a response shall become part of the file.
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The Professional Employee and/or their representative shall have the right to reproduce any of
the contents of their personnel file at their expense.
Any written complaint regarding a Professional Employee made to an Administrator by any
parent, student, or other person placed in the Professional Employee's file shall be provided to the
Professional Employee within three (3) contract days of receiving the complaint. The Professional
Employee shall have an opportunity to respond to the written complaint in writing within ten (10)
contract days.

Section D. Employee Safety

No Professional Employee shall be required to work under any condition that the employee has
deemed unsafe for students.
When a Professional Employee deems an emergency condition exists, the Professional
Employee shall take action to cease working in that location immediately. The Professional Employee
shall immediately notify their supervising Vice President of their action and the reasons for such
action. The decision of the Professional Employee shall be reviewed by a safety team appointed by the
President. The decision of the above-stated group shall be final.
When a Professional Employee deems an unsafe condition exists, that is not an emergency; they
shall notify their supervising Vice President of the situation in writing. The safety team appointed by
the President shall review the reported condition and notify the instructor of their decision within ten
(10) contract days. The decision of the team shall be final.