I. These guidelines for credit unit equivalencies (CUEs) were prepared by the University and the Union to meet the conditions of Article 4 of the BOT-UPI Collective Bargaining Agreement. These guidelines were also formulated in a context where a full-time teaching load is defined as twelve, plus or minus one, credit hours per semester. Assignments of duties under these guidelines are intended to reflect the current practice, as well as the time and effort required of the Instructors.
II. Except as specified below, the credit hours assigned to a course will be the same as those published in the current Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs of Northern Illinois University found at http://catalog.niu.edu. No course shall be worth more than four (4) credit hours, however, unless express written permission is granted by the Provost. At the same time, no credit for any activity shall be granted unless the Department Chair assigns the employee to perform that activity.
III. Definitions
1. Cluster Courses refer to courses with different catalog numbers that are all offered at the same time in the same room. Example: A Zoology Instructor teaches ZOO 101, ZOO 303, ZOO 404, and ZOO 505 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. in Room 1313 of Zulauf.
2. Course Multipliers refers to devices that are used to adjust the credit hours for those courses where the workload is greater or lesser than the credit hours would imply. Example: A Zoology internship that carries 15 credit hours but involves about nine to ten hours per week of the Instructor’s time has a multiplier of .2 to make this work assignment equivalent to that of a normal three hour course (15 x .2 = 3).
For ease of presentation in the text, some multipliers involving fractions were rounded to the nearest hundredth. In determining actual workloads, however, these multipliers shall be interpreted as follows:
.33 – one-third;
.66 – two-thirds;
.86 – six-sevenths;
.55 – six-elevenths.
3. Lecture Courses refer to courses that require extensive preparation because the Instructor is responsible for presenting original material for entire class periods throughout the entire semester. Example: An Instructor teaches a graduate level course based solely on articles published in the leading journals in the relevant field.
4. Multiple Preparations refer to teaching assignments that involve courses with different catalog numbers and cover different bodies of substantive knowledge. Example: An Instructor who teaches one section of Introductory Zoology, one section of Vertebrate Zoology, and two sections of Invertebrate Zoology has three course preparations.
IV. Courses With Multipliers
A. Zero Credit Courses
TLEE 460 (1) 0.00 x credit hours
COMS 407 (3)
ENGL 495 (3)
ENGL 500 (3)
EPSY 382 (0)
FCNS 356 (1-3)
FCNS 460 (1-3)
FCNS 601 (1-3)
FCNS 610 (1-3)
NURS 350 (1-3)
Cluster Courses
Cross-Listed Courses
Honors Companion Courses
The zero multiplier applies to all cluster and cross-listed courses, except the one with the lowest credit hours associated with it.
B. Reduced Credit Hour Courses
ILAS 502 (3) 0.33 x credit hours
COMS 334 (2)
COMS 434 (3)
Independent Study (1-6)
The 0.33 multiplier for individual study applies on a per student basis, except when two or more students work on a joint project. For joint projects, credit is only given for one student.
C. Physical Therapy Clinical Courses
0.50 credit hours
AHPT 460 (1)
AHPT 461 (3)
AHPT 462 (4)
AHPT 560 (4)
AHPT 561 (6)
AHPT 562 (6)
D. Independent Recitation Courses
COMS 357 (4) 0.75 x credit hours
COMS 358 (4)
STAT 301 (4)
E. Intensive Language Courses
FLCH 103 (5) 1.20 x credit hours
FLCH 104 (5)
FLCH 203 (5)
FLCH 204 (5)
FLJA 103 (5)
FLJA 104 (5)
FLJA 203 (5)
FLJA 204 (5)
F. 500-600 Level Courses
Limited to Lecture Courses and 1.33 x credit hours
Full-Time Employees
G. Labor Intensive Courses
1.50 x credit hours
AHPT 410 (4)
AHPT 411 (4)
AHPT 412 (2)
AHPT 413 (2)
AHPT 436 (3)
AHPT 437 (3)
AHPT 440 (4)
AHPT 540 (3)
AHPT 550 (4)
AHPT 555 (4)
FCNS 200B (2)
OMIS 351 (3) 1.33 x credit hours
ENGL 303 (3) 1.33 x credit hours
H. Special Preparation Courses
MUSC 140 (Group Piano) 2.00 x credit hours
I. Nursing Clinical Experiences
1.50 x credit hours
NURS 320 (2)
NURS 330 (2)
NURS 340 (2)
NURS 410T (2)
NURS 420 (2)
NURS 430 (4)
NURS 460 (4)
Except on a voluntary basis, Instructors will not be assigned two 4-hour clinical courses in the same semester.
J. Other Nursing Clinical Experiences
1.25 x credit hours
NURS 310A (2.5)
K. Heavy Recitation Courses
ELE 210 or TECH 270 (3) 1.50 x credit hours
ELE 211 or TECH 271 (3) 1.50 x credit hours
ELE 202 (1) 2.00 x credit hours
L. Physical Education Activity Courses
For activity courses meeting 100 minutes/week for 16 weeks 1.5 x credit hour
KNPE 217
KNPE 240
KNPE 241
KNPE 242
For activity courses meeting 150 minutes/week for 8 weeks 2.00 x credit hour
KNPE 209
KNPE 227
V. Internship and Practicum Type Courses
A. Enrollment Driven Workload Courses
FINA 458 (3-6) 0.10 CUEs per student
MGMT458 (1-7)
OMIS 458 (3-6)
AHPH 497 (6) 0.20 CUEs per student
AHPH 595 (1-9)
KNPE 494 (1-6)
Internship coordination 0.10 CUEs per student
(occurs semester previous to interning)
Supervising interns 0.15 CUEs per student
(occurs during semester student is enrolled)
B. Fixed Workload Courses
AHLS 470 (1-9) 3 CUEs per course
AHLS 480 (1-9)
LTRE 530 (3)
LTRE 531 (3)
LTRE 540 (3)
LTRE 550 (3)
LTCY 587 (1-6)
TLCI 585A (3-6)
LTIC 589 or TLCI 589x (1-6)
TLCI 585B (3)
COMD 426 (1)
COMD 427 (1)
COMD 428 (1)
COMD 585 (1)
COMD 586 (1)
COMD 587 (1)
COMD 590 (2-4)
COMD 591 (1-12)
COMD 592 (1-12)
COMD 593 (1-15)
COMD 594 (1-12)
ENGL 528 (3-12)
ENGL 596 (3)
CAHC 550 (1-6)
CAHC 551 (3)
CAHC 586 (1-15)
CAHC 686 (1-15)
FCNS 475 (12)
FCNS 431 (2-15)
FCNS 474 (7)
FCNS 490 (6-12)
CAHA 586 (3-9)
CAHA 686 (3-12)
LEEA 586 (3-12)
LEEA 651 (3)
LEEA 686 (3-12)
EPFE 586 (1-9)
ETT 569 (3)
ETT 586 (6)
ETT 670 (3)
ETT 686 (6)
LEBM 511 (1-6)
LEBM 586 (3-12)
LEBM 686 (3-12)
PSYC 553 (1-3)
PSYC 554 (1-3)
C. Parallel Workload Courses
ART 489 (1-6) CUEs same as student credit hours
VI. Course Coordinators
A. No Load Courses
All 200, 300 and 400 level CSCI courses
0.0CUE for first course;
1.5 CUE for each additional course (per semester)
MATH 101 0.0 CUE for first course;
MATH 110 1.0 CUE for each additional
MATH 155 course
MATH 201
B. Minimal Load Courses
MATH 402 3 CUEs per year
C. Average Load Courses
ACCY 206 3 CUEs per semester
ACCY 207
LTRE 100 (1-3)
LTRE 190 (1-3)
LTRE 201 (3)
COMS 100
COMS 100P (fall semester only)
ENGL 103-104-105
ENGL 103-104-105 ESL
CAHC 211 (3)
MATH 110P
KNPE 100 (3)
VII. Instructionally Related Assignments
A. Advising
AHPH—Undergraduate Students 3 CUEs per semester
AHLS—Clinical Laboratory
Science Students
COMS—Pre COMS Students
MATH—MATH ED and Teacher
Certification Students
ENGL—Undergraduate Students 6 CUEs per semester
ENGL—Graduate Students
B. Coordinators of Learning Laboratories
COMS Media Lab 3 CUEs per semester
ENGL ESL Lab
Allied Health CLS Lab 6 CUEs per semester
ENGL ESP Lab
COMS 100P and Learning Labs 9 CUEs per year
FLAL Learning Lab 12 CUEs per year
6 CUEs per summer
Tutors
ENGL ESL Lab 3 CUEs per semester
ENGL ESP Lab
ENGL Writing Center
Other
AHPT Arrange Practicum Sites for:
AHPT 401 (1-3) 0.5 CUE
AHPT 430 (5) 0.5 CUE
AHPT 431 (13) 1.0 CUE
ENGL Teacher Intern Training 3 CUEs per semester
COMS Forensic Coaching
AHPT Clinic Coverage
CLAS Certification Coordinator 12 CUEs per semester
6 CUEs per summer
VIII. Student Teaching - Department of Teaching and Learning
A. Student Teacher Supervisor assignments will be finalized on the final date of the semester by which undergraduates may withdraw and receive a 100% tuition refund (e.g., February 1, 2005 for the Spring 2005 semester), this date being determined by the University. Supervisors will receive written confirmation of these assignments, including any overload. Supervision of Student Teachers who withdraw (or drop) before this date shall be compensated on a pro rata basis. The basis of the calculation of pro-rated compensation shall be the number of days that the Student Teacher proceeds into the semester divided by the total number of student teaching days in the semester (e.g., 16 weeks x 5 days per week). For example, if a student dropped student teaching on the third day of the first week of classes, the proportion would be 3 of 80 or 3.75 %. The Department Chair will consult with the Instructor with respect to the calculation of any pro-rated amounts and to confirm the actual dates of service with respect to a specific Student Teacher. Any additional Student Teachers assigned to a Supervisor after this withdrawal date shall increase assigned CUEs as per Article 4 of the Contract and the following CUE Guidelines.
B. Student Teaching—Elementary Education and Early Childhood
Students in 1 - 7.00 Schools: 0.67 CUEs per student
Students in 7.05 - 10.00 Schools: 0.75 CUEs per student
Students in 10.05+ Schools: 0.86 CUEs per student
For purposes of counting schools to determine multiplier values of CUEs per Student Teacher, any school with a full semester assignment shall count as one school for that semester's assignment, and any school with exclusively half-semester assignments shall count as 0.75 school.
C. Student Teaching—Special Education 0.50 CUEs per student
Hearing or Visually Impaired 0.55 CUEs per student
IX.Over-Enrollment
If an Instructor’s contact intensive class enrollment exceeds the stated capacity (or actual enrollment for specific courses) in the class during the 2005-2006 academic year by the percentages outlined below, that shall constitute an Over-Enrollment and an adjustment of 1 CUE shall be awarded per class.
For Classes Containing: Any Increase over:
20 or under 25%
21-60 30%
61-100 35%
The Add-Drop deadline will be used as the official date for determining enrollments each semester.
Exceptions:
Only over-enrollments assigned by the Chair shall be eligible for CUE adjustments;
Large lecture courses in which evaluation is based heavily on machine-scored exams are not contact intensive, regardless of enrollment;
Courses which rely heavily on guest speakers where the Instructor’s role is limited to organizing and/or facilitating the course are not contact intensive, regardless of enrollment;
For courses that are team-taught by several faculty, only one will get credit for over-enrollment;
CUE adjustments will not be made if teaching assistants are assigned to deal with the extra work associated with the course;
In determining historical trends, on-campus course sections will be compared only to on-campus course sections and off-campus course sections will be compared only to off-campus sections;
Summer school classes that are covered by separate contracts;
All off-campus classes that are offered for cohorts of students who enter and progress through degree/certification programs together; and
Classes offered for less than three credit hours (one credit-hour course overloads will be adjusted by 0.33 CUE and two credit-hour course overloads will be adjusted by 0.67 CUE)
X. Student Teaching - Colleges other than Education [subject to change]
A. Pre Clinical Experience and Intermediate Experience
For the other colleges, Instructors who teach observational-based courses that are required as part of teacher certification programs will receive CUEs that match the credit hours listed for those courses in the Undergraduate Catalog.
B. Student Teaching
1. School of Allied Health Professions 0.50 CUE per student
2. Liberal Arts and Sciences 0.67 CUE per student
3. Visual & Performing Arts 0.67 CUE per student
C.Travel Time
Other colleges may adopt the Department of Teaching and Learning’s adjustment for number of schools visited or negotiate another alternative to address the issue of travel time.
XI. One-on-one Studio Instruction
Music: Voice and Instrument 0.50 CUE per student
Art: Art and Design 0.50 CUE per student
XII. COMS Skill/Core Competency/Summer Testing
All assignments in these programs shall be determined in advance by individually negotiated contracts.
XIII. Multiple Preparations
A. If an Instructor’s workload exceeds three (3) different preparations per semester or four (4) per year, an adjustment of 1 CUE will be awarded for each new preparation beyond these limits.
In counting preparations, the following shall not be included: KNPE activity classes, zero credit courses, 500-600 level courses, laboratory sections of courses, studio instruction, practica, internships, independent study, nursing clinicals, student teaching, and other courses that do not require substantial preparation.
B. For any combination of KNPE activity courses for majors and nonmajors, an adjustment of 0.66 CUE will be awarded for each different preparation beyond five (5) per semester or seven (7) per year.
XIV. Mileage Adjustment
A. No mileage adjustment is given if only one off-campus course is assigned to an employee in a given semester.
B. For the second and each additional off-campus course that is assigned in a given semester, an adjustment of .04 CUEs will be awarded for each required round-trip of more than 60 miles up to a maximum of 1 CUE per course. Mileage is to be determined from the department’s main office or the employee’s home address, whichever is closer to the site of the off-campus course.
C. Mileage adjustments do not apply to courses involving nursing clinicals, internships, practica, student teaching, and other types of training/instruction conducted in the field and for which travel adjustments are already made.
Mileage adjustments do not apply to instructors who are explicitly hired to staff off-campus sites (e.g., Hoffman Estates and the Rockford Center) or to staff programs that are offered primarily, if not exclusively, at off-campus sites (e.g., Executive MBA and Bachelors in General Studies).
D. These CUE guidelines may be modified to permit monetary compensation in lieu of credit units for travel required by off-campus assignments.
XV. Other Full-Time Positions
Any full-time position that is not covered by the above categories shall be assigned 12 CUEs per semester. These positions will be defined by job descriptions that (a) are developed by Department Chairs in consultation with the affected employees and (b) are approved by the Dean of the relevant college and the Provost.
XVI. Other Non-Instructional Activities
At the sole discretion of the Department Chair and with the prior approval of the Dean of the relevant college, an instructor may be assigned to other non-instructional activities not listed above that directly support the mission of the department. The CUEs to be credited for such activities shall be individually negotiated and mutually agreed upon prior to the commencement of the activity.
The following represent some, but not all of the, activities that can support the mission of a department.
Working on curriculum development;
Serving on University, College, or Department committees;
Writing grant proposals;
Engaging in scholarly or artistic endeavors;
Holding office in a professional organization;
Evaluating student portfolios or recitals;
Database creation and management.
XVII. Extra Compensation
Instructors frequently perform extra duties that are not easily converted into credit unit equivalencies. These duties include, but are not limited to, such diverse activities as the following:
Making occasional presentations in seminars, workshops, or other classes;
Preparing cadavers for anatomy courses;
Proctoring GMAT exams;
Participating in other testing programs;
Serving as day trip or summer camp director;
Providing language interpretation for foreign dignitaries while on campus;
Opportunities to earn extra compensation will continue to be available for Instructors through individually negotiated contracts.
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