This policy supplements the Faculty Handbook to provide detailed guidelines for assigning faculty teaching workload across all colleges at Alfaisal University. The workload policy will ensure equity and consider the overall faculty activity and productivity in teaching, research, and service.
General Workload Guidelines
All academic staff at Alfaisal University are expected to engage in teaching, research, and service. The base faculty workload is determined as a percentage of effort spent on each activity (teaching, research, and service) per the faculty appointment level as illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1. Faculty workload as per academic rank
| Academic Rank | Teaching (%) | Research (%) | Service (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professorial Rank | 50% | 35% | 15% |
| Lecturer/Instructor | 75% | 10% | 15% |
The precise balance between these categories should be determined by the department chair for each faculty member based on the type of faculty appointment (per Table 1), level of engagement in each category, and formal evaluation process that documents workload productivity (e.g., Faculty Activity Report). The annual evaluation of workload productivity should be considered for the renewal of faculty contract. Exceptions to faculty workload require approval at the college and university level.
Faculty Teaching Workload
As per Alfaisal University Faculty Handbook, faculty members at the professorial rank are expected to teach 10 to 14 credit hours per semester. Instructors, lecturers, and senior lecturers are expected to teach 14 to 18 credit hours per semester. The department chairs in coordination with the college dean must develop a faculty workload plan based on the needs of the department while ensuring equity and allowing individual faculty members to achieve their annual performance goals.
Given the different teaching and research expectations for faculty members, the following two base teaching loads are recommended for full-time teaching staff per 9-month academic year:
Professorial Rank: 6 courses, 9 credit hours per semester.
Lecturer/Instructor: 9 courses, 13-14 credit hours per semester.
Faculty members can be assigned to teach courses offered in their area of specialization for other programs within Alfaisal University irrespective of their college affiliation to meet their teaching obligations. Teaching courses for other colleges or graduate programs within Alfaisal does not constitute an excessive workload for extra compensation if the overall faculty teaching load is within the specified expectations outlined in the Faculty Handbook. When assigning teaching duties, priority should be given to mandatory courses within college, followed by elective courses within the same college, then courses offered by other colleges with the approval of the college Dean.
Credit Hours
As per the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), one credit hour is equal to fifteen contact hours. Where one contact hour should be at least (50) minutes for lecture session and at least (100) minutes for practical or lab session.
- Lecture/Seminar: 1 credit hour = 15 actual contact hours
- Practical/labs: 1 credit hour = 30 actual contact hours
For courses taught by multiple faculty members, the teaching load should be calculated based on the actual contact hours (e.g., 15 contact hours = 1 credit hour for a theoretical lecture).
Base Workload Exceptions
Exceptions to the base workload distribution may be assigned to support funded research, new faculty to establish their research program, and situational department, college, or university needs. Any exception must be submitted in writing to the college dean for an initial approval and the President for the final approval.
Changes to the workload may be assigned if the faculty research and service productivity does not meet expectations as defined by the annual evaluation. The department chair may increase teaching or service workloads with the approval of the Dean for the following reasons:
- Insufficient research productivity
- Lack of research funding following a teaching load reduction
- Insufficient service activities
- To meet the needs of the department