Course Reductions & Replacements

Per the Faculty Handbook, p. 2.9 (Programs in Support of Faculty Development and Research), Bates faculty who seek a one-course or course-equivalent reduction in their regular teaching load are eligible to apply for said reduction for “course development, unusual teaching arrangements and strategies, or other projects related either to the planning or implementation of improvement in teaching. Alternatively, applications may concern specific research projects.” Instructions for applying for a course reduction are found here: http://www.bates.edu/dof/faculty-scholarship/course-reductions-replacements.

The Academic Affairs Council will also consider applications for a unique, one-time (not recurring) course release associated with a major scholarly or instructional project that involves the replacement of the applicant’s course by a temporary instructor who is hired using funds provided exclusively by the Bates faculty member. An example is an extramural grant awarded to the faculty member that contains a budget for the salary and benefits of a temporary instructor who teaches one course, on one occasion, over the lifetime of the grant. Several conditions apply. The Bates faculty member must first obtain approval from the faculty member’s department and/or program chair prior to applying for the course release and replacement by the Academic Affairs Council. The temporary instructor hired to replace the course must show evidence prior to hiring that they can teach undergraduates at the standards expected of a Bates education (consistent with Bates Guidelines for Non-tenure Track Searches, http://www.bates.edu/dof/governance-and-policies/non-tenure-track-faculty-searches/), and the recruitment and selection of the candidate requires the direct and active participation of the department and/or program chair and the dean of the faculty.

Evidence of teaching at a standard expected at Bates might include, for example, effective presentation of a mock course session or strong teaching or teaching-assistant evaluations). This course release and replacement opportunity will be approved based on the merits of the applicant’s proposal, and with an eye to maintaining the quality, integrity, and stability of the curriculum of the department/program and of the College. The applicant must teach full time in the College for no fewer than four consecutive academic years between awards by the Academic Affairs Council (AAC) of this special course release and replacement option.

If a pre-tenure colleague receives significant extramural funding, they are eligible to apply to the Dean of Faculty for a one-course reduction to be taken in their remaining pre-tenure years. If a course reduction is authorized, the faculty member may apply the course release only in years in which they would otherwise carry a full teaching load. Typically, these grant-related course reductions are not replaced; replacement requests must be submitted to the AAC by the chair of the relevant unit by the usual application deadline. There are additional constraints that apply: (1) at least two years of the pre-tenure period must include a full teaching load, and (2) in years when there is a course reduction already planned (e.g., pre-tenure sabbatical, thesis-related course reduction), no additional course releases will be permitted. In unusual circumstances in which a pre-tenure faculty member is involved in significant work on behalf of Bates (e.g., pre-tenure chair duties), a pre-tenure grant-related course release may be added to other negotiated course releases.