VHCC TEACHING FACULTY
BUSINESS, HUMANITIES, AND SCIENCE DIVISION
[Reference: Section 3.5 Faculty Responsibilities - VCCS
Policy Manual]
VHCC teaching faculty members report directly to the dean of their assigned
division. The primary responsibility of teaching faculty is to provide quality
instruction within their area(s) of expertise. The major emphasis is on
teaching, by working with students in and out of the classroom, laboratories, individual
conferences, and related activities to help the students develop their interests
and abilities to the fullest capacity to become better persons, better workers,
and better citizens. To accomplish this goal, specific responsibilities of
teaching faculty include the following:
- Classes: Faculty teaching loads during the academic year include
such combinations of day, evening, and weekend classes as the needs of the
College require. Twelve-fifteen (12-15) credit hours and fifteen-twenty
(15-20) contact hours per semester are required for all full-time faculty.
For the purpose of workload calculations, every lecture hour equates to one
(1) credit hour and one (1) contact hour; and every laboratory hour equates
to one-half (1/2) credit hour and one (1) contact hour. When the number of
credit hours falls below twelve (12) because of the number of laboratory
hours involved, the number of contact hours is increased to bring the
teaching load to the minimum of twelve (12) credit hours (utilizing the
standard of two (2) laboratory hours equal one (1) credit hour) or to a
maximum of twenty-four (24) contact hours.
Faculty teaching loads are calculated for the academic year, with a teaching
load less than or in excess of normal for the Fall Semester being
compensated for with adjustments in teaching load in the Spring Semester.
A faculty teaching load may also be adjusted by the College to take into
consideration such factors as the use of instructional assistance, team
teaching, the use of non-traditional instructional delivery systems, special
assignments, and curriculum development. Curriculum development should be
primarily for the development of a new program or new course in a program
and/or the complete revision of an existing course or program.
Teaching-load adjustments are expressed in terms of an equivalent teaching
load for the purpose of computing a faculty member's total teaching load.
See Section 3 for further details on faculty workload.
- Class Preparation Time and Office Hours: The typical faculty
member will probably spend 15-30 hours per week in preparation for
instruction, evaluation of student work, and professional study in relation
to his/her classes. To promote the availability of faculty to work with
individual students, each full-time faculty member is required to post on or
near the office door a minimum of 10 hours per week as office hours to be
available to work with students on their individual academic and
occupational problems. Part-time faculty are required to provide for student
advising and related activities a minimum of one hour per week for each
course credit taught; these hours are to be posted in an appropriate
location.
Due to distance learning, off-campus assignments, or use of technology to
service students, faculty may post a minimum of 7 hours per week as office
hours with 3 additional flexible hours to cover alternative communication
with students. The appropriate division dean must grant approval of the
alternative hours.
- Service to the College: In addition to teaching responsibilities, faculty
members are expected to contribute to the development of the entire College
program. While the extent of such participation will vary according to
instructional requirements and individual preference, it is estimated that
approximately two-ten (2-10) hours per week will be devoted to actions such as
committee work, program planning, student advising, and other designated College
activities.
- Curriculum Development and Instructional Improvement: One of the major goals of
VHCC is serving the educational needs of the community. To ensure that the
programs and courses offered by the College are effectively meeting this goal,
each faculty member will be fully engaged in implementing institutional
effectiveness activities related to assigned areas including, but not limited
to, the following: strategic planning, program review, student outcomes
assessment, and core competency assessment, using a variety of measures and
institutional data to improve programs and instruction as determined necessary
and appropriate.
- Professional Activities and Community Service: In addition to teaching
effectiveness, faculty members are expected to engage in and contribute toward
the good of the College and its community. This requires that faculty members
maintain current competence in their disciplines or specializations and that
they share their expertise, time, and talents with the larger college community.
Performance in this category will be measured not only by membership or
affiliation but also by the quality of the contributions made by faculty members
toward these endeavors. See Section 3 for list of suggested activities.
VATNP TEACHING FACULTY MEMBERS
VATNP teaching faculty members are under the general supervision of the VHCC Dean of Nursing & Allied Health and are responsible for providing quality instruction based on best practices of nursing education. To accomplish the goal, specific responsibilities of VATNP faculty include the following:
- Classes: Faculty teaching loads during the academic year include such combinations of day, evening, and weekend classes as the needs of the College require. Twelve-fifteen (12-15) credit hours and fifteen-twenty (15-20) contact hours per semester are required for all full-time faculty. For the purpose of workload calculations, every lecture hour equates to one (1) credit hour and one (1) contact hour; and every laboratory or clinical hour equates to one-half (1/2) credit hour and one (1) contact hour. When the number of credit hours falls below twelve (12) because of the number of laboratory hours involved, the number of contact hours is increased to bring the teaching load to the minimum of twelve (12) credit hours (utilizing the standard of two (2) laboratory hours equal one (1) credit hour) or to a maximum of twenty-four (24) contact hours.
Faculty teaching loads are calculated for the academic year, with a teaching load less than or in excess of normal for the Fall Semester being compensated for with adjustments in teaching load in the Spring Semester.
A faculty teaching load may also be adjusted to take into consideration such factors as the use of instructional assistance, team teaching, the use of non-traditional instructional delivery systems, special assignments, and curriculum development. Curriculum development should be primarily for the development of a course in the nursing program and/or the complete revision of the existing program or individual course.
Teaching-load adjustments are expressed in terms of an equivalent teaching load for the purpose of computing a faculty member's total teaching load.
See Section 3 for further details on faculty workload.
- Class Preparation Time and Office Hours: The typical faculty member will probably spend 15-30 hours per week in preparation for classroom and laboratory or clinical instruction, evaluation of student work, and professional study in relation to his/her classes. To promote the availability of faculty to work with individual students, each full-time faculty member is required to post on or near the office door a minimum of 10 hours per week as office hours to be available to work with students on their individual academic and occupational problems. Part-time faculty are required to provide for student advising and related activities a minimum of one hour per week for each course credit taught; these hours are to be posted in an appropriate location.
Instructional responsibilities for all VATNP faculty include
• Participate in curriculum planning including, but not limited to developing course outlines, clinical focus guides, student evaluation tools, and multi-sensory teaching tools.
• Engaging students in classroom learning activities to promote critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills.
• Planning clinical assignments in cooperation with clinical agency nursing personnel to provide maximum educational learning experience for the students.
• Guiding, directing, and supervising the students in their classroom, laboratory, or clinical assignments.
• Assist students to identify and implement interventions to promote success.
• Assembling necessary equipment for instruction.
• Planning conferences with representatives of clinical agencies as needed.
• Mentoring or assisting adjunct faculty and full-time faculty.
• Maintaining documentation in the electronic course file as required.
- Service to the VATNP and the College: In addition to teaching responsibilities, faculty members are expected to contribute to the development of the VATNP and their assigned college. While the extent of such participation will vary according to instructional requirements and individual preference, it is estimated that approximately two-ten (2-10) hours per week will be devoted to actions such as committee work, program planning, student advising, and other designated College activities.
- Curriculum Development and Instructional Improvement: One of the major goals of VATNP is preparing nurses to meet healthcare of the community. To ensure that the programs and courses offered by the program are effectively meeting this goal, each faculty member will be fully engaged in implementing institutional effectiveness activities related to assigned areas including, but not limited to, the following: strategic planning, program review, student outcomes assessment, and core competency assessment, using a variety of measures and institutional data.