Overloads and High-Enrollment

Requests for Degree-granting overload payments are due no later than the first week of each semester, and processed the third week of class (at the add-drop date). The request should include:

• The Overload Request form
• Memo from the Department Chair or Program Director must be submitted along with this form explaining the circumstances for the requested overload

USC Viterbi has two teaching load models: 18 unit and 20 unit models. 

• In the 18 unit model, the teaching faculty profile is 80% teaching, 20% service.
• In the 20 unit model, the teaching faculty profile is ~89% teaching, 13% service.*
• *When transitioning department curriculum, and faculty loads, from the 18 to 20 unit model, the faculty salaries are renormalized in a one-time transaction, adding an additional 2% salary to allow for appropriate service efforts to accommodate the additional 2 units of instruction. 
• (In Viterbi, one instructional unit has been normalized to 4.44% of 100% full-time equivalent (FTE) effort.)
• Therefore, 4.44% per unit x 18 units is ~80% effort, and 4.44% per unit x 20 units is 88.88% effort allocated to instructional efforts. 
• Please refer to the school’s teaching faculty load profile policy.  The policy also indicates how overloads are compensated.
• Please also refer to the Faculty Affairs presentation (February, 2020) on tracking and maintaining loads over the academic year.  
• Generally, no research efforts are assumed for faculty in teaching job codes. 

Teaching in a given semester beyond this normal teaching load is considered to be overload for that semester if other components of the faculty member’s load profile (e.g., 20% service) remain unchanged.  Faculty degree overloads beyond 4 units (or one course) per semester require Provost’s approval and are not guaranteed.  Overloads beyond 8 units (or two courses) per year (and beyond 4 units per semester) for a faculty member are discouraged and may only be considered in exceptional cases involving extenuating circumstances for which strong justification must be provided.

As a general best practice, teaching-track faculty should not carry forward or "bank" units from one year to the next, and certainly never upon the expiration of their faculty contract period. Any additional efforts should be paid to the faculty as Overload during the period. We should strive to pay for all (research/teaching/service) efforts during the period of effort. Tenured faculty, however, may carry forward or "bank" units if the profile allows. 

Part-Time Faculty (less than 100% effort) on part-time job codes, by definition, are not eligible for Overload. 

High-Enrollment Compensation

Understanding that support needed for course instruction in many ways may be impacted by large class sizes above threshold levels, the guidelines summarized here describe increased instructional load/overload support for instructors who teach high enrollment course sections.

• Section Enrollment of 1 - 99 students = 100% unit rate applied to profile.
• Section Enrollment of 100 - 199 students = 150% unit rate applied to profile. 
• Section Enrollment of 200+ students = 200% unit rate applied to profile.

For teaching-track faculty, this weighted, unit rate may be applied towards load or overload on a semesterly basis, anticipating and considering the approvals required per course per semester (see above, and see training presentation). For tenured faculty, this weighted, unit rate is applied to their profile. 

Non-Degree Overload Processing

• Email from Debora Chan-Southwell about Overloads (sent September 13, 2017)
• Overloads request workflow (updated June 5, 2018) - Issued by the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs
• Faculty compensation for non-degree teaching (revised March 6, 2016) - Guidelines issued by the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs
• Faculty compensation for non-degree teaching Viterbi process (revised August 2016) - Viterbi-specific process which refers to March 6 guidelines from the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs

Notes on Research Faculty Overloads

• 12 month, Research faculty paid on federal grants are generally not eligible for overload. To be eligible for an overload, 12 month Research faculty overload efforts must meet all of the following criteria:
  1) The effort has to be finite lived 2) The effort has to be clearly outside of the regular job duties 3) The effort is not a recurring task.  
  Generally, teaching by research faculty (including one-time non-degree payments) does not meet the above criteria. 
• Therefore to accommodate teaching, research faculty reduce their research efforts over the period of instruction, accordingly:
  8.33% for a one unit course, 16.66% for a two unit course, 25% for a three unit course, 33.33% for a four unit course