Types of Appointments
All INTO OSU instructors are employed directly by OSU, under OSU employment terms. They have a formal reporting line, via the INTO OSU Director of Academic Programs, to International Programs and then to the OSU Provost’s Office. In terms of day-to-day operational matters, academic staff in the INTO OSU Center also have a reporting line to the INTO OSU Center Director, who is employed by INTO OSU and who has overall responsibility for all INTO OSU operations.
Instructors normally receive 12-month fixed term appointments at the rank of Instructor-ESL. Twelve-month appointments include twenty-two days of paid vacation per year plus other benefits as described below. A few employees are appointed on the basis of 9-month appointments. Nine-month appointments include the option to also work up to two and one half additional months in the summer. OSU may also make shorter duration instructor appointments when enrollment or other conditions dictate. Certain academic staff who have primarily administrative responsibilities are appointed as Professional Faculty. Appointments are renewed annually subject to satisfactory performance. Although INTO staff are not currently eligible for tenure, they have, in general, the normal rights and responsibilities specified in the OSU Faculty Handbook.
The Role and Responsibilities of Supervisors
In the line management system, each instructor has a supervisor from the team of Program Managers and Associate Program Managers. The assignment of supervisees to supervisors is agreed in the Academic Management Team forum and is not subject to individual requests or preferences. New staff will be assigned a supervisor before starting. Supervisors may occasionally be changed due to changes of roles, teaching patterns or staffing.
The supervisor acts as a first point of contact for any work-related queries that their supervisees may have. In this role, the supervisor provides professional support and advice. The supervisor will not necessarily be someone with superior knowledge and experience to the supervisee. As outlined above, the supervisor is there to support, advise, manage and engage with the supervisee on a professional level. The supervisor is responsible for managing the Annual Performance Review (APR) in collaboration with each of their supervisees as described in Section 8 below.
The supervisor responsibilities include practical administrative processes such as leave requests; leave forms; monthly time sheets etc. The supervisor thus acts as the first point of contact for any issues relating to absence of any type including sickness, annual leave etc. The supervisor’s schedule will be available to supervisees. Supervisors will advise supervisees of any periods of absence from work.
Supervisors will meet supervisees in confidence if requested in order to provide advice. The supervisor is the first point of contact for any complaints or issues that the supervisee may have. If the complaint or issue cannot be addressed directly to a supervisor, it should then be taken to the supervisor’s supervisor. If the supervisor is unable to answer a supervisee’s query, it is then the supervisor’s responsibility to direct the supervisee to the correct person/place to have it resolved.
Instructor Roles and Responsibilities
Instructor responsibilities in each program are detailed below. An example position description for a 12-month instructor is included in the Appendix.
Instructor Workload
The amount of instructional and administrative duty assigned to faculty at OSU is based on the system of percentages of full-time work known as full-time equivalence or FTE. A full-time teaching load at INTO OSU is defined as 800 teaching hours per year.
Staff who have certain specified non-instructional responsibilities such as advising, program development, or administration will have a reduced number of teaching hours.
Detailed information about the distribution of teaching contact hours across the year and how and when to use leave is included in a separate document entitled ‘Guidelines for Teaching Contact Hours and Leave Usage’ found here on the Info Depot under Faculty.
Instructor Duties Common to All Programs
All teaching appointments include some responsibilities outside the classroom. The following program duties are considered an integral part of program work and acceptance of employment implies a commitment to them on the part of the instructor. Part-time instructor responsibilities are identical in kind, but the amount of non-teaching work demanded of a part-time instructor must be proportionate to that instructor’s FTE percentage.
A. Office Hours – Instructors need to be accessible to their students and others outside of class; they should make certain that students are aware of their regularly scheduled office hours and encourage students to make use of this time. Instructors must keep a minimum of one office hour per week for each course that they teach. Instructors may need to be available extra time at the middle and end of term for grade discussions.
B. Grades and Attendance Reporting – In addition to submitting end-of-term grades, instructors are expected to continually monitor student progress and provide input to their program managers as requested throughout the term. Instructors must post weekly attendance reports to Blackboard.
C. Staff Meetings – Most meetings involve information exchange, which is critical for smooth operation of the program; attendance is expected of all instructors unless vacation or other leave is being taken. Schedule conflicts or other time constraints should be discussed with the relevant program manager. Meetings that involve sharing of less critical information are also held from time to time and are announced as “Optional.” Meetings normally last 50 minutes and may be held more frequently at the beginning and end of term.
D. Orientation and Registration – the INTO OSU academic team plays a key role in the orientation, advising and registration process. These often take place outside of the teaching times and instructors who are not on vacation during these times are likely to be involved in some way.
E. Committee Assignments –Committees and task forces are organized each year to carry out a variety of tasks related to ongoing operations.
F. Treats – Management has no official policy in regard to the tradition of occasional sharing of cookies, cakes, and chocolates. Staff response seems extremely positive, however.
Instructor and Administrative Workload for Special Programs
Special Program positions typically require many hours of out-of-classroom effort. We base the FTE on the number of hours of instruction and on the time required for these non-instructional tasks.
A. All staff members are expected to attend meetings for the program. Besides getting information, you will also be building team cohesion, which is important in Special Programs. Instructors will meet with the whole team as planned by the Program Director, and with other course section teachers on a weekly basis, depending on the program.
B. Instructors may be required to help with intake testing and placement of the students into levels. They may be proctors at the tests, do oral interviewers, and evaluate written essays.
C. Instructors may be needed to accompany students on trips and excursions, sometimes involving overnight stays and time commitment on weekends. Such trips are a part of the assigned course responsibilities. When contracts require staff to accompany students on trips longer than a weekend, such work is generally staffed as a separate work assignment with its own level of FTE.
D. Instructors are expected to attend the Welcome and Farewell Receptions, and any other social events that are officially part of the program.
E. Instructors are expected to have at least one office hour per week for each class they teach during the program. This should be clearly stated to the students and indicated on the schedule outside their office doors.
F. Instructors may be assigned a level of administrative responsibility for a short-term program, a position known as Program Director or PD. The specific tasks of such positions depend on the program and will be stated clearly by the Special Programs Manager (SPM). The FTE varies depending on the program and contract negotiated with the sponsor. The tasks may include developing curriculum, designing courses, and creating materials. PDs are expected to supervise instructors and other staff members during the program. They also interact with sponsors and chaperones and may be asked to help host them. PDs also work with bilingual advisors during programs to solve problems that students may have. They should be available during the duration of the program to deal with emergencies and student problems, or inform the CSP of the times they are not available.
Instructional Staffing Committee
Assignment of staff to particular course assignments is the responsibility of the Staffing Committee. This normally consists of members of the program management team from each program.
At regular intervals the Committee surveys staff as to their duty preferences. As far as is compatible with the institutional needs, staffing decisions are based on such preferences. Acceptance of appointment, however, implies acceptance of any and all duties assigned provided that these are consistent with the position description and with the policies and procedures of Oregon State University.
Instructor Salaries
Salaries for new hires are set on the basis of relevant training and experience. INTO OSU generally grants salary increases based on Oregon State System of Higher Education mandates. The mandated increases may have two parts: cost of living adjustment (COLA) and merit adjustment. COLA increases apply equally to all staff with satisfactory service, while merit increases must be performance-based. The Annual Review process is explained more fully later.
Leaves of Absence/Reduced FTE
Instructors who wish to be absent or reduce their FTE for any period of time should speak to their supervisor in the first instance stating the time frame involved and their reasons for making the request. Applications should be made well in advance of the intended absence. In the past leaves and/or reduced course loads have been occasionally been approved for reasons of supplemental maternity leave, professional work abroad, further professional training, and teacher exchanges. While INTO OSU endeavors to accede to such requests, it should be noted that the first consideration must be the needs of the INTO OSU program and its students.
Administrative FTE
The FTE system is also used in assigning and remunerating administrative duties. The amount of FTE assigned to such tasks varies according to the nature of the task and the amount of time and effort it can be expected to consume. Administrative positions carry additional remuneration as part of the job description. These additions are not permanent components of base salary but rather are in effect only as long as the person remains in the position.
Holders of major non-instructional positions (.60 annual FTE or more in administration) are normally appointed as Professional Faculty and do not have Instructor rank. Other administrative tasks, recurring or non-recurring, may be assigned lesser amounts of FTE. Openings in these areas are normally filled by means of internal searches. Application procedures vary according to position.
Staff Development
INTO OSU encourages instructors to stay abreast of current developments in ESL. Staff development may be supported and encouraged in several areas:
A. Funded Travel – INTO OSU generally provides free travel to local conferences to any interested instructors and provides some support for travel to national conferences when funding is available. In this case the Center Director or Director of Academic Programs issues a call for proposals and distributes funds in a manner that seems most beneficial to the needs of the center. Meal and lodging costs may also be wholly or partially funded with preference going to those who plan to participate in conferences as presenters, panelists, officers, etc.
B. Educational Assistance – When consistent with institutional needs and goals, INTO OSU may provide education and training assistance in a variety of ways: acceding to reduced FTE or leave requests, funding workshop or seminar fees, sponsoring lectures and colloquia, organizing brown bag seminars, etc. Staff who are interested should contact their supervisor in the first instance.
C. Leave for professional purposes – Leave without pay may be granted to any instructor who wishes to engage in an exchange, fellowship or other professional activity for a period of up to one year. Upon their return, instructors re-enter at the same level of responsibility as when they left. Occasionally, INTO OSU, in its work with cooperating institutions and sponsors, may provide direct opportunities for working abroad.
D. Teacher exchange between centers – As of this writing, discussions are ongoing concerning the mechanics of allowing teacher exchanges among the ten UK and two US based INTO centers (or centres, as may be.) There is strong support for this idea.
E. Mentoring and advising – In the past instructors have occasionally served as faculty advisor to a visiting scholar or as a mentor to a College of Education student teacher.
More detail can be found in the Professional Development Plan.
Staff Benefits
Academic staff working at half time or above for periods longer than two months qualify for OSU benefits. New employees should receive a benefits packet within a month of starting work. Benefits packages may change somewhat from year to year and continuing staff often must either confirm or modify their package options during open enrollment periods that occur annually in the fall. More information can be obtained from the OSU Staff Benefits Office. The first place to look is http://oregonstate.edu/admin/benefits.
As OSU instructors, all INTO OSU faculty have standard OSU faculty level access to a number of other programs and services, prominent examples being the Dixon Recreation Center, the OSU Craft Center, the Faculty Staff Fitness Program, and the Employee Assistance Program, which offers counseling and referral services. For more information on benefits, see http://oregonstate.edu/admin/benefits/misc_benefits.html
Staff Tuition Fees
Academic staff who are employed by OSU and who are working at half time or above are eligible to take up to ten hours of OSU classes at reduced rates. To do so, obtain a staff fee request form from Human Resources and have it signed by your supervisor several weeks before the beginning of the term in which you intend to take classes. Certain restrictions apply as to the number of hours allowed per term and the scheduling of those hours during working time. The hours can be assigned to a member of the immediate family. (A note of caution here: in some cases, the difference between normal and staff rates may be considered by the IRS to be taxable income.) Forms are available at http://oregonstate.edu/admin/benefits/staffee.html.
Leave Accrual and Use
All full-time employees accrue 8 hours of sick leave per month. Part-time employees at .50 FTE or more will be credited with a prorated amount. We are allowed to use sick leave to cover absences due to family health emergencies or maternity leave as well as absences caused by personal illness. There is no limit to how much unused sick leave may be accumulated. Employees on 12-month contracts also accrue 15 hours per month of vacation leave. There is a limit on how much vacation leave is accrued. (See link below.)
Note that the way in which an instructor’s absence is dealt with has no bearing on the requirement to declare leave used. Classes may be cancelled, taught by paid substitutes, covered by administrators or covered by other instructors that the absent instructor has contacted. In all cases, however, the instructor who is absent for one day (unless on work related travel) must take 8 hours of leave. Details of OSU leave policies are available at http://oregonstate.edu/admin/hr/leave_admin_pol.pdf. Details of how these policies relate more specifically to the working patterns in the INTO OSU Center can be found in the ‘Guidelines for Teaching Contact Hours and Leave Usage’ document found here on the Info Depot under Faculty.
Vacation Leave Scheduling
Vacation leave is granted only to 12-month instructors and must be pre-approved by the supervisor. Instructors working in the Academic English and Pathways programs must arrange to take their leave during term breaks. Note, however, that the number of ‘term break’ days per year exceeds the number of vacation days allowed. This means that during any given term break, some employees will be on duty, either because they have used up their vacation leave or because they have chosen to delay taken their leave to a later break. When instructors are not using vacation leave during a break, they are required to be engaged in course preparation, curriculum development, or other activities as assigned.
Academic employees who are appointed on a 9-month appointment type do not accrue vacation leave. They are therefore required to be on duty at all times for the duration of their appointment and are required to be engaged in course preparation, curriculum development, or other activities as assigned during any term breaks.
Timesheets
All academic staff must sign monthly timesheets. Blank forms and reminders generally come from Lois Knutson and should be submitted to one’s supervisor. On the form, instructors need to fill out the identifying information at the top and then note any hours of leave taken per workday during the month. Please do NOT put anything on the “Hours Worked” line. For the purposes of this form, one day’s absence is equal to 8 hours of leave taken regardless of the number of class missed that day. The only leave types normally taken by academic employees are sick leave, vacation leave and leave without pay. Academic employees are not eligible for overtime.
Updated October 2014
