ECPS Guidelines for Staffing of Courses

  1. Final responsibility for staffing of ECPS courses lies with the Department Head, who makes recommendations to the Dean of the Faculty of Education.
  2. Responsibility for coordinating the staffing of ECPS courses lies with Department Head and Deputy Head in consultation with ECPS Council.
  3. ECPS hires instructors based on appropriate qualifications, degrees, background, expertise, performance in teaching, and relevant experience.
  4. UBC, and thus ECPS, hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
  5. The Department assigns full time faculty teaching loads based on the Faculty of Education workload policy.
  6. Staff support for the development and staffing of the ECPS schedule will be provided by the Administrative Assistant.
  7. Evaluation of programmatic needs will be on-going and changes made to the schedule will reflect programmatic needs.

For full-time tenure track and tenured faculty and sessional lecturers with continuing status

Upon completion of the schedule for the summer, and winter terms 1 and 2, faculty members and sessionals with continuing status will be asked to submit their teaching preferences for the coming year to the Department Head and Deputy Head.

  1. The Summary of Activities (SOAs) of faculty members are reviewed by the Department Head and Deputy Head to consider faculty workloads for the coming academic school year and make appropriate workload recommendations.
  2. The Department Head and Deputy Head will prepare a draft of faculty teaching assignments for review and feedback by the area coordinators through ECPS Council.
  3. Multiple requests to teach the same course will be negotiated with appropriate program area faculty by the Department Head.
  4. Course assignments will be made first to tenure-track and tenured faculty members and next to sessional lecturers with continuing status and subsequently in priority to all other ranks.

For Sessional Lecturers, Visiting Professors, Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows, Adjunct Professors, Noted Scholars and Other Instructor Ranks

  1. Assignments are based upon professional qualifications, appropriate background, expertise, performance reviews demonstrating quality and effectiveness of work performed, departmental need and availability of the instructor.
  2. Available courses will be posted on the Department website and by other appropriate means of distribution by March 1–5 for a minimum two-week period.

For Sessional Lecturers only

  1. Sessional lecturers are appointed in accordance with the Agreement on Conditions of Appointment for Sessional and Part-time Faculty Members between the University and the Faculty Association.
  2. The Department Head and Deputy Head will identify the pool of sessional lecturers eligible for reappointment from the sessional instructors who applied for the posted job opportunities.
  3. Sessional lecturers who are qualified have a right to reappointment based on Departmental need and on performance in teaching in the courses they have taught in the previous twelve (12) months.
  4. Application Process for Current Sessional Lecturers will include:
    • a letter of application or indication of preferences noting availability, desired courses and workload,
    • a current CV including relevant educational background, teaching and research experience, and training, publications, and/or awards and recognition that enhance his/her teaching qualifications.
  5. Application Process for New Current Sessional Lecturers will include:
    • A letter of application noting availability and desired courses,
    • a current CV including relevant educational background and teaching, research experience, and other qualifications for teaching.
    • Names and contact information for two referees who can speak to his/her teaching qualifications.
  6. Appointment and Reappointment Process:
    • The Department Head shall consult as needed with relevant program area coordinators as well as members of the established ECPS Council (including the Head, Deputy Head, Director of Graduate Programs, Director of Undergraduate programs and designated coordinators from each of the five program areas) concerning the appointment or reappointment of Sessional lecturers.
    • Appointment and Reappointment is based upon the following criteria:
      • Qualifications and Background– Education and area of expertise as well as relevant background experience
      • Performance evaluation – This includes both departmental colleague reviews and SCETS.
      • Length of Service – When all other factors are equal, length of service will be used to determine the appointment.
      • NOTE: A decision not to reappoint a Sessional lecturer cannot be exclusively based on student evaluations.
  7. Unexpected course changes/additions will be posted unless it is the result of unforeseeable events.
  8. Non-Renewal of appointment of a sessional lecturer shall be based on consideration of:
    • teaching performance; or
    • inappropriate background or expertise; or
    • lack of funding; or
    • discontinuance or non-scheduling of a course or section of a course; or
    • for just cause as is generally recognized at law

Where a Sessional lecturer is not reappointed due to unsatisfactory performance, the Department may choose to notify him/her of that fact, in writing with a copy to the Faculty Association.

For Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs)

TAs are appointed in accordance with the Agreement between the University and CUPE 2278, Teaching Assistant Component.

The ECPS Department considers it desirable for doctoral students to have teaching experience, although this is not guaranteed for all students. Decisions will be made regarding assignment of TA positions taking into consideration the quality of a person’s teaching, the recommendations of a student’s advisor and program area coordinator and economic need.

TA appointments shall be based on qualifications, relevant background experience, performance reviews (if available), and departmental need.

All TA appointments will be subject to the approval of student’s advisor, who will verify appropriateness of the appointment and the fact that the student has and will continue to make appropriate progress toward his or her degree.

Timeline and responsibility for staffing tasks

Estimated Timeframe Task Person(s) Responsible
November 1 Complete draft of schedule for summer and winter. Update three-year schedule for website Department Head and Deputy Head in consultation with relevant program area coordinators
November 15 Finalize a draft schedule for following summer and winter Department Head and Deputy Head, in consultation with ECPS Council and relevant program areas
December 15 Disseminate schedule to faculty for final changes ECPS Council
January 30 Faculty submit Summary of Activities report for the previous year Faculty members, reviewed by Department Head and Deputy Head to determine appropriate workloads
February 10 Faculty submit requests for teaching load Faculty members, Department Head and Deputy Head
February 28 Assign faculty to courses for summer and winter terms Department Head and Deputy Head (with recommendations from area coordinators and ECPS Council)
March 1–5 Post job announcement for course instructors on departmental web site—due date for application March 15–20 Department Head and support staff
April 30 All courses assigned