Teaching Load; Released or Reassigned Time; Overload

Faculty at UH Hilo have a semester teaching load of twelve credit hours; in practice, for tenured or tenure track faculty, three of those hours are considered released or reassigned time to permit faculty to engage in research and service activities. This released time is granted automatically for tenured and tenure track faculty and does not require approval. In addition, faculty can be reassigned or released from teaching for three or more credit hours to perform certain kinds of administrative tasks such as serving as the chair of the UH Hilo Congress or as a division chair. Chairs of departments which require an unusually large amount of administrative activity may also be granted released time. Faculty time can be “bought out” and reassigned to research with funds from extramural grants. All released time requests must be made in writing to the Dean through the Department Chair (and Division Chair, if appropriate), with final approval resting with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Occasionally, faculty may be compensated for teaching an additional course above the normal teaching load. This overload compensation is paid on a per credit basis according to rank, as provided in the UHPA Contract.

Teaching during the summer session is on a voluntary basis and is determined according to the needs of each department. Summer faculty are compensated on a per credit basis, according to rank, as provided in the UHPA contract.