Teaching Loads at IU Indianapolis
IN-POL-TC26
About This Policy
- Date of Last Review/Update:
- 03-24-2026
- Responsible Campus Administrator:
-
IU Indianapolis Faculty Council
Faculty Affairs Committee
- Policy Contact:
IU Indianapolis Faculty Council, ude[dot]ui[at]licnuocf
Office of the IU Indianapolis Provost, ude[dot]ui[at]tsvrp
Policy Statement
Teaching Loads: Full-Time Faculty
The Trustees of Indiana University have established an expectation that faculty in most schools on the IU Indianapolis campus will teach six sections per academic year, taking into account the higher research expectations of this campus in comparison with the regional campuses where eight sections per year is the norm. However, the Trustees also recognize that the actual teaching assignment for an individual can best be determined at the department or school level. For this reason, the Trustees have set specific expectations for departments and schools in terms of the whole unit instead of individuals. As long as the department or school is meeting its expected capacity, individual faculty may have differentiated teaching assignments to take into account research, administration, professional service, and service to the university. Department chairs and deans are responsible for establishing the teaching assignments of individuals consistent with the expected capacity of the whole unit.
Overload Teaching: Full-Time Faculty
Credit and non-credit courses taught in addition to a normal load are considered overload. "Normal load" is evaluated in the context of the faculty member's academic unit and is equivalent to the unit's and the institution's estimate of a full-time combination of teaching, research, and service functions.
Therefore, amounts of time and remuneration are not to exceed the guidelines stated in University Policy BOT-34 (formerly UA-17) B.1.a “Conflicts of Commitment and Ghost Employment-Faculty.” Prior notice to, and approval by, the faculty member's administrative officer are required before the beginning of overload activity. A faculty member may not teach regularly on an overload basis within the department or school to which that faculty member has been appointed. In real life, almost all overloads are within the same unit. However, we discourage repeated overloading. Questions concerning faculty overload which cannot be resolved at the academic unit level should be referred to the Office of Academic Affairs at IU Indianapolis.