Student Academic Services

Staff Teaching Academic Success Courses

UPDATE:

On November 20, 2024 the UW Board of Deans and Chancellors passed the following guidance on Instruction of Student Academic Success Courses.

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April 8, 2024
The staff teaching Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) records the appropriate use and expectations of qualified professional staff (APS 40.1) teaching credit-bearing student academic success courses to undergraduate students at the University of Washington for the Offices of Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMAD).

The goal of the MOU is to recognize and better enable the contributors of that staff whose teaching is primarily realized in the context of student academic success (“academic success”). It also seeks to clarify roles and responsibilities for approving regularized teaching in undergraduate academic success programs to facilitate UW student services better. Nothing in this agreement is intended to contradict either UW Human Resources policy or the Faculty Code.

Highlights of the Agreement

  1. Allow job descriptions of qualified professional staff in UAA and OMAD to specifically reference teaching for-credit undergraduate academic success courses as a regular duty, using the language agreed upon under IV.a.

  2. Permit qualified professional staff in UAA and OMAD to teach undergraduate academic success courses, as identified by the Vice Provost and Dean of UAA or the Vice President of OMAD, without requiring a specific faculty/academic staff title under language agreed upon under IV.a.

  3. For the purposes of teaching undergraduate academic success courses, UAA and OMAD will have an ongoing exemption from the UW requirement that instructors of record hold a faculty appointment, as currently stewarded by the Office of Academic Personnel (OAP).

  4. UWHR Responsibilities: In alignment with agreed upon language in IV.a, permit qualified professional staff in UAA and OMAD who take on teaching for-credit undergraduate success courses as an overload beyond their standard workload to receive additional compensation for doing so. This work would be compensated through additional pay mechanisms provided and governed by UWHR policies.

ApprovedText for the Job Description (Approved 8.5.2024 by Provost Office)

  1. Boilerplate text for job descriptions that include teaching as a regular responsibility (i.e., not "extra" in any way): Serve as the instructor of record for academic success courses such as [insert name(s) of course(s) here] between [#] and [#] times per academic year. This course(s) promotes academic success by facilitating students’ engagement in their own learning. Specifically, the purpose of this course(s) is to ensure that students are better able to [insert 1-3 learning outcomes]. Teaching this course is a part of this position’s regular duties, does not authorize excess compensation, does not require nor confer a faculty title, and is subject to UWHR policies (e.g., student complaint resolution).
  2. Boilerplate text for Temporary Pay Increase situations – situations in which a person takes on teaching responsibility in an ad hoc manner and for which excess compensation is called for (i.e., other duties remain constant): Serve as instructor of record for [insert name of course here]. This course promotes academic success by facilitating students' engagement in their own learning. Specifically, the purpose of this course is to ensure that students are better able to [insert 1-3 learning outcomes]. Teaching this course is above and beyond the responsibilities explicated in [insert name of staff person]'s job description. Teaching this course does not confer a faculty title and is subject to UWHR policies (e.g., student complaint resolution).

The MOU is in force and effective on April 20, 2024 through June 15, 2027. In the Spring quarter of 2027, a review of the MOU will be undertaken. A formal request to renew this MOU shall be submitted to the Provost by UAA/OMAD leadership to include any proposed changes and the proposed term no later than May 15, 2027.

Read the entire Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding professional staff teaching academic success courses for course credit.

Use the template below to create your departmental or divisional MOU.

Download a Template MOU

University of Washington