Guidance for Summer Sessions appointments in L&S

This document outlines common appointment guidelines for instructional appointments in the College of Letters & Science during Summer Term. This page has been updated for Summer 2024.

Updates for Summer 2024

We have been exploring different options to simplify the compensation method for instructors and TAs, and are implementing the following approach:

  1. Modifying appointment dates. In most cases, the length of the appointment will be one week longer in advance of the course session.

  2. Modifying standard appointment percentages. Many instructors in Summer ‘24 will have different appointment percentages than in previous summers.

The following resources are available:

Appointment levels - Instructors

The following guidance applies to instructional summer appointments for Faculty, Academic Staff & Lecturer (SA)s.

1) Appointment dates

Summer instructional appointments will typically include one week of prep. E.g., an instructor teaching an 8-week course will be appointed for 9 weeks.

2) Appointment percentages

Standard appointment levels for instructors teaching three credit courses are listed in table below.

Standard Instructor Appointment Levels
Session Length Appointment Length Appointment Level
4-week course 5 weeks 90.0%
6-week course 7 weeks 64.5%
8-week course 9 weeks 50.0%

Less common scenarios

  • For courses that begin the first contract week of summer, the additional week will be added to the end of the appointment.
  • Instructors with back-to-back courses may be paid an additional week at the end of their second course.
  • Instructors teaching 13 & 14 week courses will not have additional time added. Instead, their appointment percentage will be increased to compensate for the prep week:
    • 13-week courses: 35.0%
    • 14-week courses: 32.5%
  • Other scenarios not listed will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by L&S Teaching & Learning Administration in consultation with L&S HR.

Procedure

  • Instructor appointment levels will be reviewed at the time of the Summer Budget Proposal. Approved appointment details will be listed on the Expense Details report.
    • Appointment levels will be discussed with the Academic Associate Dean, with input from L&S Teaching & Learning Administration, Budget Office and Human Resources. Departments may be required to obtain Executive Committee approval for non-standard compensation levels.
    • Approved appointment details will be listed on the Expense Details report.
  • Any changes needed after the initial proposal process may be requested through the L&S Instructional Staffing Request Form (instructions).
  • Departments may contact teach.learn@ls.wisc.edu for assistance in finding past appointment levels or calculating an appointment percentage.
  • See below for appointment letter procedures.

Appointment levels - Teaching Assistants

Appointments for Teaching Assistants are based on the approximate number of hours needed for the appointment. Each TA will receive a workload, which outlines the duties associated with a specific TA appointment.

1) Appointment dates

Departments may add an additional week of prep time, similar to instructors. E.g., the TA appointment for an 8-week course may span nine weeks.

2) Appointment percentages

Teaching Assistants are often appointed at similar levels to the instructors. Some common appointment levels are listed below. The appointment level is ultimately determined by the number of hours needed for the appointment.

Common TA Appointment Levels
Session Length Appointment Length Appointment Level
4-week course 5 weeks 90.0%
6-week course 7 weeks 64.5%
8-week course 9 weeks 50.0%

Less common scenarios

  • For courses that begin the first contract week of summer, the additional week may be added to the end of the appointment.
  • TAs with back-to-back courses may be paid an additional week at the end of their second course.
  • TAs in 13 & 14 week courses will not have additional time added. Instead, their appointment percentage will be increased to accommodate their hours.
  • Other scenarios not listed will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by L&S Teaching & Learning Administration in consultation with L&S HR.

Procedure

Summer Term Chair compensation

  • Departments are permitted to create paid appointments for a Summer Chair, paid on the Summer 131 funding (131-2 A48##93), as long as the department is projected to have adequate surplus.
  • The details of the Summer Chair appointment are approved at the time of the Summer Budget Proposal.
  • Departments may be asked to obtain Executive Committee approval for chair compensation.
  • See below for appointment letter procedures.

Offer Letter Procedure for Summer Instructors, Chairs and TAs

Faculty and renewable Academic Staff (including Summer Chairs)

  • Letters are drafted by L&S HR Business Partners and emailed to departments for review and distribution.
  • The Expense Details report notes either 'Faculty letter drafted by L&S' or 'Renewable Ac Staff letter drafted by L&S' for these appointments.
  • These letters replace the summer MOAs/'green sheets' distributed in prior years.
  • Offer letters to the summer chair may be signed another member of the Executive Committee, preferably the vice or associate chair if there is one. If not, the department administrator may sign. Please contact Ben Weisse with questions.

Short-term Staff (including Lecturer SAs)

Teaching Assistants:

Contingency language for summer letters

Summer offer letters contain additional contingency language related to sufficient enrollment, limitations on summer appointments, and instructor absences.

Enrollment

  • Summer offer letters are contingent upon sufficient enrollment. Enrollment is reviewed in mid-April, when the College distributes preliminary Financial Reports. See the L&S Summer Budget Model KB for additional information on this process.

Limitations on summer appointments

  • Campus policy places limitations on repeated summer appointments for C-Basis employees: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5032
  • Faculty should check with the Graduate School about any combination of Summer Graduate School Research Grant funding and summer teaching assignments; departments may need to have back-up plans for covering a course if a faculty member receives such funding and becomes unavailable to teach.

Instructor absences

  • Given the compressed format of summer courses, it is essential for instructors to be present for all scheduled class sessions. Absences from campus for non-emergency situations will not be approved.
  • The class must meet for roughly the same amount of time as during the academic year, and adhere to the schedule published in the Course Guide.
  • While instructors teaching online courses may not be present in a physical classroom, they are expected to be available to their students for the entire session in which they are teaching and in a manner that meets the needs of students at the same level of quality that it would if the course originated from a campus base (quality of network connectivity, response time, etc.). See L&S Foundational Criteria for Online & Hybrid Instruction.

Primary Contacts for L&S Administration

  • L&S Teaching & Learning Administration
    • Cathy Yu, Administrative Assistant for Teaching & Learning Administration
    • Lynne Prost, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Affairs
    • Shirin Malekpour, Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning Administration
  • L&S Budget Office


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OwnerCathy Y.GroupL&S KB
Created2018-09-10 08:49:09Updated2024-01-30 16:29:45
SitesL&S KB
CleanURLhttps://kb.wisc.edu/summer-appointments
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