IST_AC-38: Compensation Opportunities for Development of Courses

1. Purpose and Scope

Creating and maintaining high‑quality courses is fundamental to teaching in the College of IST. Establishing distinct support and compensation pathways for course development and redesign is critical to valuing faculty work. This work exists in the context of programmatic and departmental needs, a university expectation for curricular coherence, and a college expectation to create shared content between modes and instructors.

The policy:

• Defines the criteria, expectations, and commitments associated with Support Option A, a full‑course development or substantial redesign process for a critical course, with either a course release or supplemental salary
• Describes a qualification and approval process for determining whether a course is eligible for Option A—i.e., considered a critical course
• Outlines alternative support options (B, C, and D) for course‑related work that does not meet Option A eligibility thresholds

This policy is specific to College of IST courses that Department Heads, in consultation with Undergraduate Program Coordinators or Graduate Directors (curriculum leaders) and the appropriate Associate Dean, determine are critical courses. Critical courses support current high‑priority curriculum initiatives for the Department and/or College. Only courses receiving this designation are eligible for consideration in Option A of this policy. Other courses may be eligible for support through various other College programs (Options B, C, and D).

2. Option A: Full Course Development or Substantial Redesign

2.1 Definition

Option A supports the development of a new course or the substantial redesign of an existing course that has been designated as a critical course supporting a current high‑priority curriculum initiative and that is intended to:

• Serve one or more IST degree programs
• Be taught by and shared among multiple instructors
• Contribute to long‑term curricular coherence across delivery modes

Projects approved under Option A receive either:

• One course release after completion and approval of all deliverables, or
• Supplemental salary during the development period

If course-release compensation is selected, the faculty member will receive a one-course release in a semester following the completion of all approved course materials (all faculty, however, must teach at least one course per year). The timing of the release may be delayed if an immediate release is not feasible due to teaching responsibilities planned months earlier or faculty preferences.

If supplemental salary ($10,000) is selected, it will begin when work commences. Continuation of supplemental pay is evaluated as plan milestones are met.

2.2 Qualification and Approval Process

Eligibility Determination

• The Department Head(s), in consultation with curriculum leaders and the appropriate Associate Dean, determines whether the course is designated as a critical course eligible for Option A or whether an alternative option (Option B, C, or D) is more appropriate
• New (proposed) courses may be considered - including courses that are initially offered as a *97 (e.g., 297) – providing the project milestones will include submission to the Faculty Senate through CIM.

Initial Collaboration and Planning

For courses approved as eligible for Option A:

• Undergraduate courses: Department Head (DH), Program Coordinator (PC), and the Course Champion (if assigned) consult with (or recruit) faculty course developer about details of the initial proposal. If a course is critical to multiple programs, then more than one DH or PC may be consulted and included in the approval sequence.
• Graduate courses: Graduate Program Director(s), and all Department Heads consult with (or recruit) a faculty course developer on details of the initial proposal, because graduate programs currently span the college. The graduate director will coordinate closely with the department of the intended faculty developer in order that the chosen compensation is understood and planned for by their department.
• Scope of Work (SOW) Development
  If approved for Option A, the faculty developer, Department Head, Program Coordinator(s) or Graduate Program Director(s), and Course Champion (undergraduate only) jointly define and document:
  • All stakeholders, including a designated faculty reviewer (a curriculum leader, course champion, or additional faculty member)
  • Course purpose and scope
  • Explanation of the college priority this project addresses
  • Required deliverables
  • Milestones and timeline for development
  • Plans for both in‑person instruction (residential synchronous or hybrid), and remote asynchronous delivery (World Campus or other online offerings)
  • Expectations for submitting a related course proposal to the Faculty Senate in CIM (if applicable)

Scope of Work (SOW) Approval

Work under Option A may not begin until the Scope of Work is reviewed and approved by:

1. Department Head(s)
2. Program Coordinator(s) or Graduate Program Director(s)
3. Course champion (undergraduate only)
4. Faculty reviewer (if different from b or c)

2.3 Development Expectations

Faculty approved under Option A must:

• Complete all work as outlined in the SOW, on the timeline that is specified
• Work closely with the Learning Design team
• Ensure accessibility compliance
• Provide guidance on AI use in learning and evaluation
• Complete materials to the agreed standard for both instructional modalities (in person and remote asynchronous). Though an in-person course may not be envisioned as a World Campus offering, preparing a remote asynchronous format provides readiness for events that would preclude instructors and students from coming to campus (e.g., extreme weather, facilities damage, threat, or disease outbreak) and readiness for offerings on the Digital Learning Cooperative (DLC) when needed.

Upon completion of the project, the following stakeholders must review and approve the course materials to ensure it meets the expectations and deliverables agreed upon at the outset.

1. Department Head(s)
2. Program Coordinator(s) or Graduate Program Director(s)
3. Course champion (undergraduate only)
4. Faculty reviewer (if different from b or c)

2.4 Teaching and Sharing Commitments

Faculty receiving Option A support agree to:

• Teach the newly developed course at its next scheduled offering
• Support at least two subsequent offerings or provide transition guidance to future instructors
• Share all approved course materials with departmental and program colleagues and campus partners when requested
• Assist colleagues with guidance or training, as needed, in effectively teaching the course

Approved by Andrea Tapia, dean, 01/29/2026