Compensation for the Supervision of Directed-Study Experiences

 

Instructor Login

As of fall 2016, the supervision of “directed-study experiences” generates workload credit for instructors at Skidmore. Directed-study experiences include theses, independent studies, and collaborative research taught at all levels of the curriculum and under all course rubrics, including ID, GN and HF.

 

How It Works

The number of semester-hours of credit overseen by faculty is tallied in each instructor’s HELIOS account and viewable through the login page. Accounts are updated mid-semester, after late-adds are processed by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS).

Example: An instructor who supervises two, 3-credit independent studies in the fall semester and two, 4-credit thesis projects in the spring semester will have earned 14 semester-hours of credit by the end of the academic year.

In April of each year, instructors decide whether to receive a stipend or continue to accumulate semester-hours of credit. Once 60 hours is reached, faculty may request one course release towards their 3-2 load (or equivalently, 3-4 credits towards their 18–20 hour load). Although this latter form of compensation may be referred to as a “course release,” in actuality it represents a mechanism for factoring into the teaching load the work that occurs when faculty supervise directed-study experiences.  

When faculty request a stipend, they receive compensation for all accrued credit and the balance is reset to zero. Stipends will be paid at $220/credit (the prorated equivalent of a $9,086 stipend for filling a 4-credit course with 10 students).  

Stipends and course releases are requested in April. Payouts and release approvals occur in May–June, after consultation with chairs and program directors.