Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Faculty Workload Analysis as an Evidenced Based Approach to Equity
Robin D. Froman, RN, PhD, FAAN, School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA, Nancy Girard, PhD, Acute Nursing Care, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA, Kay Avant, PhD, Family Nursing Care, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA, and Adrianne Linton, EdD, Chronic Nursing Care, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Explain the use of a faculty and administrative collaborative process to develop a workload analysis tool |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe use of workload analysis in evaluating range of workload within units and across units in a nursing sachool and creating equity of load
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Faculty workload formulas are both the albatross around the neck and the holy grail of administration in nursing education. Usually no one is satisfied with one currently in use, and we continue to seek the perfect formula with no success.
Our faculty and administration decided to take an evidence based approach to workload by conducting an analysis rather than using the prescriptive formula approach. We determined to develop a workload analysis to assess current faculty workloads. We recognized that we had been trying to develop a workable formula in the absence of being able to quantify and describe current practice regarding assignments and professional activities.
The goals of our workload analysis were multiple: to quantify all aspects of the tripartite faculty role, create a quantification scheme applicable across multiple departments, assess within and across departmental workloads, and have an analysis rubric acceptable and useable by both faculty and administration. The development team for the quantification scheme included representatives of both administration (departmental chairs and dean) and faculty (faculty officers of the Faculty Assembly, the governing group of the faculty). Items and weights were generated and negotiated until all were satisfied. The final workload analysis quantification reflects appropriate weighting for teaching (sole instruction and team teaching, didactic, web and clinical), research/scholarship, clinical practice, mentoring, and professional leadership within our university’s expectation. It is applied to individual faculty, by their own and their chairperson’s calculation, as the basic unit of analysis. Within departmental ranges and averages are assessed for equity. Cross department assessment for both individual faculty equity and departmental equity, based upon department size and financial resources, is also conducted. Analysis by semester and across academic year is easily calculated. The workload analysis rubric will be shared and how it is used for equitable, evidence based decision making will be described.