When Course Redesign Is Assigned, Off-Load Must Follow
SAFA is hearing from faculty across several schools who are being asked to complete substantial course redesign work such as rewriting materials and modules, mentoring colleagues, or other duties, despite having a full CCH load. When they ask their Academic Chairs (ACs) for a CCH equivalent or “off-load” for this work, they are told that ACs are no longer permitted to provide CCH equivalent.
This issue was raised at a recent Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) meeting. We heard there were discussions where SAIT Executive Management stated that there is a process in which ACs can apply to give a faculty member CCH equivalent, with the final decision made by the Vice-President, Academic. We are unclear if ACs are utilizing this process or just saying no.
SAFA’s position is that this approval structure is being used to avoid properly accounting for major course redesign work within faculty workload. Under the Faculty Workload Guidelines, significant planning, course updates, curriculum development, and specialist work such as mentoring are Professional Duties. But curriculum work must be more than loosely “recognized” as PD in theory — it must be assigned a CCH equivalent value within workload so that the total workload remains within the limits of the Collective Agreement. When faculty are directed to perform substantial redesign work without an assigned CCH equivalent to account for that time, SAFA’s position is that the employer is sidestepping the workload framework required by Section 36 and the Faculty Workload Guidelines.
If you are asked to perform these types of duties and, in doing so, your work week is consistently beyond 37.5 hours, this is a legitimate workload complaint. SAFA recommends that you track your hours, particularly time spent on CCH, Class Management Activities, and Professional Duties, on a weekly basis. Clear documentation can help demonstrate how this extra work is putting you beyond 37.5 hours per week.
Please contact the SAFA office about any of these concerns or to learn how to file a workload complaint.
In solidarity,
Craig Coolahan
SAFA Labour Relations Officer
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In Case You Missed It: LAPP Buy-Back Webinar
SAFA members in salaried positions (permanent or temporary) who were on leave in 2025, including maternity, parental, or other extended leave without pay, may want to investigate buying back that pensionable service. In general, buying back eligible service can greatly improve your future pension.
LAPP is hosting an online information session on Thursday, March 26 at 1 p.m. for employees who want to learn more about their options and whether a buy-back makes sense for them. This notice was previously shared in the Monday, March 16th SAITNow Bulletin – see that email for more details.