R-04, Memorandum of Understanding on Community College Equivalencies

A. Immediately upon the execution of this Agreement, or as soon as is reasonably possible, representatives of the University Vice President for Community Colleges and representatives of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly shall meet to review the various equivalencies to the semester credit hour standards, set forth in BOR Policy 9-16 (revised), being applied to other modes of instruction and non-instructional activities and duties utilized at the community college campuses.

B. The parties shall be charged with evaluating whether the current equivalencies being applied to the credit hour standards reflect the duties and responsibilities of the workload to which they are being applied. This would include, but not be limited to, clock-hour equivalencies used for determining the contact hour assignments in:

i. clinical instruction in the health field related curricula, e.g., nursing and applied health
ii. laboratory instruction in the sciences
iii. vocational programs

C. The parties shall also review distribution of other teaching equivalencies that result in the release of instructional Faculty from other assignments on each of campuses. This would include the number of credit hours of instruction reduced as a result of other assignments, including, but not limited to:

i. faculty governance
ii. division and departmental administrative duties
iii. curriculum development and evaluation
iv. compliance with accreditation standards and reporting

D. The parties shall prepare and present a report of their findings no later than December 31, 2011. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following.

a. A codification of credit hour equivalencies for each campus, describing:

i. the purposes, functions, and activities to which the equivalencies are being applied,
ii. the number of credit hour equivalencies given for the activities or duties.

b. Recommendations for changes or modifications to the policies, application, or distribution of credit hour standard equivalencies throughout the campuses of the community colleges.

E. The recommendations shall be reviewed, and if agreement can be reached, the parties will enter into a Memorandum of Agreement to replace the provisions of the “CCCM# 2250 July 2001.”