• The Part-Time Faculty Outreach Coordinator offers support to part-time faculty members.
• You can connect with Acadia Puddester by email, ptcoordinator@acadiafaculty.ca
• Learn more about the position HERE.

• According to Article 58 of the 16th Collective Agreement, part-time faculty are those employees who hold one or more per course teaching appointments and who are not full-time faculty members.
  • At Acadia, part-time faculty members are represented by the university’s faculty union: the Acadia University Faculty Association or AUFA.
  • This is unlike many other universities where part-time faculty are organized into a separate union. Part-time faculty at Acadia are employed under the terms of Article 11 of the 16th collective agreement between AUFA and Acadia’s board of governors.

Precedence is a term that is used to refer to the duration and extent of a part-time faculty member’s contributions to per course teaching at the University.

To obtain precedence, part-time faculty members complete a period of probation, which is the equivalent of nine (9) credit hours taught over a period of two academic years. At this point, part-time faculty members have completed their probationary period and will have achieved precedence. A part-time member accrues precedence based on credit hours (this includes those courses taught during the probationary period).

This information is recorded on a Precedence List, which includes the names and credit hours of part-time faculty members who have completed the probationary period. This list is updated, and circulated, three times a year. It is advised that all part-time faculty members check the accuracy of the Precedence List when it is circulated.

• Conversion is a process offering the opportunity for part-time faculty to convert to a permanent employment at Acadia. Some basic principles of the process include:
  • A part-time faculty member must complete a probationary period (outlined in Articles 11.12 (d) and (e))
  • They must then subsequently teach a full-time course load over a period of three academic years (including intersession).
  • This process allows the part-time faculty member to convert their part-time position to the full-time Instructor appointment.

  A more complete description of the benefits of the conversion process (see Article 11.14 ) is included in the next section.

Acadia pays on a monthly basis on the last working day of the month. If you signed your contract prior to the 15th of the month, you should receive a paycheque at the end of that month. If you have not been paid, contact Payroll in Human Resources < payroll@ACADIAU.CA >. 

For the 16th CA, pay increases will take place in January and July.  Acadia also follows a precedence system. With the precedence system, there are two levels of seniority – precedence level 1, which you reach after teaching 24 credit hours, and precedence level 2, which you reach after teaching 60 credit hours.  

Your salary will increase as you achieve the next precedence level. Appendix I of the 16th CA sets out the stipend amounts for each level in the precedence system. A Precedence Report is published three times a year, which will identify the number of credit hours you have earned and will assist you in confirming your precedence level. Please check your paycheque to ensure that your salary reflects your precedence level.  

• As an AUFA member, you will automatically contribute dues and these are deducted from your monthly paycheque. The calculation for this amount is called the mil rate and is currently .012. To calculate your union dues, multiply your total gross salary by .012.  

• Your earnings statement (i.e. pay stub) is divided into two categories: income and deductions.  For income, you have a line item for each course that you are teaching and an item for benefits. See the section on benefits to understand your benefit level.  

AUFA has extended access to important benefits for part-time faculty, many of which are now available on equal terms with full-time faculty. These benefits cover resources and materials, research dissemination and professional development, as well as access to group insurance and health benefits. While the 16th Collective Agreement covers all of these topics in detail, a number of key benefits include:

• The use of appropriately furnished shared office space shared with no more than two other people (11.15a)
• Access to the same Travel and Professional Allowance fund (25.54) and University Research Fund (25.55). as well as reimbursement for eligible expenses up to $100 CAD per course appointment
• The same access to administrative supports and resources as full-time employees, such as library services, printing, scanning, and photocopying as well as access to a laptop (and associated software) if needed (11.15b)
• An individual recreation facility pass(11.17e)

Part-time members are not enrolled in a health plan, but do receive a monetary amount in lieu of accessing benefit programs at Acadia. There are 3 benefit levels: 0%, 4% and 5%. Part-time faculty who have some other employment arrangement with Acadia and are already enrolled in a health plan fall under the 0% category. Part-time faculty who are members of the pension plan (see the section on pension plan to understand if you are eligible) are part of the 4% category. All other part-time faculty fall into the 5% category. The percentage is multiplied by your gross salary (i.e. the total amount that you are paid to teach).  

Most part-time members will be eligible for the faculty pension plan, the Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP). A part-time member will automatically enter the pension plan once they have taught at least two courses over four consecutive months. For example, a part-time member who teaches two courses in a single semester will qualify and begin contributing to the pension plan. If, after entering into the pension plan, your course load drops below two, you are still a member of the pension plan as long as your employment is continuous. Articles 11.17 (c) and 23.10 of the Collective Agreement address faculty pensions. 

Precedence offers some employment stability and security to part-time faculty whose positions are otherwise contingent. Some benefits of inclusion on the Precedence List include:

• Stable institutional affiliation under the title of “Teaching Affiliate”
• Continuing library privileges, email account, and access to the Travel and Professional Allowance Fund (25.54) and the University Research Fund (25.55)
• Priority consideration for each application made to per course appointments (Article 58)

After a Part-Time Member is placed on the precedence list, they will have continued institutional affiliation with Acadia under the designation of Teaching Affiliate (see Article 11.21). This Teaching Affiliate designation is continuous so long as you are on the precedence list.  

As a Teaching Affiliate, you will:  

• have Library rights and services;  
• have an Acadia e-mail account; 
• be listed on Academic Unit and University webpages;
• maintain access to professional development funding accrued during employment;
• be invited to attend Spring Convocation.  

Per-course conversion means that part-time (per-course) faculty members can convert to a full-time Instructor position if certain conditions are met. Once you become an Instructor under Article 11.14 of the CA, you have the choice to apply for tenure and transition to the rank of Assistant Professor. The “path” to conversion begins after you have been placed on the precedence list. 

• 11.14 (a): To convert to an Instructor appointment, you must have precedence and then teach the equivalent of a full-time course load (15 credit hours per academic year) over a period of three consecutive academic years. The academic year (article 1.03) runs from July 1 to the following June 30. At least 60% of the 45 credit hours (15 credit hours a year x 3 years) must be from a single Academic Unit to count towards conversion.   
• 11.14(b): By May 1 of each academic year, Human Resources will compile a list of anyone who is eligible for Instructor conversion, which will then be sent to the Academic Unit Head of which you obtained your 60% credit hours.  
• 11.14(c) The successful candidate will meet with the Head of the Academic Unit to discuss a number of things such as salary pay grid placement, seniority, and credit towards sabbatical leave (of which your previous three years of teaching the equivalent of a full-time load counts towards sabbatical credit).  
• 11.14(d) You can request to convert as “an interdisciplinary appointment” if you have taught in multiple Academic Units. In this case, the ratio of work in each Academic Unit will depend on the ratio of the number of courses you taught during your 3 year “path to conversion” process. 
• After the meeting with your Chair/Head, letters will be sent to the Dean (see Article 11.14(e – g).
• 11.14(h) After instructor conversion, you have the choice to apply for tenure. If successful, you will be placed at the rank of Assistant Professor.

Under Article 10.09.1, a CLT position that has been filled for five consecutive years will be converted to either a tenure-track position or a CLT Permanent position. If the CLT is converted to a tenure-track position, the regular appointment procedures as outlined in Article 10.50 will be followed. An academic unit also has the choice to waive the tenure-track position and the person who holds the CLT position at the time of this appointment can receive continuing employment (i.e. CLT Permanent). To qualify for a continuing CLT position, you must have five years or more of continuing CLT service or seven years or more of total CLT service.   

Under Article 25.54 of the CA, Part-Time Members have access to the Travel and Professional Development Fund. A Part-Time Member can claim up to $100 from this fund for each 3 CH course they teach in a semester. For example, a Part-Time Member who teaches two courses in the fall semester is entitled to $200 in professional development funding.  

Claims for professional development funds must be submitted before the middle of March each year. Funds that are not used are lost.  

Part-time members who teach Open Acadia courses are allocated their Professional Development Funds during the first 3 weeks of Intersession (i.e. May)  

Eligible expenses can include such things as books, equipment, or other academic materials, as well as conference expenses (see Article 25.57 for other examples).  

To receive reimbursement under this fund, contact the administrative assistant in your academic unit. They will be able to provide you with the correct claims form and any other needed directions.  

• New to Acadia Checklist
  

• Technology Services will set this up for you within 2 weeks of your start date 
• They will contact you via your personal email addresse to let you know when your Acadia email is ready to use.
  

• Use your Acadia email for any interactions with students, colleagues, and the union so that they know you are who you say you are. Remember that your email will be deactivated after your contract ends, so don’t use it to sign up for things, and make sure to back up anything important.  

To find your class list, check:

• Collss.acadiau.ca -> Faculty -> select your course 

OR

• ACORN -> Select your course 
  • Click on Participants in the top left menu 
  • Click on the check box beside First Name/Surname 
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page 
  • Click on the dropdown box beside With the Selected users Choose 
  • Select the file type that you want downloaded

Accessible Learning Services will send you a list of students in your course(s) registered with their services.

Updated lists will be sent throughout the semester for any newly registered students.

There are codes for each accommodation, and you will receive an attachment that explains what each code means. For example, you may see ET (Extra Time), which means 1.5x, or DT (Double Time), which means 2x, etc. 

• Sign into https://moodle.acadiau.ca/login/index.php -> select your course 
• For help using Acorn, (technical issues, course development assistance, etc.), Contact ltid@acadiau.ca 
• If you do not have access to your course in Moodle two weeks before your start date, please contact Human Resources, <payroll@acadiau.ca>. 

• Publishers have sales reps for different departments. 
• Contact your department head to find out which sales rep is assigned to your department.
• For Instructor Desk Copies contact publishers directly.
  

• Contact bookstore@ACADIAU.CA to place your textbook order  
• Or you can contact the bookstore to create an online account to place textbook orders through the bookstore website 

• Copying insubstantial parts of works does not fall within the scope of the Copyright Act and can be done without permission or payment. What is “substantial” is a matter of judgement that involves a qualitative (and not merely quantitative) analysis based on the particular context: there are no fixed percentages or rules for determining substantiality. 
• The library has information on this (maintained by Erin Patterson):  https://libguides.acadiau.ca/copyright  

• Article 17.02 A (i) requires that instructors inform students of the bases of evaluation, and methods of instruction at the beginning of the course (i.e. provide a syllabus). This must be shared with your department head (or administrative assistant) within two weeks after the beginning of the term. Generally, your head will contact you to let you know. 

• Contact the department head for the syllabi. 
• You may also try contacting Acadia employees who previously taught the course for copies of their syllabi and other course materials.  

• Librarians are subject specific and can help students with research and citations
  • A list of librarians & their subject areas can be found at https://library.acadiau.ca/about/people.html  
• Library Subject Guides can be found at https://libguides.acadiau.ca/ 
• Course reserves – https://library.acadiau.ca/using-the-library/course-reserves.html  

• Acadia will provide you with a laptop for use during your contract (Article 17.15 (a)). If you have not been asked about this, contact HR at (902) 585-1197 
• You have the choice of Windows or Mac, but it will depend on availability 
• The university should contact you about your laptop for your first contract, but for subsequent contracts it’s up to you to request a laptop.
  
  • Note: Your laptop is due back to Technology Services within 2 weeks of the end of your contract 

• You should be given access at least two weeks before your contract start date. If you are a part-time member on their probationary period, your access should be maintained until two weeks after your end date (Article 17.15). Part-time members who have precedence have the status of Teaching Affiliate (Article 11.21) and will maintain access to their Acadia accounts as long as they are on the precedence list.
• Note that once access is taken away, you will lose access to your Acadia email, Office 365 account (OneDrive, Teams, Sharepoint, etc.), and may not be able to log in to your Acadia laptop. 

• Visit this page for instructions on how to access the Colleague system and enter student grades