The typical course load in the UW Colleges consists of 12 credit hours per semester; any compensated overload (i.e. those courses beyond 299) must have the approval of the Chair.

Under ordinary circumstances, a full teaching load in the Communication and Theatre Arts Department consists of 12 credits, usually 4 three-credit sections.  Faculty members are discouraged from accepting (or designing) a schedule which would necessitate more than three separate course preparations.  Most faculty members can expect to teach the department's core public speaking course each semester. Faculty with Communication and Theatre Arts  131 as part of their academic load must produce one fully realized production per semester; the maximum that can be required is one fully realized production per semester

A lecturer who teaches four sections is considered to be employed at the rate of 80% of full time.  The additional 20% which is awarded to faculty is in recognition of the considerable additional expectations in the form of committee service, research, etc.

Early in the semester, you will receive a form from the Central Office (Madison) asking for you your class "contact hours."  Ordinarily, the number of contact hours is equivalent to the number of credit hours - or the number of fifty minute sessions per week.  In the case of COM 131 (Theatre Laboratory), all faculty should report the following (regardless of the number of actual hours spent):

                                                            Section 1 -- 3 contact hours

                                                            Section 2 -- 2 contact hours

                                                            Section 3 -- 1 contact hour

Performance classes—including Introduction to Public Speaking, Introduction to Acting, and Literature and Performance are capped at 22; other courses have a cap of 35.