1. Introduction
The rules regarding required duties apply to all employees in an ordinary academic position (Professor, Associate Professor / Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer and Lecturer) and persons employed as a PhD Candidate, Postdoctoral Fellow and Adjunct Professor. The numbers specified in the rules for teaching, grading and assessment also apply to short-term contracts for such work that are paid on an hourly basis (part-time teachers, assistant teachers, external examiners, and members of assessment committees).
The academic management (Head of Department) at the unit is responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules regarding required duties. The Head of Department is also responsible for fair distribution of the workload among the employees. This responsibility means that the distribution of tasks is within the employer's managerial prerogative, and that all duties to be recorded in the accounts must be agreed in advance with the Head of Department or his/her representative.
Particular attention must be drawn to the fact that also work outside the faculty must be approved by the Head of Department in advance in order to be counted towards the required duties completed at the department.
Staff must be on site at the university during working hours, unless special reasons indicate that the work should take place elsewhere; such work must be agreed with the Head of Department after he/she assesses its academic merits. It will then be counted towards the normal required duties.
Paid research leave is considered a PhD Candidate period, and is not included in the normal distribution of required duties. The consecutive period of time that can be spent on pure research is regulated by the rules in the faculty's Supplementary rules regarding granting of research leave. The exceptions to the normal distribution of required duties also apply to managers.
2. Plans and reports
2.1. Work plans
Work plans must be drawn up for each member of the academic staff. They must cover research, dissemination, any data collection activities, professional development, teaching and administration of a scope appropriate to each category of position.
At the beginning of the year, part of the work plans will normally form part of the department's teaching plans.
2.2. Recording teaching and administration hours
Teaching (including supervision and assessment of doctoral work) and administration (including assessment of positions) are the required duties for which hours must be recorded. Teaching and administration are documented by means of the department's administration completing forms that show which tasks have been completed by whom. Completed forms are presented to the employees, who can add information or correct the details listed. The forms are finally signed by the employee and the department's management.
Each employee's hourly accounts should virtually balance over time. 'Virtual balance' for teaching permits a surplus/deficit corresponding to one semester's teaching requirement. If an employee's teaching accounts deviate from the required duties by more than the limit for a virtual balance, the virtual balance must be restored within one year by performing more or less teaching and/or administrative duties. There is a ceiling on the registration of surplus hours of two semesters of teaching requirement. Hours in excess of this cannot be recorded in the accounts.
Employees who enter a research sabbatical with more than a virtual balance will have their excess reduced to a virtual balance at the end of the sabbatical, as all hours in excess of one semester's teaching requirement will be struck out.
There is no financial remuneration for surplus hours.
2.3. Research, dissemination, data collection activities and professional development
Hours are not recorded for this part of the required duties. All relevant academic activities must be reported in the national FRIDA research database. Units that organize data collection draw up their own guidelines for reporting such activities.
If it becomes clear that an employee is not fulfilling or is unable to fulfil their research requirement, the local employer may impose a greater teaching or administrative requirement.
2.4. Managers, leave, buy-outs and research sabbaticals
The following applies to employees on leave from their ordinary position or who have been bought out from all or part of their required duties in order to perform management tasks, take a research sabbatical or participate in a project:
- Records are not kept of required duties associated with teaching and administration for employees on research sabbatical, on full leave or who have been fully bought out to participate in a project. Any teaching, in the form of supervision, can be given on a limited basis, and without keeping a record of required duties if the employee requests this.
- In special cases, the Head of Department may grant an exception to this rule by keeping records of the hours for employees on full leave, on research sabbatical or who have a full buy-out until the total surplus corresponds to one semester of surplus time.
- A general exception is granted to the previous rule for Master's students who were admitted before the research sabbatical, buy-out or leave, and who take an examination during the period of the supervisor's research sabbatical, buy-out or leave. Credit will be granted for examinations taken during the period of the research sabbatical, buy-out or leave until the total surplus corresponds to one semester of surplus time (see the guidelines for credit below).
- Surplus hours of up to one semester of teaching requirement earned before a period of management, research sabbatical or buy-out for project participation may be transferred to after the period of management, research sabbatical or project participation.
- Surplus hours can only be reduced after the end of the management period for managers who have been fully bought out or who are on leave from teaching and administration. In other words, leave cannot be taken from the management period in order to reduce surplus hours.
- It is within the employer's managerial prerogative to distribute buy-out from positions between research and teaching duties, and for this to follow an assessment of the department's total needs.
3. Definitions
Definition of tasks within the required duties:
- Research – own research, and planning and facilitation of own research. Professional development.
- Teaching – teaching, preparation and after-work in connection with own teaching, examination work, supervision of students, including doctoral students, assessment of doctoral theses, continuing education and distance learning.
- Administration – the academic community's planning of teaching and research, assessment of applicants for academic positions at their institution, required participation on ad hoc‑committees, boards and councils.
- Dissemination – sharing of knowledge of scientific methods and results, and documentation from data collection activities.
- Data collection activities include collection and registration of material and immaterial forms of cultural expression and research, and dissemination in these areas. Such activities can comprise all or part of a position.
4. Academic positions – required duties
The required duties for academic staff in full-time positions amount to net working hours of 37.5 hours per week, 7.5 hours per day, or 1695 hours per year for employees under the age of 60 (with a deduction for 5 weeks of holiday and movable public holidays). This corresponds to 1657.5 hours per year for employees who turn 60 by 1 September of the holiday year (with a deduction for 6 weeks of holiday and movable public holidays).
The required duties are distributed as follows:
4.1 For persons employed as a Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and in research positions with a teaching requirement:
- Required duties: 1695 hours (1657.5 hours)
- Research/dissemination: 45–47%* = 763–797 hours (746–779 hours)
- Teaching: 45–47% = 763–797 hours (746–779 hours)
- Administration: 6–10% = 102–170 hours (99–166 hours)
For employees over the age of 62 (deduction for an extra week of holiday and twelve 7.5-hour days):
- Required duties: 1567.5 hours
- Research/dissemination: 45–47%* = 705–737 hours
- Teaching: 45–47% = 705–737 hours
- Administration: 6–10% = 94–157 hours
4.2. For persons employed as a Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and in research positions with data collection functions (the distribution key may differ according to the department):
- Required duties: 1695 hours (1657.5 hours)
- Research/dissemination: 45% = 763 hours (746 hours)
- Data collection/storage: 45% = 763 hours (746 hours)
- Administration: 10% = 170 hours (166 hours)
For employees over the age of 62 (deduction for an extra week of holiday and twelve 7.5-hour days):
- Required duties: 1567.5 hours
- Research/dissemination: 45%* = 705 hours
- Data collection/storage: 45% = 705 hours
- Administration: 10% = 157 hours
4.3. For persons employed as a Senior Lecturer or Lecturer:
- Required duties: 1695 hours (1657.5 hours)
- Teaching: 75% = 1271 hours (1243 hours)
- Administration: 6% = 102 hours (99 hours)
- Professional development: 19% = 322 hours (315 hours)
For employees over the age of 62 (deduction for an extra week of holiday and twelve 7.5-hour days):
- Required duties: 1567.5 hours
- Teaching: 75% = 1176 hours
- Administration: 6% = 94 hours
- Professional development: 19% = 298 hours
4.4. For persons employed as a Adjunct Professor
The position of Adjunct Professor comprises a net 339 (331) hours of work per year, or 20% of a full-time position, on a contract of a fixed duration. The required duties are regulated according to the contract entered into between the department and the Adjunct Professor regarding distribution of working hours between teaching, supervision, examination work, assessment work, participation in research projects etc.
4.5. PhD Candidates and persons employed as a Postdoctoral Fellow
The working year for PhD Candidates corresponds to the working year for employees in academic positions; i.e. 37.5 net working hours per week and 5 weeks' holiday.
PhD Candidates with a contract of a maximum 3 years do not have required duties. All PhD Candidates who submit their thesis for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 or 3½ years of the beginning of the PhD Candidate period will be offered a 12 or 6-month completion grant.
Postdoctoral Fellows: In order to prevent the impediment of research, the required duties are limited to 25% of the position for postdoctoral fellows with a contract of more than three years. For contracts of more than two years and up to three years, the required duties are limited to 10% of the position.
The foundation for calculating hours of work is the same numbers that are applied to employees in academic positions. In addition, PhD Candidates are credited with two extra full hours per hour of teaching (single session) for teaching preparation.
PhD Candidates without required duties are compensated for participation on boards and councils (through an extended PhD Candidate period).
5. Teaching
5.1. Creating and revising courses
a) New courses:
A course is defined as new when faculty approval is required. The department must have ordered the employee to create the new course, and will give credit when the course is first offered. The tasks include writing the course description (academic content and learning outcomes), reading list / syllabus, and teaching and assessment plan.
- Creating a new course: 50 hours
b) Major course revision:
This applies to revisions that entail comprehensive changes to learning outcomes and the teaching plan. The department must have ordered the employee to perform this work, and it must be so comprehensive that it cannot be delegated to the study administration. Credit will be given the first time the course is offered after the revision. Minor ongoing changes must be made on the initiative of the course coordinator, and are considered part of the ordinary work of teaching. This also applies to revisions that serve as follow-up of the interim evaluation.
- Major course revision: 25 hours
5.2. Duties when the course is offered
5.2.1. Credit for the academic course coordinator:
Each course offered must have an academic course coordinator who will write a detailed teaching plan, coordinate lectures, seminars and groups, draw up exercises, qualification tasks and examinations, receive answer papers and organise feedback. Organization of visits to museums, minor excursions, etc. is part of the duties. The course coordinator is also responsible for carrying out and following up the assessments required by the quality assurance system.
- Responsibility for courses, including quality assurance: 10 hours
- Examen philosophicum: Each teacher receives credit for 10 hours as the course coordinator of their groups.
- Excursions: Major excursions should be organized as dedicated courses that award credits. 20 hours of credit are awarded to the course coordinator.
When a course has more than 25 students, the seminar teaching must be organized in parallel groups. When this acquires a certain level of complexity, the academic coordination of the groups will require extra work.
- Supplement for coordinating parallel 25-student groups: 5 hours
When forms of teaching that incorporate IT are used, credit will be granted in cases where the necessary technical facilitation is not performed by the administration. This may include building the course space in the Classfronter learning platform and establishing electronic folders for each student. This supplement is normally granted instead of the coordination supplement.
- Supplement for facilitation of IT-based teaching: 10 hours
5.2.2. Teaching
The following are rates used to calculate teaching time (preparation and execution), and are applied per hour of teaching:
- Lecture: 4 hours
- Seminar: 3 hours
- Group: 2 hours
Credit for teaching can be combined with the credit per student.
5.2.3. Work contingent on student numbers
5.2.3.a. Supervision and marking
The following rates are applied per student per course:
- Academic course with final assessment: 1.5 hours
- Academic course with integrated assessment: 2.5 hours
- Skills course in a foreign language: 1.5 hours
- Supervised reading (normally only at the Master's level): 8 hours
- Supervision of Master's dissertation, 60 credits, 18 hours of supervision: 60 hours
- Supervision of Master's dissertation, 30 credits, 9 hours of supervision: 30 hours
Credit per student is only granted when the course description clearly shows how compulsory student activities are integrated into the teaching plan.
Credit is granted for students who have received a grade. Departments that have other reliable calculations for the number of active students (e.g. through compulsory assignments) may use these figures instead.
In connection with supervision of a Master's dissertation, credit is granted for ¼ of the hours in the semester in which a new Master's student is assigned, and the remaining hours after the Master's dissertation has been completed. In subjects where there is a particular need for supervision at the Master's level, the department may grant credit for more hours of supervision.
5.2.3.b. Examination work
- Master's dissertation, 60 credits: 12 hours
- Master's dissertation, 30 credits: 6 hours
- Trial lecture: 1.25 hours
- Oral examination: 0.75 hour
- Written examination paper, 4 hours: 0.5 hour
- Semester assignment or portfolio: 1 hour
- Home examination, max. 3 days: 0.75 hour
All rates are calculated per candidate. A semester assignment or portfolio are used for integrated assessment. Even though the work submitted may be relatively comprehensive, the teacher will be familiar with it from the supervision provided throughout the semester.
5.3. Special rules for part-time teachers and assistant teachers
The rules used to calculate the teaching requirement for academic positions (see 5.2.2 above) are also used to calculate teaching time (preparation and execution) per hour of teaching (lecture, seminar or group) for this group.
10 hours of credit are also granted the first time the teacher provides instruction on a course.
Work that depends on student numbers – supervision, marking and examination work – is credited at the same rates calculated for employees in academic positions (see 5.2.3 above).
In the event of the illness, etc. of the academic course coordinator, when a part-time teacher or assistant teacher is asked to perform tasks like writing examination question papers / guidelines for examiners, performing clarification rounds during written examinations, etc., a dedicated agreement will be entered into between the part-time teacher or assistant teacher and the unit regarding the number of hours to be spent on this. The scope of the agreement must match the amount and complexity of the work.
6. Research training
6.1. Supervision
A PhD candidate normally receives 14 hours of supervision per year for up to 3 years. Including preparations, the supervisor's record of required duties will be credited 3 hours per hour of supervision.
The supervisor will receive credit equivalent to 42 hours per year during the first two years of the supervision, and the remaining hours when the thesis has been submitted. More credit will be granted if the candidate submits the thesis within the nominal period of study.
Credit in the record of required duties:
- Year 1: 42 hours
- Year 2: 42 hours
Thereafter
- upon submission of the thesis within the nominal period of study: 66 hours
or
- upon submission after the nominal period of study: 42 hours
If the candidate does not submit the thesis, the supervisor will not receive credit for the third year.
No credit will be granted for supervision of candidates who present themselves as candidates for the open dr.philos (doctor philosophiae) degree.
6.2. Assessment of doctoral work
- Basic rate: 40 hours
Supplement for:
- First opponent after the public defence: 15 hours
- Second opponent after the public defence: 15 hours
- Administrator who is not a member of the assessment committee: 20 hours
The same rates apply to remuneration of external members of the committee.
7. Administration
7.1. Assessment of applicants to academic positions
The number of hours is linked to the number of applicants assessed by an expert committee when applying for a position or applying for a promotion.
| Associate Professor Senior Lecturer [1] |
Professor | |
| 1–2 applicants | 20 hours | 30 hours |
| 3-5 applicants | 35 hours | 50 hours |
| 6 or more applicants [2] | Normally 35 hours | Normally 50 hours |
Credit for assessment of applicants to Lecturer positions is granted as stipulated under "Other administration, participation on other committees".
Credit for sorting committee work is granted as stipulated under "Other administration, participation on other committees".
7.2. Assessment of applicants to recruitment positions
Up to 1 hour per application, including work associated with reading the application, writing the assessment, attending committee meetings, and interviews.
The rate applies to PhD Candidate and Postdoctoral Fellow applicants.
7.3. Other administration
- Administration that cannot be registered, up to 40 hours (determined by the unit).
- Participation on the faculty board by permanent academic staff, 10 hours per meeting (including preparations).
- Participation on the faculty board by regular representatives of temporary academic staff, 2 weeks / 75 hours (including preparations). Remuneration to deputy members is set on a discretionary basis, according to the number of meetings.[3]
- Participation on the appointments committee by permanent academic staff, 3.5 hours per meeting (including preparations).
- Participation on the departmental board by permanent academic staff, 5 hours per meeting (including preparations).
- Participation on the departmental board by regular representatives of temporary academic staff, 1 week / 37.5 hours (including preparations). Remuneration to deputy members is set on a discretionary basis, according to the number of meetings.[3]
- Participation on other committees at every level of UiO is determined by the unit / Head of Department.
- The hours for offices that include the academic community's planning of teaching and research are set by the unit / Head of Department.
- The Dean is fully bought out from his/her ordinary position, and is exempt from all research and teaching obligations. The department will be compensated for this.
- The Pro-Deans are exempt from the entire teaching requirement. The departments will be compensated for this.
- The Head of Department is on leave from his/her ordinary position, and is exempt from the entire teaching requirement.
8. Extra work
See the Regulations for sideline jobs and owner interests at UiO.
9. Period of validity
The revised guidelines entered into force on 1 August 2009.
Records of completed required duties and work outside the faculty
These rules do not apply to work covered by the Rules for external work.
Teaching, supervision, grading, research or assessment work outside the faculty can only count towards the required duties if:
- the work has been agreed with the department management and
- the unit where the work is performed buys out the person for the number of hours to be credited.
It is difficult to provide full guidelines for credit for work on committees, boards and councils outside the faculty. However, the general rule is as follows:
- If the committee, board or council work is the result of the department's desire for representation of the department/faculty, credit can be granted in the record of required duties. The normal credit for this work, including preparations, is 2 hours per hour of meetings.
- Following an agreement with the department's management, the person may also be bought out for work on external committees, boards and councils, and thus receive credit for this as part of their required duties.
- If the person is not appointed as a representative of the department/faculty, but as an expert, credit will not be granted in the record of required duties, unless the person is bought out.
- If pay is received for the work from the external unit, required duties credit will not also be granted.
Supplementary guidelines for managers in relation to work outside the faculty.
The crux of the matter is distinguishing between a person's appointment as the department's representative to committees, boards and councils and their presence as an expert by virtue of their personal expertise. We recommend a restrictive approach to such assessments. It will be easy to argue in favour of the importance of the department being represented in different networks, publishing houses, journals, and other research and teaching institutions, but if all such offices count towards the record of required duties, this will drain the department of resources.
The management must have a clear policy on when it wants the department's interests to be represented on a committee, board or council. This will apply in cases where there is a clear agenda for what it wants to achieve with this representation.
If the person is appointed as an expert, the office will very often be linked to the person's research, and thus not be part of the required duties to be calculated.
Finally, there is a remaining category of offices that are not particularly academically relevant, and where the department does not have a strong interest in representation. This is problematic when the department is asked to appoint members. One option is to thank the party that made the offer, and answer that following an assessment, it has decided that it does not want to be represented at this time. Alternatively, one can ascertain from the academic community whether someone there is interested in the office, even though it does not count towards the required duties.
[1] The rates for Senior Lecturers are used when assessing applications for promotion to Senior Lecturer.
[2] Use of a sorting committee means that normally no more than five applicants submit publications for assessment by an expert committee. Occasionally 50 hours can be credited for Associate Professor positions and up to 80 hours for assessment of up to 10 applicants for the position of Professor by an expert committee.
[3] For employees hired as PhD Candidates and Postdoctoral Fellows, compensation is given in the form of extension of the employment. For PhD Candidates, the extension will have no impact on the right to receive a completion grant. For other temporary academic staff, compensation will take the form of credit in the record of required duties. The rate will be applied to representatives elected to offices starting in 2011.