Policy on Staff Teaching Courses

Purpose

This policy provides guidance for when and how full-time staff members may be approved to teach credit-bearing courses at Duke University. It ensures alignment with academic standards, academic unit oversight, institutional equity, and accreditation requirements. 

Eligibility and Appointment

Staff members approved to teach must be granted a time-limited adjunct faculty appointment in the relevant academic department or faculty-appointing unit. If there is no directly associated faculty-appointing academic unit and the course is for undergraduates, the appointment and its final approval come from the dean of the school associated with the course. This ensures inclusion on department/school listservs, course listings, and internal communications, while granting professional recognition and accountability.

Only full-time exempt staff (non-unionized, salaried employees) are eligible. For staff members who do not have teaching duties outlined in their job description, teaching must not interfere with their primary job responsibilities. It requires written approval from the individual’s supervisor for each instance in which the staff member teaches it.

Teaching Contracts and Supervisor Approval

All teaching assignments must be formalized through a contract issued by the hiring department or academic unit. Multi-year contracts are not permitted.

Each semester a staff member is proposed to teach, the teaching appointment must be approved in writing by:

• The chair of the relevant academic department, or
  • The director of a faculty-appointing institute (e.g., DGHI), or
  • The dean of the school in which the course is offered

Approval includes ensuring academic qualifications (normally a terminal degree in the subject area) and reviewing prior teaching effectiveness, if applicable.

In line with SACSCOC standards, teaching by staff must be reviewed each semester they are appointed to teach, or at least once every three years, whichever comes first.