Staff Allocation 

The CPS’s senior management is accountable to the university administration for the most effective and productive use of available resources, including teachers. Therefore, staff allocation to different programmes is determined largely by the priorities of the CPS as a whole. One of the main priorities of the CPS is to find the optimum balance between stability and flexibility in course staffing to provide CPS staff with opportunities to be involved in various areas of the CPS’s courses. The CPS also considers it beneficial for teachers’ professional development to have the opportunity to teach in different CPS course. 

Satff allocation decisions are based on the following considerations:

1. All CPS teaching staff are considered capable of teaching any course offered by the CPS. A teacher should expect to work in more than one course for each contractual period (of 3 years) spent at the CPS.

2. A teacher will normally be assigned to one course. If a teacher is assigned to more than one course, the course where they do the majority of their teaching will be considered the assigned course.

3. Newly-appointed faculty will typically be allocated to the Foundation Programme in English Language (FPEL), which is the largest programme in the CPS and accounts for the majority of CPS teaching time in the fall semester. Whenever possible, staff allocation will consider previous experience when allocating a new teacher to the FPEL, but course needs will take priority. Newly-appointed faculty will be distributed across the FPEL so that no course has a disproportionate number of new teachers. Most newly-appointed staff can expect to move to a credit programme by the beginning of their third year at the CPS, if this is their preference.

4. Sometimes, a small number of SQU graduates are appointed to the CPS as demonstrators, who normally spend two years gaining teaching experience at the CPS before going abroad to study for a master’s degree. During these two years, demonstrators can expect to teach in different CPS courses, in both FPEL and the Credit English Language Programme (CELP), to gain experience that will benefit them in their studies and future career at the CPS. A training programme is organized for demonstrators in their first year at the CPS.

5. Towards the end of the Spring semester, the Deputy Director for Academic Programs (DDAP) will circulate a teacher preference form inviting faculty to state departmental preferences for the coming semester. Teacher preferences will be a major consideration in making staff allocation decisions and will be addressed as far as possible, given the changing enrollment and other factors. For example, CPS administrative needs such as materials development, materials piloting, and AU/CCC requirements may require temporary exemptions for individual teachers.

6. In cases where there are more teachers stating a preference for a course than there are open positions, factors such as CPS seniority and length of time on a waiting list will be used when making decisions.

7. Once a teacher is assigned to a course in the CELP, they have priority to remain in the programme for up to 4 semesters (excluding summer), subject to enrollment and staff allocation needs. If other teachers express a preference to teach in the course, those who have been in the course for 4 semesters or longer will be given lower priority. Teachers who have been in the course the longest beyond 4 semesters will be given the lowest priority to remain in the course. If teachers are moved out of a course due to lower enrollment before their 4 semesters are up, they will be given priority to return in subsequent semesters until they have completed 4 semesters if that is their preference. To ensure the smooth running of CELP courses, staff turnover in any one semester will be capped at a maximum of 50% of the teachers in the programme. 

8. Effective implementation of this policy requires flexibility. Therefore, the CPS Director, after consultation with the DDAP, has the final say over staff allocation decisions.