Archived Service Information (TIPS)

The following information is archived to help faculty understand the data we share from 2019-2021; for current information (2022 and beyond) please refer to the main Writing Program service expectations page.

Minimum expectations for service to the WP and the University

  • FT Lecturer: 2 time intensity points (TIPs), an average of about 1 hour/week during F and S semesters 
  • SL: 4 TIPs 
  • ML: 6 TIPs

Time intensity definitions

1 Low: 5-10 hours/semester or 10-20 hours/year
2 Medium: 10-20 hours/semester or 20-40 hours/year
3 High: 20-30 hours/semester or 40-60 hours/year
4 Very high: 30+ hours/semester or 60+ hours/year

Some FAQs about Service and TIPs

  1. Why do we have TIPs? What’s the point?

As described above, we wanted a way to quantify the amount of service that different groups of FTLs (considered by faculty rank, gender, etc.) are doing in the program. We also wanted to be able to show individual instructors how they compare to others in one or more of those groups.

  1. What are TIPs based on? 

TIPs are calculated based on self-reports of service from the MyCV upload you do annually, when you generate your Faculty Annual Report (FAR). Therefore, it’s important that you clearly report projects, committees, initiatives, presentations, etc. on the FAR, in accordance with WP policy.

  1. Are there things that don’t count for TIPs? / Are there things I should not enter on the FAR?

Yes. Please do not report the following items on MyCV/your FAR. They are considered basic expectations of all full-time lecturers and do not rise to the level of service nor merit TIPs. When the FIC reviews FAR data to award TIPs, these items clutter up the data and slow the committee down. These are valuable efforts, to be sure, and are part of the core of what lecturers do outside of simply teaching our classes, but they should not be listed individually in MyCV.

  • Advising students on internships, grad school applications, etc.
  • Writing letters of recommendation for students
  • Attending job talks or meals related to hiring
  • Attending WP-sponsored events of any kind
  • Hosting GWF visits to your classroom
  • Submitting curricular materials to the WPnet
  • Sharing resources or a syllabus with another faculty member in a collegial, unofficial capacity
  • Preparing for and attending promotion meeting
  • Filling out POFs for promotion candidates
  • Other “citizenship” activities for the Writing Program

Note that if you are having difficulties entering items in MyCV and/or generating your FAR, you may wish to take a look at this document (BU login required).

  1. Aren’t TIPs irrelevant since the WP now assigns people to committees?

Assigning people to committees is one step in the process of making service more equitable and shared. However, some people do more service beyond the assigned committees—some instructors opt into additional committees or initiatives in the WP; some work with students in mentoring programs across the university; some opt into or are invited to participate in union work, college committees, or university-wide task forces, etc. TIPs help us capture the reality of the service landscape of our program, in which some people do their assigned service and some people do that and more.

  1. What does the WP use TIPs for? Will they affect contract renewals, annual performance reviews, and/or promotions?

The WP primarily uses TIPs as an internal check on sharing service equitably across faculty. TIPs are not used in the process of deciding on contract renewals nor on promotions, and an individual’s TIPs total will not be shared as part of those processes. However, service to the program and the university will be considered as part of the promotion process, as per the CAS criteria. TIPs are considered as part of the annual performance review process, where they are one element among others helping to recognize FTLs who are truly exceptional in their commitment to the WP.

  1. Why do PTLs not earn TIPs?

TIPs help us quantify and compare the service of FTLs, for whom service to the program is part of the basic job expectations. As a self-governing program directed by lecturers, the Writing Program relies on FTLs to keep the program functioning and to allow for an element of agency on the part of lecturers in the running of the program. PTLs do not have any service expectations, and therefore we do not calculate nor publish TIPs for them. PTLs are welcome to opt into many of the committees in the program, but it is by no means expected.