A full-time position at the University of Oslo equals 1695 working hours per year. Accordingly, PhD candidates with 4-year contracts and 25 % teaching duties are expected to use 1695 hours on teaching duties during their period of employment.
The Department has its own policy for deciding whether a candidate should be offered a fourth year in exchange for teaching duties. When there are forth year contracts available, the department will advertise these internally. PhD candidates employed at IBV without teaching duties can then apply for these, and get their contract period extended to four years if they are selected.
PhD candidates with teaching duties get their tasks allocated by the Education Committee based on a recommendation from the Heads of Education and student administration. It is the departmental management, as represented by the Head of Department and Heads of Education that decide what tasks should be assigned to the PhD candidates based on their qualifications and the teaching needs.
At the beginning of their employment, PhD candidates will have a meeting with the administrative PhD adviser at the department to clarify the obligations associated with having teaching duties, and also to set up a tentative plan for reaching the expected number of hours. PhD candidates are then responsible for keeping their own record of hours spent on various teaching duties in an Excel spreadsheet made for this purpose, which are to be reported to the PhD adviser every semester. The student administration will then continuously update their own overview of completed teaching hours.
PhD-students with teaching duties may, in connection with an international exchange or other stays abroad, apply to be exempted from teaching duties during that period, so that the total number of hours is reduced accordingly. This decision is made by the Heads of Education. Still, PhD students should plan their stays abroad so that they are implemented during periods of less relevant course activity.
In addition to regular teaching tasks, a few other assignments for the department will qualify as teaching duties. Other tasks, such as voluntary tasks or assignments that all PhD-students regardless of whether they have teaching duties or not are expected to carry out, will not be regarded as teaching duties. This distinction is specified in more detail below.
Teaching
PhD-students should in general not be assigned course responsibility, but may be given main responsibility for labs or field work.
Teaching (number of hours reported have to be approved by the course responsible or the head of education):
- Lectures
- Completely new lecture: 10 hours per hour of lecture, preparations included. If a lecture is significantly renewed, for instance by the inclusion of a major new topic, it can be regarded as a new lecture.
- 5 hours per hour of lecture if repeated/updated lecture
- Colloquia, group sessions: 3 hours per taught hour, including preparation.
- For repeating groups in the same semester, the compensation is 2 hours per taught hour, including theoretical preparations.
- Lab: 3 hours per taught hour, including theoretical preparation. Marking of lab reports and practical preparations will count in addition – see “technician responsibility” below
- For repeating labs in the same semester, the compensation is 2 hours per taught hour, including theoretical preparations.
- Day trips: the actual number of hours on the trip, including the journey time to/from Blindern.
- Field trips with an overnight stay: 15 hours per 24 hours.
- Meetings related to teaching: 1 hour per hour spent. The number of hours has to be approved by the course responsible.
- “Technician responsibility”: 1 hour per hour spent. The number of hours has to be approved by the course responsible. “Technician responsibility” in this context means practical preparation for lab/field work.
- Producing and/or marking mandatory assignments, lab-/field reports and special assignments: 1 hour per hour spent.
- Marking exams: 1 hour per hour spent.
Other work that counts for PhD-students
1 hour per hour spent. Preparation time is counted wherever appropriate. The tasks listed below must be approved for your teaching account by the Educational leaders or the Study section if they were not included in your original teaching plan.
The following tasks and the number of hours planned for must be pre-approved by the Head of Education and a record of hours spent has to be presented:
- Seminar for group teachers and other pedagogical seminars arranged by IBV/MN/UiO
- Organized outreach activities (Åpen Dag, Bestill en forsker, Forskningstorget etc.)
- Helpdesk-functions (e.g. bioinformatics)
- Work at the Resource Centre for Biology Education (Skolelaboratoriet for biologi) and at the field stations at Finse and Drøbak in connection with school visits, further education of teachers, biology olympiad etc.
- Organizing of national or international conferences
- Up to 10 % of the teaching duties (160 hours over 4 years) may be spent on administration, e.g. organizing seminar series or conferences for the section or the department.
- Co-supervision of internal master’s students. The number of hours is agreed beforehand together with the main supervisor. A maximum of 4 master’s students can be accounted for as part of your teaching duties.
- Supervision of research interns in BIOS3060: 20 hours per student (if there are several supervisors only one can get hours in the teaching account)
- Participation at courses that will enhance your teaching competence (this must be applied for beforehand with the Heads of Education and the PhD adviser).
The following are tasks that are considered normal parts of the employment/education and do not count as teaching duties
- HSE is a normal part of own research.
- Cleaning of laboratories and offices.
- Administrative tasks for own research group.
- Organizing internal seminar series, journal clubs etc. for own research group.
- Attending local and/or external academic seminars /conferences.
- Annual cleaning day
- Organizing the Christmas party, summer party or other social events.
- Committee work (hiring etc.)