HELIOS
Compensation for the Supervision of Directed-Study Experiences
A link to the HELIOS app can be found here:
As of Fall 2016, the supervision of “directed-study experiences” generates workload credit for instructors at Skidmore. Directed-study experiences include theses, independentstudies, and collaborativeresearch taught at all levels of the curriculum and under all course rubrics, including ID, GN, and HF.
How it Works
The number of semester-hours of credit overseen by faculty is tallied in each instructor’s HELIOS account and viewable through the login page. Accounts are updated mid-semester, after late-adds are processed by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS).
Example: An instructor who supervises two 3-credit independent studies in the fall semester and two 4-credit thesis projects in the spring semester will have earned 14 semester-hours of credit by the end of the academic year.
In April of each year, instructors decide whether to receive a stipend or continue to accumulate semester-hours of credit. Once 60 hours is reached, faculty may request a 3-credit faculty workload release towards their workload. Although this latter form of compensation may be referred to as a “workload release,” in actuality it represents a mechanism for factoring into the teaching load the work that occurs when faculty supervise directed-study experiences.
Stipends and faculty workload releases are requested in April. When faculty request a stipend, they receive compensation for all accrued credit and the balance is reset to zero. Stipends will be paid at the rate of $165 per credit. Payouts and faculty workload release approvals occur in May-June, after consultation with Chairs and Program Directors.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I can log in to my HELIOS account, but I don’t see any action buttons. What’s going
on?
Faculty can access their accounts at any time to view transactions and a projected
payout amount. Action buttons appear only in April, when faculty are asked to make
their selections.
2. I think I’ve found an error in my account. What do I do?
Contact the HELIOS administrator at helios@skidmore.edu. The HELIOS admin will work with the Registrar’s Office to validate enrollments and
adjust your account.
3. Are credit-bearing internships included in HELIOS?
No. Internships are compensated separately at $400 per enrollment above an annual
total of two.
4. What are the restrictions on faculty workload releases?
Faculty may receive no more than one 3-credit workload release through HELIOS every
three years (or two releases per sabbatical cycle).
5. What are the restrictions on stipends?
Once the threshold of 60 credits is reached, instructors must either request a stipend
or a 3-credit faculty workload release. The HELIOS admin will contact any instructor
who fails to request compensation after 60 credits to discuss next steps.
6. May I request a stipend for some percentage of my HELIOS credit, leaving the remainder
for a rainy day?
No, stipends are all-or-none. We do not have the capacity to run a full banking system.
7. I’m going on vacation in early June. May I request my stipend early or in pay period
X? If not, would you tell me exactly when I’ll receive my stipend?
No. The timing of stipends depends on several factors—including the state of the operating
budget—and cannot be modified for individual faculty. The precise date that stipends
will be released will not be known until early May each year.
8. My course was canceled because of low enrollment, but I am offering it anyway as
an independent study for the few students who need it. Does this type of independent
study count towards HELIOS?
Yes.
Do I need to contact someone to make sure that it is counted?
No.
9. I live by the motto “trust but verify.” How do I know that the Dean of Faculty’s
Office or the HELIOS administrator are not modifying my HELIOS account?
All additions and subtractions to individual accounts are automatically recorded without
exception. Administrators cannot adjust an account without that action being fully
viewable by the instructor.
10. I’m concerned that HELIOS will encourage instructors to take on projects that
are lacking in rigor. Who is monitoring independent studies, collaborative research
projects, etc.?
As has always been the case, students and instructors cannot engage in independent
study without obtaining approval from the chair or program director. This individual’s
signature on the Independent Study Form indicates to the Registrar’s Office that the
project meets expectations for rigor in the discipline and is creditworthy. Departments
or programs concerned about the quality of independent studies and other directed-study
experiences can establish for themselves an explicit set of standards and/or a process
of review.