Teaching Relief for Learning

Each year, a selected number of FAS faculty will be eligible for a novel kind of teaching relief: “Teaching Relief for Learning” (TRL). The purpose of a TRL is to allow a faculty member to spend a semester in the classroom on the other side of the desk – as a student. Faculty may take courses related to research and teaching projects, they may use this opportunity to explore new fields or hone new technical skills and knowledge, or they may use the opportunity for pure intellectual exploration.

Faculty reflections on the experience of taking part in TRL are available here.

Faculty are expected to enroll (in a non-credit fashion) in 2-3 courses during their TRL, participating as fully as possible in class activities and assignments. Courses may be at the undergraduate or graduate level, and may be in a single department, or across several departments. Agreement of the instructor must be secured.

The TRL provides relief from teaching responsibilities, without loss of salary or benefits, for the whole of an academic semester. Any other administrative and departmental responsibilities should be consistent with the purpose of the teaching relief. Keep in mind that a semester spent on a TRL counts neither towards nor against a faculty member’s future leave eligibility; that is, it neither accrues as a semester of teaching toward future leave nor counts as a leave in and of itself.

Please note that, due to anticipated curricular need, we are only able to approve a very small number of faculty for TRL in 2024-2025. Interested faculty may be asked to defer their applications to the following year.


Eligibility

Open to:

  • full professors with a primary or fully joint appointment in an FAS department or program, and
  • senior lectors II, senior lecturers, and senior lecturers II with a primary or fully joint full-time multi-year appointment an FAS department or program or the MacMillan Center.

Please note the following details:

  • In departments with asymmetric teaching across semesters, the TRL should be taken in the semester when the faculty member is responsible for teaching the smaller number of courses. (That is: if your teaching expectations across the academic year are 2-1, you should take your TRL in the semester when you are expected to teach 1 course.)
  • Among the courses that the faculty member teaches in their non-TRL semester should be at least one course open to undergraduates.
  • The TRL may not be taken consecutive to any other scheduled leave, whether for a partial or full semester, and whether paid or unpaid. (That is: you may not take a TRL in Fall 2024 if you are or are scheduled to be on paid or unpaid leave in Spring 2024 or Spring 2025; you may not take a TRL in Spring of 2025 if you are scheduled to be on paid or unpaid leave in Fall 2024 or Fall 2025.)
  • A semester spent on TRL does not count as a semester of teaching toward eligibility for triennial leave of absence or other paid leave.

Application Process for 2023-24

Please note that, due to anticipated curricular need, we are only able to approve a very small number of faculty for TRL in 2024-2025. Interested faculty may be asked to defer their applications to the following year.

  • January 12, 2024: Faculty wishing to be considered for a TRL during the 2024-25 academic year should consult with their department chair no later than January 12, 2024, to determine that teaching relief during that year is compatible with departmental needs.
  • January 22, 2024: Once you have determined eligibility, send a one-paragraph expression of intent-to-apply by January 22, 2024, to sal2.fas@yale.edu. The expression of intent needs only to explain the semester you propose to take the teaching relief and the general topic that you hope to study.
  • February 2, 2024: Faculty who wish to be considered for a 2024-25 TRL should submit a brief (one-page) statement of interest, which should include a provisional menu of proposed classes, to this link by February 2, 2024
  • The FAS Dean’s office will work iteratively with faculty members who have submitted applications for a TRL to ascertain feasibility for 2024-25.