WORKFLOWS: Creating Workflows for Faculty Workload Management

Tiffany Winters

Modified on: Wed, Jun 11, 2025 at 9:56 AM

Table of Contents

Overview

When a user submits a Faculty Workload Management (FWM) request, it goes through the designated approval workflow.
Workflows function the same way in all products, with some exceptions. For Faculty Workload Management (FWM), some of those exceptions include:
- FWM workflows support an Instructor Dynamic Step, which allows requests to be routed to the Instructor associated with the request, whether or not that Instructor is the author of the request.
- FWM workflows do not support the Department Dynamic Step.

You can get step-by-step guidance in-app to help you create a new workflow. To activate a guided walk-through, navigate to Academic Scheduling > Settings > Workflows > + Approval Workflow. If the flow doesn’t automatically begin when you click “+ Approval Workflow”, look for it in the “In-App Guides” widget on the right-hand side of your screen.

Workflows in Faculty Workload Management support two use cases: Instructor Change Request and Instructor Workload Approval.

Request, review, and approve changes to individual line items within an Instructor’s Workload for a given term.
For example, a user who does not have permission to directly edit an instructor’s workload can request the

Create an approval request for an instructor’s full workload for a given term.
Think of this as a replacement for email chains or department meeting approvals of an instructor’s workload for the term.
The full list of the instructor’s workload for the term, including all Non-Teaching Releases and Teaching Workload, will be sent through a workflow so that the instructor, department chair, dean, and/or any other involved approvers can sign off on the instructor’s workload.

All workflows give you the ability to define default email templates as well as the ability to further customize emails at both the workflow as well as the step level.
Learn more about workflow notifications.

Navigate to Academic Scheduling > Settings > Workflows -> “+Approval Workflow,” and select the “Instructor Change” Workflow Type.
Add a Workflow Description.

Follow the Steps in the “Building a Standard Workflow” article linked above.
Once you have created your Workflow, navigate to Settings > Requests and select this Workflow from the “Instructor Change” dropdown menu – this action associates this Workflow with the Request type so that any Requests to Edit Workload go through this Workflow.

The Load Details card in the Instructor Template contains the “Editable” configuration option that determines which users have direct edit access to Load Details.
1. A user with a role that has the ability to edit this information will have the option to submit a request or to directly edit Workload details.
2. A user with a role not listed in the “Editable” field will only have the option to submit a request and trigger an Instructor Change Workflow.

Instructor Change requests allow users to submit requests to edit any item on an Instructor’s Workload Details for any one term. This can happen if a Non-Teaching Release needs to be added or edited, if an Instructor needs to be given extra Workload Units (beyond what they are assigned by Workload Calculations) for a section, or if an individual Instructor's Expected Load needs to be edited.

Navigate to Academic Scheduling > Settings > Workflows > “ + Approval Workflow”.
Input a name for the Workflow.
Select the “Instructor Change” Workflow Type.
Add a Workflow Description.
Click “Add Workflow”.
Follow the Steps in the “Building a Standard Workflow” section above.
Once you have created your Workflow, navigate to Settings > Requests and select this Workflow from the “Instructor Workload Approval” dropdown menu – this action associates this Workflow with the Request type so that any Requests to approve term workload go through this Workflow.

Instructor Workload Approval requests allow users to submit requests to approve an Instructor’s workload for a given Term.
This is a different form of Request than you may be used to elsewhere in Coursedog – this request is not to edit or update workload or the Instructor Profile in any way. Rather, it gives a chance for users to review the existing workload for the given Term and approve it, creating a record that the workload was reviewed, agreed upon, and approved.
NOTE: By the end of 2025, this type of request will produce a PDF approval letter upon approval. Please stay tuned or reach out if you have questions about that PDF.
Think of these Instructor Workload Approval Workflows and Requests as replacing manually created PDFs or emails that must be signed or approved via email. Now, you will trigger an approval request, track all of the workflow steps in Coursedog, and have a record of approval.

In the scenario in the screenshot below, Professor Albert has an expected load of 8 for Spring 2025.
However, his current load is 9.75 units, or 121.88% of his expected load.
Perhaps this type of overload requires an explicit sign-off or approval from Professor Albert and the Dean, Department Chair, or other stakeholder.
Instructor Workload Approval requests can put an overload or underload (or all workloads) through a workflow to gather the proper approvals for an Instructor’s workload in a given term.