Department of Curriculum & Instruction Faculty and Teaching Assistant Orientations Guidelines for Teaching

2 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Teaching n Teaching is the most visible mission of the university, and a special focus in a Department of Curriculum & Instruction. n We expect that you will do a good job.

3 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Give Students Information  According to the Bill of Student Rights, “The student has the right to accurately and plainly stated information that enables the student to understand clearly… the course objectives, requirements, and grading policies set by individual instructors for their courses.”  The best way to avoid student complaints and grade appeals is to set forth your policies clearly in your syllabus and stick to them.

4 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Be Consistent  In multi-section courses, the course coordinator and individual instructors (faculty members and/or graduate teaching assistants) should work closely together to ensure an appropriate and consistent educational experience for all students.  Treat all students equitably. When conditions must vary across sections, explain this to your students.

5 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Be Prompt n Always come to class prepared and on time. Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to greet students and get set up for the day’s lesson. n Return graded student work as promptly as possible. In most cases, you should be able to return student work within a week or perhaps two. If delays occur, let your students know why.

6 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Be Available  Departmental guidelines recommend that instructors establish one office hour for each credit hour of courses that they teach.  Instructors should post their office hours on their office doors and communicate these hours to their students (e.g., in course syllabus, on course website).

7 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Collect Student Feedback n Use formative evaluations, your own or the university’s SGID, to find out how you’re doing during the semester. n At the end of the semester, you are required to conduct a PICES evaluation of the course and instructor. Follow administration rules: you must not be present during this evaluation, and you must not handle completed forms.

8 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Accessibility  Instructors must provide equal opportunity to students with disabilities in their classes.  Students who may require special accommodations must report to the Adaptive Programs Office of the Dean of Students to make arrangements for any special accommodations.

9 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Accessibility, cont’d.  The office will send the instructor a letter that contains individualized information about the functional limitations of the student’s disability, and the academic adjustments (alternative methods of meeting course requirements) and/or auxiliary aids/services (alternative methods of ensuring access and effective communication) needed to assure the student equal access to educational activities.

10 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Accessibility, cont’d.  The instructor letter clearly delineates the responsibilities of the instructor, the student, and the Office of the Dean of Students.  In the event that an accommodation conflicts with the essential elements of a course, and/or the fundamental nature of a course or program, contact Adaptive Programs.

11 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Learning Environment  The University is committed to maintaining an environment that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person, fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect, and encourages its members to reach their potential. The most effective way to work toward preventing harassment is through education that emphasizes respect for every individual.

12 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Relationships with Students  Amorous relationships that occur in the context of educational or employment supervision and evaluation present serious concerns about the validity of consent. The disparity of power between persons involved in amorous relationships of a teacher and student, supervisor and subordinate, or senior and junior colleagues in the same department or unit makes them susceptible to exploitation. Those who abuse their power in such a context violate their duty to the University community.

13 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Student Privacy  A student’s record or other personally identifiable information shall not be disseminated outside the University and may be used within the University only for provision of student services. FERPA prohibits the posting of grades in personally identifiable forms, including the use of portions of social security or student ID numbers.

14 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Student Privacy, cont’d.  FERPA does not preclude an instructor or an institution from assigning individual numbers to students for the purpose of posting grades providing only the student and the officials who assigned them know the numbers.  The safest way to “post” grades is to use WebCT/Blackboard Vista, which protects access to grade information behind a password protected barrier.

15 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Final Exams  An academic semester is 16 weeks long, including the final exams period. Classes are expected to meet during the 16th week, unless there is a clear reason not to.  No quizzes or exams may be given to students during the 15th (“dead”) week; this is set aside for student study.

16 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Student Misconduct  Student misconduct -- including cheating, plagiarism, and deceit in diverse forms -- is prohibited by University policy.  Individual instructors may determine specific course policies for dealing with student misconduct.

17 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Student Misconduct, cont’d.  If an instance of academic dishonesty can be resolved agreeably between the student and instructor, the incident is considered settled but should be reported to the Dean of Students.  Incidents that cannot be settled between the student and instructor should be referred to the Dean of Students.

18 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Student Misconduct, cont’d. n To deter student misconduct: Promote academic integrity Promote academic integrity Define what constitutes misconduct such as plagiarism Define what constitutes misconduct such as plagiarism Use more frequent and less high-stakes forms of assessment Use more frequent and less high-stakes forms of assessment Actively monitor students during exams Actively monitor students during exams Reduce opportunities for students to do the wrong thing Reduce opportunities for students to do the wrong thing

19 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Grade Appeals  A Grade Appeals procedure exists for students who believe a grade was assigned as a result of prejudice, caprice, improper conditions, error, inconsistency, or as a result of alleged misconduct.  Students are encouraged to first try to resolve the matter informally with the instructor, then the course coordinator, and finally the department head.

20 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Grade Appeals, cont’d.  If a grade matter cannot be resolved through these informal means, the student may appeal to the COE Grade Appeals Committee.  An appeal must be filed within 30 days after the start of the regular semester following the semester in which the grade was given.  The burden of proof is on the student except in cases of alleged misconduct.

21 C&I Faculty/Teaching Assistant Orientations Have a Great Year! n Enjoy your teaching assignments and have a great year!