Nuts and Bolts for Teaching at UMSL

Nuts and Bolts for Teaching at UMSL
College of Arts and Sciences and College of Fine Arts and Communication
303 Lucas Hall, 314-516-5501
http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/cofac/

Be alert to the class roster:

Please remind students who are not on the roster to register. It is important for them to understand that if they are not on the roster you will not be able to grant them a grade at the end of the semester, even if they have attended daily and completed all assignments.
If you have a class with a waitlist and you are willing to allow more students to register, indicate that in a signed note for the student to take to the Registrar or to the appropriate Dean's Office for advising so that he or she will be able to add the course. An email to the Dean's office or Registrar would also suffice.
Consider sending email messages to waitlisted students to suggest that they attend all classes until they know whether or not they'll be added to the course; this way, they will not fall behind.
Drop/Add forms are available in each Associate Dean's office. Call your Associate Dean's Office for a supply. Please announce on the first day of class that while during the first week students may add and drop classes electronically, they will not be able to do so without instructors' permission after the first Sunday of the semester. Consult the academic calendar for the cut-off dates.
After the first week of class, please announce that those not able to register must leave.
It is never okay to suggest that a student retake a course by "sitting in" (rather than registering) for a semester on the assumption that you or another professor will replace the delayed grade with that semester's grade.

Grades:

Please include the grading scale for the semester in the course Syllabus.
Please include information in the Syllabus about whether and how students will receive credit for attendance and class participation.
Many students do not understand that they must officially drop a course; even if they've stopped coming to class, faculty are obligated to assign a grade to them. Noting key drop dates on the course schedule of assignments helps to alert students to these responsibilities.
If it is necessary to assign a delayed grade, do so only if one single assignment or activity remains incomplete. Do not use a delayed grade to avoid assigning an "F"
When you assign a delayed grade in MyView, you must indicate the agreement that you have with the student to complete the course (requirements and due dates).
Please use the Grade Center in MyGateway so that students know exactly how they are doing as the semester progresses. At regular intervals during the semester and at the end of the term upload the grade book as an Excel file so that you can maintain records of each drop, excused, delayed grade, and letter grade you assign. In extenuating situations, record notes to document and justify your reasoning.
Grade appeals. The complete explanation of the grade appeal procedure is linked here:
http://www.umsl.edu/bulletin/appendix.html#grade
MyView is the Official Faculty Web Grading site
Access to MyView is contingent on completing the online FERPA tutorial and quiz. New faculty and Teaching Assistants with instructor-of-record responsibilities have access to MyView once they have completed the online FERPA tutorial and test. Contact the Registrarï¿½s Office to make arrangements to get these online materials. Contact djohnson@umsl.edu or call 314-516-5679.

Consult the Academic Calendar for key dates for each semester and include them in the course syllabus: http://www.umsl.edu/services/academic/publications/academic_calendar.html

Semester	Classes Begin	Last Day To Add	Last Day To Drop W/0 Grade	Last Day To Drop W/Excused Grade	Classes End	Semester Ends
FS12	8/20/12	8/26/12	9/17/12	11/12/12	12/08/12	12/15/12
SS13	1/17/13	1/23/12	2/13/13	4/07/13	5/05/13	5/12/13

Expectations for Student Behaviors:

Expect courteous behaviors and convey that in class and in the Syllabus. Suggested messages include:

Arrive on time
Attend entire class
Turn off all mobile devices
Do not engage in extraneous conversations with other students
If you allow eating and drinking in your class, encourage students to respect others around them as they consume their food and drink
Do not leave trash in rooms
Please respect your fellow students and do not disrupt class.

Convey the import of academic honesty and note that all instances of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Office of Academic Affairs (314-516-5304).

NB: Faculty may fail the assignment that was completed dishonestly, but cannot assign a failing semester grade based solely on that assignment.

Use feedback:

Students thrive on positive feedback.
They learn from constructive feedback.
Please use both.

Need help with issues in class or with grading decisions? First, discuss the question with your department chair. Then, feel comfortable consulting with your associate dean:

Sharon Clark Beth Eckelkamp	Arts & Sciences Fine Arts & Communication	314-516-5501 314-516-5725	ssdclar@umsl.edu beckelkamp@umsl.edu
Michael Elliott	Business	314-516-5832	melliott@umsl.edu
Kathleen Haywood	Education	314-516-5872	kathleen_haywood@umsl.edu
Bernard Feldman	Engineering	314-516-6805	feldmanb@umsl.edu
Nancy Gleason	Honors College	314-516-6629	nancygleason@umsl.edu
Sandy Lindquist	Nursing	314-516-7177	sandy_lindquist@umsl.edu
Ralph Garzia	Optometry	314-516-5606	garzia@umsl.edu

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Nuts and Bolts for Teaching at UMSL

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