Subject: To all teaching assistants: Minimal Instructional Responsibilities From: Laszlo Mihaly Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:55:00 -0400 To: "pagra-l@lists.sunysb.edu" BCC: "Vladimir J. Goldman" This is a follow-up on the Chair's email today morning. I copied the Minimal Instructional Responsibilities from the Undergraduate Bulletin here, so that everyone has it at hand. Please read it carefully, and apply it to your teaching practice. --Laszlo ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Laszlo Mihaly Graduate Program Director Department of Physics and Astronomy Stony Brook University 631 632-8279 laszlo.mihaly@sunysb.edu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Minimal Instructional Responsibilities Instructors at Stony Brook have teaching responsibilities that involve a broad range of methods. The following list of responsibilities does not define good teaching; it defines only a minimal set of conditions and practices that faculty members and teaching assistants are expected to observe in performing their teaching functions. Classroom and Conference Responsibilities • Instructors must meet their classes regularly and promptly, at times and places scheduled. • Classes should be canceled only for the most serious reasons, and students should be given advance notice, if at all possible, of instructors’ absences. • Instructors must schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet their students’ needs, minimally three hours per week, at times to suit the schedules of as many students as possible. • Office hours should be announced in class and posted outside instructors’ offices and in department offices. • Instructors should be available for appointments with students who are unable to meet with them during regularly scheduled office hours. • Instructors are responsible for careful supervision and classroom preparation of teaching assistants assigned to their courses. • The policy on electronic devices, described in the section Minimal Student Responsibilities, shall be announced before each course examination. Course Definition and Requirements • Instructors must adhere to the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Bulletin. • Prerequisites that are not stated in the Bulletin or the Supplement or the Class Schedule may not be imposed. • A written syllabus that clearly defines the content, goals, and requirements of each course must be distributed at the beginning of the course, made readily available throughout the Add/Drop period, and kept on file in the department office. The syllabus should include the Provost’s Americans with Disabilities Act statement and information about examination dates and times, the policy on make-up exams, office hours, and the basis for the final grade. • Instructors are required to assign grades on the basis of the body of work for which all students are responsible, as described in the syllabus. • Instructors must conduct any teaching and course evaluation survey that has been approved by their departments, or by the College or University Senates. The results of class evaluations should be used in periodic reviews and revision, when appropriate, of the course. Assessment of Student Performance • Homework assignments, examinations, and term papers should be evaluated and returned promptly. Written comments, explaining the instructor’s criteria for evaluation and giving suggestions for improvement, should be provided. • Instructors are responsible for providing students with appropriate and timely notification about their academic performance in a course. An examination or other assessment measure should be administered, graded, and returned to students before the end of the ninth week of classes. • Examinations and term papers submitted at the end of the term should be graded and either returned to students or retained for one semester. • Any change to the course grading policy during the semester must be announced and made available to all students enrolled in the course. Assigning additional work to individual students who wish to improve their grades, during or after the semester, is prohibited. • Instructors must observe the Final Examination Schedule available at http://www.stonybrook.edu.registrar. Instructors of courses taught on the semester schedule may only give a unit exam in class during the last week of the semester if a final examination is also given during the Final Examination Period. • Instructors must observe state laws, federal laws, and University policies regarding accommodations as noted in the Bulletin (e.g., student participation in University-sponsored activities or equivalent opportunity/religious absences). Accommodations such as make-up exams, assignments, or other coursework that fall outside of the purview of these laws and policies are at the discretion of the instructor. Professional Conduct and Interaction with Students • Instructors must report all suspected occurrences of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary Committee (for classes in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and School of Journalism) or the Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals (for classes in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences). • Instructors should always be aware that in teaching and advising they represent the University. They are bound by the University’s sexual harassment policies. Instructors are also bound by University policies that prohibit any consensual relationships with students that might compromise the objectivity and integrity of the teacher-student relationship. Examples include romantic, sexual, or financial relationships. • Instructors should strive to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of students’ examinations, homework, and final grades. • In dealing with students, instructors should be polite, helpful, and fair. They should take into account the wide range of cultural factors and physical challenges that can affect learning, and should attempt to help students overcome any disadvantages.