MEMORANDUM

TO:  Faculty, Department Chairs, Deans, and Administrative Officers

FROM: David Royse, Academic Ombud

DATE:  August 10, 2004

RE:   Fall, 2004 Beginning-of-Semester Reminders

Welcome to the Fall 2004 semester! Please note that these guidelines come with references to the University Faculty Senate Rules (S.R) as appropriate. The easiest way to find the whole set of these rules is to go to uky.edu, select the Site Index, choose the letter “S” and then select “Student Rights and Responsibilities.”

THE COURSE SYLLABUS:

The syllabus is the most important indicator of a specific teacher's expectations of students in a particular course, and it offers students the most detailed description available of both the course content and assignments. As such, the course syllabus functions much like an academic "contract" between instructor (and by extension, department, college and university) and student. And thus, it should be clear, explicit and complete, and it should not contain imprecise, vague, or ambiguous phraseology. The course syllabus must be provided free of charge (S.R.6.1.1), and each student must receive the syllabus during the first or second class meeting. Syllabi can be distributed electronically (e.g., via e-mail, web sites, etc.) if the electronically distributed syllabus contains all the necessary information, is made available at the very beginning of the course, AND can be accessed by all students THROUGHOUT the semester.

Regardless of its form (paper or digital), the course syllabus should contain sufficient information so that students have a clear understanding of the course, its content, assignments, grading criteria, and the like. It should also specify course policies and procedures, especially those that in any way may affect student grades. At a minimum, the course syllabus must outline the following items:

A. Course and Instructor "Demographics":

The syllabus should provide the full and accurate title of the course, its departmental/college code, numerical designation and section number. Also needed are the scheduled meeting day/s, time and place. The syllabus must also provide sufficient information so that students can contact the instructor at reasonable times outside of class, including but not necessarily limited to: instructor name, office location, office phone number, and campus e-mail address. Often provision of the departmental office phone number and location is a good idea as well.

All teachers should provide ample time for students to consult outside of class, and regularly scheduled office hours facilitate that interaction. The syllabus should provide all relevant details about regularly scheduled office hours during which students may seek consultation and advice, including the day/s, hours, building, and room number. If a prior appointment is required, the syllabus should specify how to make one as well. Academic conflicts can often be avoided by ensuring that lines of communication between student and teacher are established at the start of a course. Encourage students to communicate before a small problem becomes a large one.

B. Course Description:

The syllabus should offer a reasonably detailed overview of the course. This should include an accurate outline of the content to be covered in the course, and the content described must conform to the course description published in the University Bulletin. The course description must also include at least a summary description of the components that contribute to the determination of the student’s course grade, and a tentative course schedule should clarify topics, specify assignment due dates, examination date/s and the date, time, and location of the final examination.

Please note that no final examinations are permitted during the last week preceding finals. To help reduce confusion and frustration during that last week, clarify expectations at the start of the semester and/or in the syllabus for activities that will occur during that time. Regular course activities, such as homework, quizzes, or laboratory practica may continue as usual. A term paper assigned early in the course can be due during Dead Week, since students would have been informed well in advance. Make-up exams may be given during Dead Week as well. (Dead Week - S.R.5.2.4.6).

Providing an outline of course content by major topical areas or units by class session and tying course assignments (readings, papers, activities, etc.) to those topical areas will help students understand the logic and structure of the material to be learned in the course.

Finally, the syllabus should specify the general grading criteria by which student performance will be assessed and these criteria should be specified separately for each type of assignment as well as for the course as a whole. The numerical scales to be used in grading and their relationship to letter grades should also be provided. Further, the syllabus should state explicitly the relative value given to each activity in the calculation of course grades, e.g., Midterm = 30%; Term Project = 20%; Quizzes = 10%; Comprehensive Final Examination = 40%. If factors affecting evaluation must be revised during the semester, students must be given reasonable warning. There should be no question about what a student must accomplish to earn a particular grade.  Any vagueness can and will be challenged by students. The ultimate goal is to give all students a "fair and just evaluation" based on the "standards announced at the 1st or 2nd class
meeting." (S.R. 6.1.3)

Letter Grades: Occasionally, students question the calculation of their final letter grade when only letter grades were assigned to coursework. Assigning numerical grades may prevent complaints at the end of the semester. The syllabus presents the best opportunity to explain as specifically as possible how final grades will be calculated.

Curving Grades: If a grading curve applies, specify how the curve will be created and indicate in broad terms how the curve may affect the final grade. If grade distributions tend to be fairly consistent, it would be helpful to include in the syllabus examples of grade distributions from previous semesters. It is important to remind students if your curve is not finalized until the end of the semester.

Please note, all teachers must provide undergraduate students with a Midterm Evaluation of their course performance based on the criteria in the syllabus by October 22, 2004. (S.R5.1.0.1) In some courses, midterm progress will be self-evident because students can calculate the average of their tests and quizzes to date. In other courses, students may honestly have no idea what grades have been recorded for them because of ungraded or unreturned homework/projects. The spirit of this policy is to give students a sense of their status in the course so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to withdraw from the course prior to the withdrawal deadline.

C. Course Policies:

The syllabus must provide information to participants about all policies to be enforced during the course. For each policy described, the student should know both the parameters of the policy and the sanctions for its violation. Instructors should explicate course policies in effect on at least the following major issues:

 Attendance: The instructor may want to include a clear and concise statement of the course policy on absences including tardiness (arrivals 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes after class begins or departure before the end of the class session), number of excused absences allowed before one's grade is affected; procedures for securing an excused absence and making up missed work, etc. Be as precise as possible in describing the penalties. This could include penalties for unexcused absences as well as for tardiness or leaving class early, if you choose to impose them. A lone-standing phrase in the syllabus indicating that "attendance is mandatory" will not provide the latitude to penalize the student for absences. A more specific sentence is better: "Attendance is mandatory. For the second and each subsequent unexcused absence, the final average will be lowered by X points."

Excused Absences: S.R. 5.2.4.2 defines the following as acceptable reasons
for excused absences:
 1) serious illness;
 2) illness or death of family member;
 3) University-related trips;
 4) major religious holidays;
 5) other circumstances you find to be "reasonable cause for nonattendance."
Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are responsible for notifying the instructor in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of such holidays no later than the last day for adding a class. Information regarding dates of major religious holidays may be obtained through the religious liaison, Mr. Jake Karnes (257-2754).

Make-up opportunity: When there is an excused absence, students must be given the opportunity to make up missed work and/or exams. It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of the absence preferably in advance, but no later than one week after it.

Verification of Absences
Senate Rule 5.2.4.2 states that faculty have the right to request “appropriate verification” when students claim an excused absence because of illness or death in the family. Beginning this semester the University Health Services (UHS) is going to provide a printed statement that specifies that the University Health Services does not give excuses for absences from class due to illness or injury. It will be possible for these forms to be date stamped so as to show that students went to the trouble of going to University Health Services. It does not mean, however, that a student was actually seen by a physician or a nurse. If you would like further verification that a student kept an appointment with University Health Services (especially when there has been multiple or prolonged absences from class), the student will need to sign a release of information form (available from UHS) that will give permission for the staff to talk with you.

Faculty need to be reasonable in accommodating claims of illness. To protect yourself from constantly having to create make-up quizzes, exams, or graded assignments, you might want to be creative. For example, plan for 12 weekly quizzes but count only 10 in your grade book (i.e., students claiming excused absences could miss two quizzes with no penalty). Similarly, in some departments the comprehensive final covers the content of tests earlier in the semester so that a student who misses, say, exam 1 might have that portion of the final exam which covers the same content count double...for both test one and as one of several units comprising the final. If you adopt such a policy in your course, you must define it in your syllabus.

The policy on excused absences for medical illness is going to be further reviewed by the University Senate.  Further clarification will be distributed as soon as it is available.

Submission of Assignments: The syllabus should specify the accepted procedure for the submission of assignments completed out-of-class, including but not necessarily limited to issues such as format, paper or electronic/digital versions, mode of delivery (via email, course web site, on CD's or other disks), and the like. Any conditions under which students may submit assignments after their published due dates and the penalties, if any, to result from late submission need to be specified as well.

Academic Integrity, Cheating and Plagiarism: The course syllabus should include a clear statement of instructor (and departmental or college as well as university) expectations of academic honesty and of the absolute unacceptability of plagiarism and other forms of cheating. The statement might well include a reminder that the minimum penalty for either of these academic offenses is an "E" in the course, with suspension and dismissal also possibilities.

In addition to the formal statement in the syllabus, consider how to best teach your students that academic integrity is important to scholarship; define for your students what constitutes cheating and plagiarism in your course, and work with your class to diminish the temptation for students to choose to violate these ethical principles. In courses with significant writing requirements, a substantive discussion in the syllabus of what constitutes plagiarism is a good idea as well.

Classroom Behavior, Decorum and Civility: In addition to cheating and plagiarism, classroom demeanor is an increasingly significant problem on campus (and nationally), and in some instances, a statement outlining standards of classroom civility and decorum may be in order. Such a statement might reference university (and college/department) commitments to respect the dignity of all and to value differences among members of our academic community. It might highlight the role of discussion and debate in academic discovery and the right of all to respectfully disagree from time-to-time. Students clearly have the right to take reasoned exception -and to voice opinions contrary to those offered by the instructor and/or other students (S.R. 6.1.2). Equally, faculty have the right --and the responsibility-- to ensure that all academic discourse occurs in a context characterized by respect and civility. Obviously, the accepted level of civility would not include attacks of a personal nature or statements denigrating another on the basis of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, national/regional origin or other such irrelevant factors.

Professional Preparation. Instructors in professional preparation programs have a special responsibility to assist students learn what constitutes professionalism, ethical and professional behavior and conversely, what actions and forms of behavior would be deemed unprofessional, unethical or otherwise unacceptable within the profession for which they are preparing.

Group Work and Student Collaboration: The syllabi for courses within which students are expected to engage in group learning, team projects, or other collaborative, course-related activities must provide explicit explication of how individual student performance will be assessed in such shared learning activities. Requiring as part of the group assignment that the team must explain the involvement of each member in the project and/or actually assess the contribution of each other to the final product may encourage balanced and active participation and contribution by all group members. If student peer assessment is included, it should not be the only evaluation made of individual student performance, however.

OTHER ISSUES OF IMPORT:

Classroom and Learning Accommodations: All university instructors are required to make reasonable accommodations for physical and/or learning disabilities that could inhibit student academic success. The Disability Resource Center certifies the need for and specifies the particular type of such accommodations on a student-by-student basis. Faculty should request this certification from any student requesting such an accommodation. Staff of the Center can also answer questions and provide guidance and assistance. (Contact Mr. Jake Karnes, 257-2754).

Class Enrollment: Students who are attending class but are not on the class roll (i.e., not enrolled) should be directed to the Registrar. The University has no obligation to instruct students who participate in class without enrolling or whose enrollment becomes nullified during the semester. It is the responsibility of the instructor in each class to certify that the final roll is correct. When a student is taking the course as a visiting student or auditing the class, that student's status and the instructor's expectations of the student should be clearly agreed upon at the start of the course.

Grading Writing Skills: Helping promote scholarship is more than simply teaching the subject matter -- all students need to improve and refine their skills in verbal and written expression. Regardless of discipline, teachers have the right -and the obligation- to expect that students use English properly in all aspects of the course. (S.R.5.2.4.3). Instructors can ask students to rewrite papers, make writing style one of the grading criteria, and report a seriously deficient student to his/her college for remedial work. The expectation of proper language usage should be stated in the course syllabus.


I wish you the very best for the coming academic term. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above or if the Office of Academic Ombud Services may be of assistance to you or your students, please call or drop by!!!