Policies and Procedures for Instructors

Temple University has instituted several policies, effective September 1, 2003, designed to foster student academic progress and strengthen communications between and among instructors, students and advisers. Please take a few minutes to review the new policies and procedures. The complete statements of these policies are available on the Temple policy website at http://policies.temple.edu/ and in the Undergraduate Bulletin, "Academic Policies," http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/.  Sample forms and summaries are available on the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies web site at http://www.temple.edu/vp_ugstudies/ .

1. Course Syllabus: In the first week of the term, instructors are required to supply students a detailed syllabus explaining course rules and expectations. The required items for your course syllabi are enumerated on the policy website and include eleven categories of information. A copy should be given to your departmental office. (policy #02.78.13)

2. Prerequisites and Co-Requisites: Official course prerequisites or co-requisites must be clearly indicated in your course syllabus. They are published in the Undergraduate Course Descriptions and online at http://webserv.adminsvc.temple.edu/tucourses/ . If you are in doubt about the published prerequisites to be identified in your course syllabus, consult with your departmental chair. Students who have not satisfied the published prerequisites or co-requisites may have their registrations cancelled and be removed from class. Send students who lack the appropriate prerequisites or co-requisites to their advisers to correct their course schedules.

3. Instructor Office Hours: Full-time faculty are required to hold a minimum of three office hours per week and should schedule one hour immediately before or after one of the scheduled class meeting times for each course. Adjunct instructors are required to schedule one office hour per week for each class they teach and should schedule that hour either immediately before or after one of the scheduled class meeting times for that course. Please talk regularly with your students about their academic work and progress in the course. (policy #02.78.12 and also policy #02.72.11)

4. Registration: Students must be registered for the courses they attend. Instructors should be concerned with two potential problems regarding student registration. First, students appear on your class list but never attend the class. If the student is still on your grade list at the end of term, your only option is to give the student a grade of "F." Second, students attend the class but are not on your class list. Send such unregistered students to their academic advising office to correct their course schedules right away. Students not on the published grade list may not receive grades or credit for the course. In order to help keep track of students officially in your course, you can request updated course rosters from your department or your Dean's Office. (http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/)

5. OWLnet and Temple Portal: All students have available on "OWLnet" a complete electronic record of their active course registrations, billing status, grades and academic history. They also receive important messages about their academic standing. This means that students in your class who have questions about whether they have received passing grades in prerequisite courses, whether they are officially registered for your course, and many other matters, can find immediate answers online.

6. Temple E-Mail: All students are required to obtain a Temple e-mail address and to follow guidelines for University use of e-mail; instructors will now be able to depend on an @temple.edu address to communicate with each student and to use the addresses to create course Listservs or e-mailing lists. (policy #04.74.11)

 7. Lower Division Courses: Student Academic Progress: Beginning in spring 2004, instructors in all courses numbered 0001-0099 will provide evaluations of satisfactory and unsatisfactory student progress by the end of the fifth week of class. If you are teaching one of these courses, you will receive a ratings report, similar to a grade list. It is your responsibility to schedule and return graded assignments early enough to accommodate this report and to complete it by the deadline. Students and advisers will receive the ratings electronically on OWLnet. (policy #02.10.15)

8. Withdrawal from Classes: Beginning in fall 2003, no student may withdraw from a course after the ninth week of classes. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. A student may withdraw from no more than five courses (taken after Sept. 1, 2003) during an undergraduate career. Students are encouraged to discuss this option in advance with their instructor. To withdraw, students must obtain an adviser's signature. Instructors will not be required to sign withdrawal forms. (policy #02.10.14)

9. Incomplete Course Work: Instructors submitting a grade of "I" (Incomplete) for students must file, with the department, a written agreement describing the nature of the work to be completed and the completion deadline. The instructor must report a default grade that will be entered if the student's work is not completed or if the instructor does not change the "I" grade within one year. An instructor will file an "I" (Incomplete) only if the student has completed the majority of the work of the course at a passing level, and only if the student's work for the course was not completed for reasons beyond the student's control. (policy #02.12.13)

10. Course and Teaching Evaluations (CATE): With few exceptions, each instructor is required to employ a standard form for student evaluation of courses and teaching. You should review the evaluation form when planning your courses. Instructors should not be present while students are filling out the CATE. The evaluation is not to be administered during final examinations. (policy #02.78.14)

11.  Grade List Changes: Beginning in December 2003, instructors filling out grade lists should note important changes. All students on your grade list should receive letter grades (A to F), unless you are teaching a specially approved credit/no credit course. (The "NR" grade is no longer an instructor's grading option.) Do not leave a student grade blank. Instructors submitting "I" (Incomplete) grades must complete a departmental, written agreement and enter a default grade to be assigned if the student's work is not completed.

12. Uniform Hours for Office Providing Student Services: When referring students, be aware that all University offices directly serving students maintain uniform business hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (policy #04.31.11)

13. Academic Warning: A student with a semester grade point average below 2.00 will be placed on Academic Warning and will not be permitted to register by telephone or online. All students on Academic Warning must receive the approval of their academic adviser for registration. Students with fewer than 24 cumulative credits will also receive an Academic Warning if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0. (policy #02.10.11)

14. Academic Probation: Academic Probation is a sanction given to students whose cumulative grade point average (cgpa) is below 2.0 after having accumulated 24 credits or more. Students on Academic Probation at the end of the spring grading cycle are not eligible for financial aid or university housing in the next semester, unless they raise their cgpa to 2.0 or above by taking Temple summer school courses. (policy #02.10.11)

15. Academic Dismissal: Academic Dismissal will be determined by a system of deficiency points that will allow students to track their academic performance more easily. If a student has been on probation in the previously attended semester, has 24 credits or more, and has too many deficiency points, the student will be dismissed. Please review material on the policy website or in the Undergraduate Bulletin to familiarize yourself with this method of representing academic performance. (policy #02.10.11)

16. Reinstatement and Readmission: Students who have been dismissed for poor academic performance may apply for reinstatement after completing work successfully on Conditional Status; dismissed students not approved for such status may apply for readmission five years after their last enrollment. Rules governing these applications are explained at the policy website and in the Undergraduate Bulletin, http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/. (policy #02.10.11)

 

 

Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

500 Conwell Hall

1801 N. Broad Street/ Philadelphia, PA 19122

http://www.temple.edu/vp_ugstudies/

Tel. (215) 204.2044

 

(Revised 8/17/04)