Approved by the:	University Senate - April 20, 2000 Administration - July 26, 2000 Board of Regents - no action required
Amendment approved by the:	Faculty Senate - November 30, 2006 Administration - December 19, 2006 Board of Regents - no action required

Preamble

All students at the University have the right to a civil, productive, and stimulating learning environment. In turn, instructors have a responsibility to nurture and maintain such an environment. Lively, even heated, discussion is not disruptive behavior. Both instructors and students have a fundamental obligation to respect the rights of each other and an equally fundamental obligation to respect the instructional setting as a place for civil, courteous behavior.

Teaching and learning are vital to the mission of the University. The University believes teaching responsibilities to be of primary importance for its instructors (faculty, graduate teaching assistants, instructors, teaching specialists, etc.) such that performance by instructors shall be taken into consideration in determining salary increases, tenure, retention, and promotion.

I. Expectations of the University:

1. Provide clean and appropriate classrooms and facilities. People using the classrooms also have an obligation to help keep them clean and in order. See III(7) and IV(8).

2. Provide sufficient and suitable classroom, laboratory, and other instructional space.

3. Provide, in consultation with instructional staff, audio, visual, and technological equipment that is capable, current, and appropriate for classroom teaching and learning. Equipment should be in good working order and be adequately maintained and adequately supplied. Operating instructions should be provided so those unfamiliar with the equipment can use it.

4. A telephone number should be posted in all classrooms for contacting appropriate personnel to report equipment malfunction or need for supplies.

5. To provide training that supports excellence in the classroom: that provides instructional improvement and effective classroom instruction, including the use of technology.

II. Expectations of Departments/Divisions:

1. The course descriptions published in University catalogs and/or in the Course Guide must be consistent with the content of the actual course taught. Descriptions should make it clear that courses evolve, and content may vary somewhat with the individual instructor.

2. All instructors are encouraged to provide timely course descriptions for appropriate printed materials and web sites.

3. Courses must be offered on a schedule, or frequently enough, that permits students to graduate in a timely fashion. All departments are to have a four-year graduation plan in place; they need also to have course offerings that support it.

4. Classes must be offered at standard times. Abuse of standard class periods leads to inefficient use of classrooms and is disrespectful of students and faculty: students are forced to be late to other classes, and faculty access to classrooms they need is reduced. See http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semclasses.html (1(a)) and, for the Twin Cities, see http://160.94.62.210/groups/senate/documents/policy/tccaclassschedule.html.

5. Any unclaimed final examinations or other major submitted student work should be retained by the department for at least one year so that they may be reviewed and/or claimed by students.

6. Departments must maintain gradebooks or their equivalents for a minimum of five years. Faculty leaving the University must give all grading records to the department.

7. Departments should communicate with the Classroom Management Office about problems in classrooms so the responsible party can solve the problems.

8. Departments are to communicate with faculty about these expectations.

III. Expectations of Instructors:

1. Instructors are responsible for clearly communicating the course objectives at the beginning of each course. Class activities should be directed toward the fulfillment of these objectives and student performance should be evaluated in relationship to these objectives. If an instructor changes the course requirements or materials, students should be given timely notice consistent with the magnitude of the change (e.g., a few days for an additional article to read; some weeks if a research paper is to be added). See also #9, following. No major change should be imposed after the second week of the semester (e.g., adding a research paper or major examination). At the same time, instructors are not barred from adding material, or from announcing at the outset of the term that additional materials will be required as part of the course as the term progresses.

2. Instructors are responsible for informing students in their classes of the methods to be used in determining course grades, i.e., evaluation criteria and the contribution to the final grade of each graded component.

3. Instructors are responsible for informing students of any requirements related to course attendance and participation.

4. Instructors are responsible for informing students of any special attendance requirements for each class taught. This includes, insofar as possible, specific dates, times, and places of additional outside-of-class work such as field trips, study sessions, or extra class meetings, and whether or not attendance at these additional activities will be reflected in the grade.

5. Instructors are responsible for evaluating and returning examinations and other student work with sufficient promptness to enhance the learning experience. Instructors should specify a time frame for retaining student work (e.g. homework, midterm exams, etc.) during the semester. Term papers and comparable projects are the property of students who prepare them; instructors who desire to retain a copy for their own files should state their intention to do so. (It is permissible for a faculty member not to return examinations, but students must then be permitted to review the exam in order to request clarification of a grade.) Instructors are strongly encouraged to provide sufficient graded feedback early in the term and before the deadline for withdrawing from classes to enable students to assess their progress in the course. Instructors are responsible for submitting examination answer sheets for scoring by the Office of Measurement Services (OMS) in a secure manner.  Specifically, instructors or their designate (departmental office employee or teaching assistant) must submit examination answer sheets personally or via campus courier to the OMS office, 103 U Stores Building, or to a drop location in 301 Eddy Hall or 130 Coffey Hall.  Do not use campus mail.

6. Instructors are expected to meet their classes at the scheduled times and be prepared for all class sessions. When instructors know in advance of conflicts with particular class dates, they are responsible for working with their unit to make appropriate alternate arrangements. Instructors are also expected to honor class periods; to consistently run longer than the class period is disrespectful of students who may have a class the next hour and it is disrespectful of faculty who are scheduled to teach in the room the next hour.

Instructors are also required to adhere to Senate policy concerning in-term and final exams: Exams during the term may NOT be offered outside of the regular class time unless there is notice in the class schedule. (See http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semclasses.html, Section 1(b).) Final examinations must be offered at the time established by the schedule (but can be changed if certain criteria are met) and it may not be offered during the term (e.g., the last day of classes). (See http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semclasses.html, Section 4, particularly (d), (e), and (f). See also Section 5 about students who are granted absence from a final exam.)

7. Instructors are expected to leave the classroom and its equipment in good order (e.g., clean the blackboards, chairs straightened, electronic equipment shut off). Students may be requested to help neaten and straighten a classroom and furniture. (See Section IV (8).)

8. Instructors are expected to schedule and keep a reasonable number of office hours for student conferences. Office hours should be scheduled at times convenient to both the students and instructors with the additional option of prearranged appointments for students when there are schedule conflicts. The minimum number of office hours is typically to be agreed upon by the teaching unit.

9. During the first class session of the term, instructors should:

-- Introduce themselves and any teaching assistants
-- Provide a detailed written syllabus (if it is available on a web site, it must also be available to the class in a hard copy) containing the following information:

About the Instructor:
Instructor's name
Office location
Office hours
Phone number(s)
Fax number
Email address
Preferred method of contact (phone, email, fax, etc.)

About the Course:
Course title
Course designator
Course number
Number of credits
Day, time, and place of class meetings
Brief description of the course
Required and recommended materials and the location of the materials
Course goals, objectives, and expectations
Course prerequisites
Schedule of assignments, papers, projects, etc.
Criteria for grading and grading standards (definition of grades) (see http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/gradingpolicy.html)
Make-up exam policy (see http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semclasses.html, Section 4 (d) to (f) for Senate policy on final examinations and Section 5 (b) concerning mandatory make-up exams for certain students)
Senate student academic workload policy (see http://160.94.62.210/groups/senate/documents/policy/gradesacadwork.html, last paragraph)
Statement on accommodations for students with disabilities (1)
Statement on classroom conduct (2)
Statement on academic misconduct (3) (see http://www1.umn.edu/oscai/integrity/faculty/syllabus.html)
Statement regarding sexual harassment (4)

For sample statements that can be used on a syllabus, go to www. _______. Syllabi may also include this web site, rather than the statements. Note, however, that Senate policy requires on every syllabus language about the meaning of grades, student academic workload, and the penalty for cheating.

10. Instructors are obligated to report suspected academic misconduct to their department.

11. Instructors should take steps to have removed from class students who disrupt the educational process because of discourteous, threatening, harassing, or other aggressive behavior.

IV. Expectations of Students:

Students are responsible for being prepared to take the courses for which they register. They should not register for courses in which they lack the prerequisites unless they have permission from the instructor.

1. Students are responsible for all class meetings and materials, including any information contained in the syllabus. Students are expected to attend all meetings of their courses. They may be excused from class, however, to participate in religious observances and for approved University activities. Instructors should be notified at the beginning of the term about such planned absences.

Students must attend the first class meeting of every course in which they are registered, unless they obtain approval from the instructor before the first meeting. Otherwise, they may lose their places in class to other students. (See http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semclasses.html, Section 3.)

2. Students are expected to do their own assigned work. If it is determined that a student has cheated, he or she may be given an "F" or an "N" for the course, and may face additional sanctions from the University. (See http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf, Section III, Subd 1, Scholastic Dishonesty, and http://160.94.62.210/groups/senate/documents/policy/gradingpolicy.html, Section II (2).)

3. Students are responsible for being on time and prepared for all class sessions.

4. Students are responsible for meeting all course requirements, observing all deadlines, examination times, and other course procedures.

5. Students are responsible for seeking academic help in a timely fashion.

6. Students who need special accommodations are responsible for working first with the relevant University offices and then with the instructor at the beginning of the course.

7. Students may not make commercial use of their notes of lectures or University-provided materials without the express written consent of the instructor. (See the Senate policy at http://160.94.62.210/groups/senate/documents/policy/classnotes.html)

8. Students may be responsible for helping straighten up a classroom at the end of a class period, if requested to do so by the instructor (see Section III (7)). Keeping a classroom in good order includes taking away or disposing of everything one came in with, such as pop cans/bottles, food containers/wrappers, newspapers, etc. Students shall also not deface or damage classrooms or classroom furniture or equipment.