Teaching Loads and Assignments
Teaching is the primary responsibility of Stonehill faculty. Teaching responsibilities and specific course assignments for a faculty member are established in consultation with the appropriate Dean, the department chair or program director and the faculty member. For full-time tenure-line faculty, the normal teaching load is 18 credits over a two-semester cycle. For professors of practice, the teaching load is typically 24 credits over a two-semester cycle. A faculty member receives three (3) credits for teaching a lab section. For term-renewable faculty, teaching loads vary and are specified in their terms of appointment letter. There may be exceptions to these loads based on class size, significant research or administrative responsibilities, external grants, historical teaching loads, etc. These exceptions are negotiated between the faculty member, department chair, and the appropriate Dean. Teaching loads for Visiting Professors are negotiated at the time of hiring.
Through the work of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), academic departments and the Office of Academic Affairs, the College seeks to support effective and innovative teaching. Faculty are encouraged to participate in the activities of CETL, attend the August and May Faculty Professional Development Says, and avail themselves of the other resources available in the areas of pedagogy and technology, and library resources.
Course Management
Each member of the faculty is responsible for:
- Ordering books and other required teaching materials in advance of the beginning of the semester and communicating with the Bookstore in a timely manner to ensure best pricing for students.
- Faculty must have a syllabus for each course section either in Simple Syllabus or as a downloadable file (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, or PDF file). Syllabus Guidelines can be found on the Academic Affairs myHill page.
- Meeting classes at scheduled times and locations.
- Honoring the College’s reading and examination periods. Faculty members must inform their department chairs or program directors and the Registrar’s Office if they do not hold an in-class final as scheduled by the Registrar. Please refer to the College’s Online Policy Manual, Policy 2508.
- Evaluating students’ work, including providing adequate and timely feedback to students.
- Submitting grades by the dates established by the Registrar’s Office.
Copyright Permissions
For those materials you print from other sources to give to your students (either as hand-outs or as part of a course pack), please make sure all of your materials have copyright permission or can be copied under “Fair Use,” see the Copyright Guidelines in the Library’s website under Information for Faculty. The Library is willing to review your course pack materials and will obtain the proper copyrights through course reserves.
NOTE: Advance preparation is encouraged to prevent bottlenecks. It takes time to get the copyright permissions (approximately two weeks for reserves processing). When the course packs get to the Bookstore, it takes a couple of business days to determine price based on the document copying cost and price approval from their central office before they are placed on the shelves.
Student Attendance
Students are expected to be regular and prompt in their class attendance. In case of absence, students are responsible for all class work, assignments, and examinations. Any student who misses an examination (other than the Final Examination), a quiz, or any required classroom activity to which a grade is assigned, must consult the instructor as soon as possible regarding the opportunity to make up the work missed. In such cases, it is the instructor who determines whether the absence was legitimate or not; if it was, the instructor has the obligation to give a make-up examination or a quiz, or to provide the student with an equivalent basis for evaluation. If the absence is deemed not to have been legitimate, the instructor has the option to decide whether to provide an opportunity to make up the work.
For the College’s policy on attendance for student-athletes, consult the Student-Athlete Handbook. Generally, student athletes should not be excused from classes to attend practices, but faculty members are encouraged to make reasonable accommodations for game attendance. Student athletes are expected to notify instructors of game schedules prior to the beginning of the semester and to work with instructors to satisfy the attendance and assignment requirements of the course.
If, due to prolonged illness or any other reason, any student misses three consecutive weeks of classes, the instructor has the right to decide whether the student will be permitted to make up the work missed.
After the Add/Drop Period, faculty must contact the Registrar’s Office when a student is attending class, but their name does not appear on the class roster. Faculty also need to report a student whose name continues to appear in the roster but is not attending class. A student may be added to a class after the Add/Drop Period has ended with the permission of both the instructor and the Standards and Standing Committee.
Any student who is unable, because of their religious beliefs, to attend classes or participate in any required activities related to the course shall be provided at no extra cost with an opportunity to make up any of these activities as long as it does not create an unreasonable burden on the faculty or the school. No adverse or prejudicial effects to the student shall result because of their use of these provisions.
Office Hours
Faculty should be generously accessible to their students and to the community outside of scheduled class meetings. Sufficient office hours can serve as an important extension of the learning environment. Office hours must be communicated to students in course syllabi and preferably also be posted in Canvas and on faculty doors. Faculty are encouraged to be regularly available during their office hours and at other times of the academic schedule for meetings with students and colleagues and institutional committees. At least four hours a week of scheduled office hours are recommended for full-time faculty either at their offices or virtually, with availability at other times by appointment.
Class Times and Locations
After consultation with Department Chairpersons and Deans, the Registrar schedules the times and locations of all courses. Several standard time blocks are available. Requests for non-standard time blocks require the permission of the Registrar’s Office.
All classroom assignments are determined by the Registrar in order to maximize space and utilization. Individual requests should be made to the Department Chair.
Once the schedules are issued, the times and/or locations of courses may not be changed by faculty members without the approval of the Registrar. Time changes also must be approved by the Department Chairperson. No change in time will be allowed if such would force a student to withdraw from a course.
To avoid inconvenience to others, classes must begin at and end by the assigned times.
Class Meetings and Cancellation Policy
A faculty member is expected to hold all class meetings throughout the semester, at the time and location scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. This is important not only for student learning but also for accreditation purposes. In addition, if the College needs to contact a student in an emergency, their course schedule is used to locate them.
For safety and security purposes, the College must be notified whenever a class schedule is altered and students will be absent from their assigned location. This includes changes in location, shifts to online sessions, and cancellations. Faculty can indicate those types of changes by submitting the Change in Class Notification Form.
Please remember that a number of offices on campus can provide educational presentations to your students if you have a conflict that might otherwise result in a cancelled class. “Don’t Cancel That Class” is also available on the Academic Affairs myHill page.
Remember, timely communication is crucial for maintaining campus safety and security. Thank you for your cooperation.
If an instructor has not arrived ten minutes after the beginning of a class period, students should assume that the class has been cancelled unless they have been otherwise notified.
Evaluative Criteria/Grading/Final Examinations
Faculty members are encouraged to view exams, quizzes, and papers as learning experiences and not merely as grading opportunities. The criteria for the grading of examinations, quizzes, and papers are to be determined by the individual faculty member in accordance with usual and accepted professional standards (see Policy 2519 in the Online Policy Manual). The faculty is reminded of its responsibility in grading and promptly returning student work/assignments.
Faculty are required to enter a Mid-Semester Assessment for every student by the midpoint of the semester. The Mid-Semester Assessment policy and grading system used by the College are found in the Hill Book and in policies 2713 and 2706 in the College’s Online Policy Manual.
Final grades must be submitted by the deadline established on the Academic Calendar. Once a student’s semester grade has been submitted to the Registrar’s Office, should a grade need to be changed, the faculty member (the only person authorized to change the grade) must submit a Grade Change form to the Registrar’s Office for processing. Grade changes that are older than one semester require the additional approval of the School’s Dean. Although it is very rare, a student has the option to dispute a grade, the process followed in this case can be found in Policy 2703 in the College’s Online Policy Manual.
Research on learning suggests that some type of comprehensive examination or relevant assignment or project will facilitate a student’s integration and synthesis of knowledge and/or skills.[2] Therefore, faculty are expected to give final exams in their courses, or an equivalent type of cumulative learning experience. Obviously, the nature of the examination or project is left to the discretion of the faculty member and will be influenced greatly by the discipline and specific course. Final examinations are scheduled by the Registrar’s Office and are to be administered only during the Final Exam Period (see the Academic Calendar, which can be found on the webpage of the Registrar’s Office for the dates of the Final Exam Periods). It is not acceptable to reschedule a final exam because of student or faculty preference.
If a faculty member chooses not to give the conventional two-hour final examination, they must notify the department chair and the Registrar’s Office. See Policy 2121 in the College’s Online Policy Manual.
If a student indicates to the faculty member ahead of time that they will not be able to take a final examination at the scheduled time due to an urgent or compelling reason such as illness or a death in the family, the student must notify the Office of Academic Advising. The examination will be administered at an alternative time set by the Office of Academic Advising.
Under FERPA regulations, faculty are expected to keep student grades and graded assignments in confidence. Only students have the right to see their individual grades or graded assignments. Graded assignments should not be left in a public place for students to pick up. FERPA provisions are summarized in Policy 2115 in the College’s Online Policy Manual.
- Incomplete Course Work
A faculty member may submit the grade of “I’’ or Incomplete only when a student’s failure to complete the work of the course is due to a serious reason approved by the faculty member. In this situation, a student may also withdraw from the course, and a faculty member might also dismiss a student from a course. See the Hill Book and the College’s Policies below for additional information:
- Incomplete Course Work (Policy 2518)
- Students withdrawing from a course after the Drop/Add period (Policy 1110)
- Dismissal of a student from a course
Course Activities Off-Campus
For documentation purposes, faculty members are asked to provide notification prior to traveling off campus with students by completing the Travel Notification and Vehicle Needs Form, which is available on the Academic Affairs myHill page.
Due to safety and liability issues, faculty and staff members should avoid traveling alone with a student or using a personal vehicle for travel whenever possible. In cases where travel in a personal vehicle with students is considered necessary and proper by a faculty member, during their duties, the faculty member’s insurance will be the primary carrier in the event of an accident. Any faculty member performing their duties off-campus remains indemnified under article VI of the Bylaws of Stonehill College.
Off-campus activities should not conflict with course schedules of enrolled students.
Retention of Course Records
A faculty member must preserve all pertinent course records for at least one full year following the completion of a particular course. Course records include:
- Student Work: Any student work such as papers, projects or examinations that remain in the possession of a faculty member may be discarded after one year.
- Assigned Grades: All grades for course assignments should be retained for at least one year after the course is offered. It is the responsibility of faculty members to maintain a copy of all assigned grades for the requisite one year. Mid-semester assessments and final grades for every student are permanently maintained by the Registrar’s Office.
- Course Artifacts: The retention of course artifacts such as the syllabus (see section B.1), assignments and tests are left to the discretion of the faculty member; however, course artifacts are necessary for annual, pre-tenure, tenure and promotion reviews. See College Policy 2508 in the College’s Online Policy Manual on the requirement to submit syllabi each semester.
Stonehill College Academic Honor Code, Policy and Procedures
All faculty have the responsibility to be familiar with, to support, and to abide by the College’s Academic Integrity Policy 2123 and understand its related procedures. The Policy can be accessed in the College’s Online Policy Manual.
Course Evaluations
Every semester, students will be asked to complete online evaluations for each of their courses. The online evaluations are used for student feedback and faculty self-evaluation and as such, faculty will have the option to add questions to the evaluations for their eyes only. The evaluations (without the faculty-added questions) will also be available to department chairs, deans, and the Rank & Tenure Committee for evaluation of programs and faculty. For first-year faculty, course evaluations are formative only.
In addition to using the formal evaluations, faculty members are encouraged to experiment with soliciting feedback from their students at other times during the semester. This can be particularly useful at the point of mid-semester. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning provides a number of confidential services meant to assist faculty in developing and administering effective mid-term evaluations for the purpose of formative self-assessment. The Center additionally offers confidential assistance in interpreting and usefully implementing student feedback.” See the CETL’s website for more information.
Tenured faculty who have been on the faculty for longer than six years have the option to evaluate their courses every third semester and must notify the Associate Vice President for Academic Operations if they wish to exercise this option.
Discuss with your department chair or program director or the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Faculty Director methods for increasing participation and evaluation process. Course evaluations shall be solicited for all courses being taught for the first time.
Mentoring and Advising Students
Mentoring
Meaningful faculty-student interaction is an important characteristic of the Stonehill academic experience. This interaction can be an important aspect of mentoring and can take many different forms, influenced by factors such as the discipline, the faculty member and the students. For example, in the sciences mentoring is often accomplished through collaborative research. In other disciplines, students work closely with faculty through Directed Study courses, research, and student interest groups. In all areas, faculty are asked to encourage students to meet with them during office hours and other times to discuss course material, other topics of interest, career opportunities, etc. These interactions are often described by students as one of the most important aspects of their undergraduate experience.
Academic Advising
Academic advising helps students to understand their goals, values, interests and abilities; discuss majors, minors, and course work that coincide with their abilities and interests; choose appropriate courses and develop an efficient course schedule; explore possible career paths, graduate or professional schools, and other post-graduate efforts that meet their goals, values, interests and abilities.
Typically beginning in their second year, all full-time faculty are expected to serve as academic advisors or to perform comparable departmental service, at the discretion of the department chair. If possible, the department chair should try to balance advising loads across the faculty within a department.
Audio-Visual Media
Both to maintain Stonehill’s compliance with ADA expectations and because of Stonehill’s commitment to creating an inclusive campus that treats all individuals with dignity, faculty must ensure that all students have access to audio-visual materials used for instruction, such as film, DVDs, streaming digital media, video files, and any other material that includes an audio portion accompanying the video portion. This policy applies to all videos shown to students enrolled in Stonehill College courses. Refer to College Policy 2508 Instruction and Course Management Requirements in the College’s Online Policy Manual for additional details and requirements.
[1] Taken from the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc. Commission on Institutions of Higher Education- Fifth Interim Report Manual
[2] Dixon, D. D., & Worrell, F. C. (2016). Formative and summative assessment in the classroom. Theory into Practice, 55, 153-159. doi: 10.1080/00405841.2016.1148989