Academic Policies--Enrollment, Curriculum, and Classroom

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1 Academic Policies--Enrollment, Curriculum, and Classroom 601. Teaching McPherson College wants all faculty to teach through scholarship, through service, and through participation--not only through classroom and course activities. However, all teachers are employed with the expectation that they are effective in the classroom. In regular faculty evaluations, classroom teaching is an important component: for example, faculty being evaluated are asked to administer course evaluation forms in two of their courses. The quality of teaching is assessed by means of (1) these student evaluations, (2) a classroom visit by an administrator, and (3) a faculty member's self-evaluation (see Section 440). Teachers are expected to maintain current knowledge of developments in their academic fields. Each teacher is encouraged, in consultation with the department head, to select her/his own textbooks and to work out her/his own syllabi. Text selection should be kept current, though yearly changes of texts are not necessary. All textbooks should be ordered through the bookstore well in advance of the time they are needed. At the beginning of each semester, faculty must place on file in the Provost's Office a current syllabus for each course taught. A suggested model for syllabi has been adopted by the faculty; this model shows information that must appear on all syllabi. Faculty and departmental self-assessment for the purpose of improving instruction is an important component of the college-wide assessment program. The college recommends that faculty use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT's) to determine the effectiveness of teaching practices. The book Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross, 1993) provides an explanation of many such techniques, and is available in the college library and in many academic departments. A new faculty member who wants assistance with teaching or preparation of materials is encouraged to speak to the department chair or to the faculty mentor assigned to her/him by the administration Classroom Conduct Each faculty member at McPherson College has the full authority to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning consistent with the mission of the college. Therefore, an instructor, in consultation with the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, may withdraw a student from a class if the student's behavior destroys the learning atmosphere in the class. To withdraw a student for misbehavior, an instructor must notify in writing the student, the Associate Dean of Academic Records, and the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Examples of such disruptive behavior include violence, threatening words or actions, or persistently disruptive behaviors. Students have the right to appeal an instructor's decision through the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty Teaching Load A full-time load for teaching faculty shall be defined as 48 hours of teaching in any two-year period, and the total number of preparations during that period should not exceed nine. In addition to teaching duties, a faculty member is expected to serve on committees and to sponsor student organizations that do not require excessive time. 6-1

2 When special duties, such as the direction of time-consuming school activities, are great, or when classes have unusually large enrollments, actual teaching load may be decreased accordingly. When there are sections of classes, or very small classes, or when responsibilities in connection with activities are negligible, teaching load may be adjusted to fit the situation. It is the responsibility of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty to distribute the teaching assignments and assignments of extra-class activities as evenly as possible in order that all may be treated equitably Class Rosters, Records, Attendance, Class Changes Class Rosters and Records. A student's enrollment in classes is verified by printout rosters issued by the Associate Dean of Academic Records. No student should be permitted to remain in class unless his/her name appears on the final roster. Students wishing to drop or add courses must complete a Drop - Add Form available in the Student Enrollment Services Office. The Student Enrollment Services Office issues a class record printout on which the faculty member may keep a record of class attendance and grades. Additional printouts are supplied for entering grades at five weeks, midterm, end of term, and end of the Interterm. These grades are due in the office of Student Enrollment Services as indicated on the academic calendar. After each term, a verification roster will be distributed to check for accuracy of grade input. Attendance. Regular class attendance is expected of all students. An "early alert" form should be completed when a student persists in being absent from classes. Few absences are necessary; students should clear necessary absences that can be anticipated with the faculty member before the absence occurs. (See "Attendance" under "Academic Program & Policies" in McPherson College Catalog.) Faculty members should keep class attendance records in order to comply with federal mandates that we document the last date of attendance if a student withdraws. Faculty members may be asked to report attendance data to the Center for Academic Development. Class Changes. A student may change his or her course schedule only with the permission of the advisor. Such changes cannot be granted after the second week of the term. Upon written request and the presentation of valid reasons for making an exception, the Provost and Dean of the Faculty may approve changes after the two-week period. A drop/add fee will be charged for each enrollment change starting the third week of the term. (See "Course Scheduling/Changes" under "Academic Program & Policies" in McPherson College Catalog.) Students may withdraw from courses until one week after the deadline for instructors to turn in midterm grades. Students who withdraw from a class before that deadline will receive a notation of "W" on the permanent record in place of a letter grade. (See "Course Scheduling/Changes" under "Academic Program & Policies" in McPherson College Catalog.) Faculty members should keep class attendance records in order to comply with federal mandates that we document the last date of attendance if a student withdraws. Faculty members may be asked to report attendance data to the Center for Academic Development Scheduling of Classes and Course Changes The Associate Dean of Academic Records prepares the class schedule for each academic year several weeks in advance of the pre-enrollment period, with the advice and consent of the Educational Policies Committee and/or their representatives. Faculty members are invited to bring curriculum and schedule problems to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty or to the Associate Dean of Academic Records at any time. 6-2

3 Changes in course titles, numbers, credits, content, and new course proposals must be approved by the department, the Teacher Education Committee (if a course is part of a teacher education or general education program), the division, the General Education Review Committee (if the course is a general education course), and the Educational Policies Committee Guidelines for Travel (excluding sponsored trips and deputations) Study-travel can be an important ingredient in a student s academic experience. Its effectiveness is, however, diminished by lack of planning and/or by duplication of effort in another department. The following policy statement has been approved and should be followed as a faculty member develops plans. These guidelines are applicable to learning experiences which will generally include: travel for course credit, deputations, field trips, alumni tours, travel planned by interest groups and/or clubs, summer term travel, and continuing education travel. Persons planning any off-campus travel, including field trips for a class, must send notification of the event (including a list of participants) to the Provost and the Dean of the Faculty. Sponsoring faculty are required to make sure that all necessary documents (including, without limitation, permission and disclaimer documents) have all necessary signatures (including any required student signatures) before any travel begins Permission Procedures Travel for Academic Credit. If a domestic or international learning experience is offered for academic credit, the travel course must be approved through the normal faculty approval processes. A travel experience class may be approved on a one-time basis by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Before any regular domestic or international travel-learning course is advertised to students, approval must be obtained through the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Travel for Non-academic Credit. In the case of a non-credit tour or trip, permission must be received from the Provost and Dean of the Faculty prior to advertising the travel opportunity. Proposal. Faculty planning travel for academic credit or non-credit, should prepare a proposal that describes the nature and purpose of the travel experience, the tentative itinerary, potential size of the group, estimated costs, and college involvement and responsibility. This document must be submitted to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty prior to advertising the travel opportunity. Class Field Trips. Field trips provide students enriching learning opportunities. If at all possible, faculty are encouraged to check the college calendar and register their field trip, to schedule field experiences in their syllabus, and to communicate the event to faculty peers at least one week prior to departure. Students are responsible for making appropriate arrangements with their other professors, recognizing that the field experience may or may not be an excused absence by that instructor. Faculty will notify the Provost and Dean of the Faculty of the field trip and provide a list of participants, sponsors, and itinerary. When scheduling field opportunities, faculty are encouraged to be sensitive to the academic calendar and not take students out of classes more than is prudent for the students' academic success. 6-3

4 611.2 Financial Arrangements The faculty tour coordinator shall develop a realistic budget for the travel opportunity and seek to ascertain that reasonable funding will be in place to support the endeavor. Before advertising the total cost of the tour or trip, the estimated costs should be submitted to the Business Manager for approval. The tour director s and sponsor expenses should be covered by a portion of the participant s fees. Ordinarily the fees will be collected by the Business Office, which shall also pay the expenses incurred. However, if a travel agency is involved, it may collect the participant s fees. It is the responsibility of the tour director or sponsor to arrange for a travel agency, if applicable, or to arrange for transportation and lodging. The business officer, however, shall do the legal contracting for those services. Proof of health insurance shall be provided by each tour participant Student/Staff Safety Appropriate precautions shall be used when traveling. Should a potentially dangerous situation arise in a location where a study-travel experience is planned, the trip coordinator, in consultation with the Provost and Dean of the Faculty may cancel the trip or change the destination. Should a situation arise during a study-travel experience that could be potentially dangerous, the trip coordinator, in consultation with the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, may curtail the travel plans. The trip coordinator is expected to monitor the State Department web site for travel warnings or restrictions. Notwithstanding the above, the trip coordinator, and any other college personnel having charge of students on study-travel, always have the power and responsibility to take emergency action that reasonably appears necessary to ensure the safety of students, even if prior consultation with the Provost and Dean of the Faculty is not practical Eligibility of Students to Represent College in Co-Curricular or Deputation Roles A student must be properly enrolled in courses totaling at least twelve semester hours and must have made passing grades in at least twelve hours in the previous term in order to represent the McPherson College in any extra-curricular activity or in deputation activities. (Normally, students should not represent the college if they were on the probation list at the end of the previous term.) The college defines a sponsored trip or deputation as any individual or group officially representing McPherson College away from the campus. All College-sponsored trips and deputations must be cleared with the College Advancement Office. All persons performing in music ensembles shall be approved by the Music Department and other persons taking part in a deputation program shall be approved by the department which they represent. The total deputation program shall be planned ahead, covering the entire year as much as possible, so as to avoid problems arising from an end-of-semester pile-up of programs. Eligibility rules of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) are followed for all students participating in athletic events Special Courses (Appointment, Independent Study, Career Connections Internship and Field Experience, Readings and Research) Students may enroll for various kinds of individualized instruction, including courses by appointment, independent study, Career Connections internships and field experiences, and 6-4

5 readings and research, following submission of a formal application to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Forms are available in the Student Enrollment Services Office. The "Special Courses" section in the McPherson College Catalog describes each of the above types of individualized instruction. Questions about proper use of these special courses should be directed to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty Chapel and Convocations Convocations provide a broad range of cultural and intellectual experiences designed to supplement those offered through individual departments. During the fall and spring terms, one hour every week is kept free of classes for convocation activities. In addition to allcampus convocations, every month there is one opportunity for departmental clubs to meet and one opportunity for faculty to meet with students in their academic major. A schedule of convocation activities is provided at the beginning of each semester. Students are required to attend a total of ten convocations, four or five required and five or six chosen from the schedule, each fall and spring term. Faculty are expected to participate in convocation activities. Some faculty are assigned to distribute and collect attendance cards at all-campus and departmental convocations. (See Convocations in McPherson College Catalog.) Religious chapels are scheduled throughout the appropriate academic year. Attendance at chapel is voluntary, though students and faculty are encouraged to attend. For information concerning schedules and programs of religious chapels, contact the Campus Minister Student Overload (See Course Load, McPherson College Catalog.) 625. Graduation Requirements It is the duty of the department involved to see that all grades and records of special work required for graduation be in the hands of the Associate Dean of Academic Records prior to graduation. This includes special tests and any other requirements not included in the regular 124 hours required for graduation. Convocation credit does not apply toward the 124-hour requirement. (See "Credit and Grade Point-Requirements and Major Requirements" in McPherson College Catalog.) 650. Testing and Assessment Program Faculty in all areas are required to prepare and conduct a program of assessment in the major field of study, the goal of which is to make programs better serve the needs of students. Each faculty member should be familiar with the assessment program in her/his area and should participate in implementing that program. Once a year, departmental faculty are required to prepare and submit to the Assessment Coordinator an assessment report, detailing the results of the assessment processes conducted in the past year and changes made in programs as a result of assessment. All faculty should also be familiar with the Institutional Assessment Plan and be prepared to perform any duties assigned to them in the process of carrying out or reviewing and revising the plan Freshman Testing Program The American College Testing program (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is required of all entering freshmen. Scores from these instruments are used for academic advising. On a "need-to-know" basis, faculty should contact the Associate Dean of Academic Records to secure needed information from these tests, including educational and vocational plans, special educational needs and interests, advanced placement in high school, and high school extracurricular activities and college extracurricular plans. 6-5

6 655. Finals and Grading Teachers are expected to involve students in a major educational experience in all regular credit courses at the end of each term at the specific time indicated in the schedule of examinations prepared by the Provost s Office and as approved by the Educational Policies Committee. A change in the time for an exam may be made only with specific permission and approval from the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. Students who have more than two final exams scheduled on the same day are encouraged to speak to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty about arranging a different time for one or more of the finals. A two-hour period is scheduled for each final examination, which should include a genuine evaluation device. Faculty are expected to make grading policies clear and explicit on course syllabi. At midterm and at the end of each term, faculty are required to turn in all student grades by the specified due date Grading Scale (See Satisfactory Academic Progress: Scholarship, Probation and Suspension Rules" and "Scale of Grading in McPherson College Catalog.) 657. Guidelines Concerning Disputed Grades Introduction. The McPherson College Catalog traditionally contains a statement that "all grades are determined by the instructor in charge of the specific course." The guidelines that follow do not abrogate this basic principle of faculty responsibility. They do provide for an avenue by which students who feel that they have been unjustly evaluated may request review of the evaluation. In keeping with the spirit of the catalog statement, all such review of evaluations should remain solely in the hands of faculty; no student or student group should be involved in review procedure at any stage of its progress. The guidelines for review of disputed grades are as follows: Step 1. No review procedure may begin until a student concerned about his/her evaluation has discussed this evaluation personally with the instructor who recorded the grade under review. (Note: this step may be waived in cases of permanent absence of the instructor or as otherwise deemed advisable by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.) Step 2. When a student, after consultation with the instructor described in Step 1 above, feels a continuing grievance, the Provost and Dean of the Faculty may, if he or she deems this appropriate under the circumstances, confer with student and instructor separately and informally, thus attempting to obtain resolution of the dispute at issue. Step 3. If resolution is not achieved in Step 2, above, the student, but only with the written permission of the Provost and Dean of Faculty, may appeal to a committee of review established as follows: One member of the faculty of McPherson College selected by the student; one member of the faculty of McPherson College, other than himself, selected by the instructor involved; one member of a faculty, preferably in an academic discipline close to that in which the review is undertaken, appointed either by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty or by the President of the College. The member of the committee thus appointed by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty or President may be from another institution than McPherson College. The appointed committee should examine any written or oral evidence submitted by the principals involved in the review. Following such examination, in closed session, the committee should determine the legitimacy of the student's grievance; in the event that the grievance is found to be valid, the committee should recommend to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty an alternative grade for record. Decisions of this committee are final and subject to no institutional appeal. The Step 3 procedure described above shall occur only if the Provost and Dean of Faculty deems such procedure appropriate in the particular case, and gives to the aggrieved student written permission to pursue such 6-6

7 procedure Students on Academic Probation Students may be placed on probation at McPherson College for academic reasons. Student academic probation is governed by the Satisfactory Academic Progress: Scholarship, Probation and Suspension Rules in the McPherson College Catalog. The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty will provide faculty advisers with information concerning the academic status of students. Faculty advisers are expected to work with all such students in order to help them overcome their difficulties Academic Advising Program The welfare of each student should be a primary concern of each faculty member. Faculty members should be available for advising with students. Faculty members should take the initiative in advising whenever they see the need for it, or they should report the need to the colleague who is in the position to do the most good. Any undesirable practices pertaining to the physical, intellectual, social, or moral life of a student should be reported to the Dean of Students. Problems found through advising should also be reported to the Dean of Students. An "early alert" system is in place, by which all personnel are encouraged to communicate any perceived student problems to the Deans' Office Advising Students for Teacher Education Faculty should advise students desiring to become teachers to contact the Department of Curriculum and Instruction as early in their college careers as possible. However, faculty advisors should be very familiar with requirements and procedures described in the Advisor/Advisee Handbook for Teacher Preparation Programs Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Each year faculty who have been teaching at McPherson College for more than one year are invited to elect the students to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. A faculty representative conducts the election by ballot. The recommendation of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges is to confine the election to students who fulfill the basic requirements of a 3.0 grade point average and 80 hours completed. The following qualities should be determining factors in the choices made: scholarship ability, participation and leadership in academic and extracurricular activities, citizenship and service to the college, and potential for future achievement. Faculty may vote for as many persons as they believe to be deserving of this recognition. Those students receiving votes from 50 percent or more of the voting faculty will be elected. 6-7