Teaching Practices

Many policies relating to teaching practices are under the purview of the Academic Council. Many of the policies are documented in the Student Handbook, the Undergraduate Announcements and / or the Graduate Announcements / Grad-

uate School Policy Handbook.

1. A Syllabus must be prepared for every undergraduate and graduate class and made available to students at as early a class meeting as practicable, but no later than the last class period before the last day for a student to add a class. The minimum guidelines for syllabi are distributed by the Provost’s Office or the appropriate Academic Affairs Unit reporting to the Provost.

2. Office Hours should be scheduled by individuals teaching courses to make themselves accessible to students outside of scheduled class-meeting times regarding course work. Because of the diverse nature of the academic departments, each department or school establishes its own written office hours policy approved by the college dean.

3. Class Schedules must be followed. A semester is normally 15 class weeks in length, exclusive of final exams. Lecture courses meet 50 minutes per week per credit hour. Two or three contact hours of laboratory are assigned per credit hour.

4. Faculty Absence from Class is excusable for valid reasons (e.g., illness, emergencies, or travel on University business), otherwise teaching faculty are obligated to meet their classes regularly at the appointed times. When absent from class, the faculty member should notify the affected classes and the department office. If possible, such notification should be given in advance. Suitable arrangements, such as, substitute instructors, library as- signments, or other appropriate utilization of class time, should also be made. If no advance arrangements are made, students are authorized to leave after waiting the time specified by the teacher at the beginning of the course in the course syllabus.

5. The Attendance Policy for undergraduate students is set forth in Undergraduate Announcements; the policy for graduate students is documented in Graduate Announcements / Graduate School Policy Handbook. All absences are matters to be resolved between the course instructor and the student. A student who incurs excessive absenc- es in a given course may be dropped from that course by the course instructor in accordance with stated course policy.

6. Examination and Grading Examination and Grading procedures and standards as well as course require- ments should be announced by faculty during the first full week of classes. Final examinations must be given on the dates and at the times designated in the final examinations schedule. Detailed information on grading and examination procedures can be found in Clemson University’s Undergraduate Announcements, Graduate

Announcements / Graduate School Policy Handbook and in the Student Handbook.

For more detailed information on examinations and grading, faculty should consult the relevant sections in the

Course instructors will retain all grade records for 120 days, exclusive of summer vacation. Course instructors who leave the University for any reason or who are going on sabbatical or taking leave of absence, shall submit their grade records to the department to be retained for 120 days exclusive of summer vacation.

7. Student Rights and Responsibilities are described in the 1967 Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of

Students of AAUP. Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the in-

tellectual development of students, and the general well being of society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to attaining these goals. As members of the academic community, students should be encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are indispensable elements of academic freedom. The freedom to learn depends upon appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the commu- nity at large. Students are expected to exercise their freedom responsibly.

The responsibility to secure and respect general conditions conducive to the freedom to learn is shared by all members of the academic community. The faculty member, in the classroom and in conference, should en- courage free discussion, inquiry, and expression. Students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgments about matters of opinion; however, they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.

Student performance is to be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct in matters un- related to academic standards. Students receive protection against prejudiced or capricious academic evaluation by means of orderly procedures set forth in the Student Handbook.

Information about student views, beliefs, and political associations which faculty members acquire in the course of their work as instructors, advisors, and counselors is confidential. It is a faculty member’s professional obli- gation to guard against the improper disclosure of such information. Faculty judgments concerning the ability and character of any student are to be provided only as the academic growth and development of the student may be fostered and only on a need-to-know basis.

8. Privacy, specifically that of students and the regulation of access to and release of their University-maintained records, come under the federal government’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. For more detailed information, faculty should consult the relevant sections in the Undergraduate Announcements and the

Graduate Announcements / Graduate School Policy Handbook.

9. Academic Integrity is defined in Clemson University’s Academic Integrity Statement. It is essential that faculty members enforce the academic integrity policy. Please consult the Student Handbook, Undergraduate Announce-

ments and Graduate Announcements / Graduate School Policy Handbook for details concerning the hearing com-

mittee structure, procedures, and penalties.

10. Student Advising is a unique form of teaching that offers special rewards to both students and faculty. Those faculty members with special dedication to students and with commitment to perform work more demanding than classroom teaching should be chosen as academic advisors. It follows, therefore, that advising along with classroom teaching is considered in assessing performance.

11. Evidence of Student Learning in Evaluation of Faculty Teaching is an important process requiring a multi-fac- eted approach. Research supports the use of multiple sources of evidence in evaluation, and effective evaluations should include at least three of the following:

a) Evidence-based measurements of student learning (such as pre- and post-testing or student work sam- ples) that meet defined student learning outcomes;

b) Evaluation (by peers and/or administrators) of course materials, learning objectives, and examinations; c) In-class visitation by peers and/or administrators;

e) Exit interview/surveys with current graduates/alumni;

f) Additional criteria as appropriate for the discipline and degree level of the students; and,

g) A statement by the faculty member of methods or philosophy that also describes and documents how feedback from student rating of course experiences or evaluation instruments above were used to im- prove teaching.

The University provides a standard form that meets the minimum requirements of current research-based prac- tices for student rating of course experiences. This form must be approved by the Scholastic Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate. Individual departments and faculty may develop questions supplemental to the Universi- ty’s minimum standard questions or employ comprehensive supplemental questions, but the standard questions are required.

Student rating of course experiences is mandatory for all instructors and all sections of all classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Before the last two weeks of the semester, the instructor must activate the online evaluation and then inform the students that the evaluation should be completed by the end of the se- mester. The instructor will announce to the students that the completed evaluations cannot be reviewed until course grades have been submitted. If instructors use class time for the online evaluation, then they must leave the room during the evaluation.

Summary of statistical ratings from student ratings of course experiences (except instructor-developed ques- tions) will become part of the personnel review data for annual review, reappointment, tenure and promotion, and for Post-Tenure Review (PTR) consideration. Statistical rating summaries will be available to department chairs through the data warehouse. Comments are the property of faculty. The University will retain (at least for six years) copies of summaries of all statistical ratings and student comments to verify that the evaluations have been carried out and provide an archive for individual faculty who may need them in the future.

12. Students with Disabilities are protected by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which states: “No otherwise qualified disabled individual...shall, solely by reason of his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Clemson University’s Student Disability Services (SDS) coordinates the provision of reasonable accommoda- tions for students with physical, psychological, attentional, or learning disabilities. Accommodations are indi- vidualized, flexible, and confidential based on the nature of the disability and the academic environment. For more detailed information, faculty should consult the relevant sections in the Undergraduate Announcements and the Graduate Announcements / Graduate School Policy Handbook.

13. The direct Sale of Textbooks and Other Course Materials to Students by faculty members is prohibited. An-

nouncements / Graduate School Policy Handbook members who wish to assign textbooks or other course materials

that they authored or edited as part of a Clemson University course must first complete a written disclosure form (provided in Appendix G of the Faculty Manual) identifying the economic interest they may have in the textbook or materials. This disclosure form should be submitted to the faculty member’s department chair − or if the faculty member is the department chair to their dean − for final approval in accordance with the SC Ethics Act. This restriction does not limit the freedom of faculty members to develop course materials that can be sold through the bookstore or other suppliers.