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IV. Information on Teaching
Academic Calendar; Syllabi; Technology in Classrooms; Blackboard; Book Orders and the Bookstore; Class Lists; Web for Faculty; Add/Drop; Withdrawal and Withdrawal Pass/Fail; Waiving Prerequisites; Attendance Policy; Class Cancellations; Classroom Conduct Policy; Enrollment Census; Midterm Warnings; Final Exams; Grading; Academic Integrity; Student Code of Conduct; Information on Learning Disabilities
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Academic calendars determine the start and end dates of the semester, the days off for vacation, and the final exam period. The calendar is posted on the Registrar's web site. See http://www.bridgew.edu/Registrar/AcadCal.cfm.
Syllabi must be distributed to students in all your classes at the initial class meeting. Copies must also be given to the department chair and secretary. It is suggested that the syllabi include, at the least, your name, office number, telephone number, e-mail address, office hours, required and suggested texts, course description, specific outcomes and objectives, grading policy, attendance policy, and an outline of class assignments. The class syllabus should explain your expectations of the students. You should include all assignments and exams on the syllabus so that students can plan appropriately.
Information Technology maintains a list of all classrooms and the technology available in each of them. See http://it.bridgew.edu/classrooms.cfm.
Blackboard is the online course management system that allows faculty to create customized web sites for courses, communicate with students in a variety of ways, and even administer online quizzes and exams. To use Blackboard, you must have an account on the Blackboard system and also have the template for a course website set up by staff in the Teaching and Technology Center, which can be reached at 508-531-2634. The TTC runs workshops on Blackboard and other technologies on a regular basis. The home page for Blackboard is at http://blackboard.bridgew.edu/.
The campus bookstore is in the East Campus Commons Building. You may order your textbooks by filling in an order form or via email to the textbook manager. Your department secretary can give you forms. Submit your book orders as early as possible and be sure to give a copy of your orders to the department secretary. Before you order your books, check with your chair to see if the class you are teaching has a common text with other sections of the same class.
Before the beginning of the semester, you should check with the bookstore to be sure your order has arrived. If you have any questions or problems, check with the textbook manager at (508) 531-2160 or the manager at 2160, extension 6198.
Your departmental secretary will give you your class lists before classes start. You can also access the list from the Web for Faculty at: https://infobear.bridgew.edu/afhomepg.htm.
All faculty have access to Web for Faculty from the Bridgewater home page (click "Faculty and Staff," then click "Web for Faculty" under "General Links"). With your BSU faculty ID (social security number) and a PIN, you can check your faculty schedule and your class lists. You can also access student contact information and submit grades on line. To receive a PIN, contact the Associate Registrar at (508) 531-2191. Training sessions for Web for Faculty are held in August, October, and March. Instructions are available online at http://it.bridgew.edu/FacStaff/webforfaculty/.
The college allows students to adjust their schedules during the first week of classes. Students can add classes, but they will need to acquire your signature on an Add/Drop form, which they can get from the department office, the Registrar's Office, or the Academic Achievement Center. You must allow students into your class up to the maximum allowable number. Students do not require your signature to drop the class during this time. If a student fails to attend the first three class hours of a course, you have the option of deleting the student from the class roll. However, you must submit these names to the department secretary who will in turn submit them to the Registrar.
After the add/drop period, students may not add into your class except on appeal to the Dean of the school that offers the course. They will still need an Add/Drop form signed by you. If your class meets once a week, during your absence your chair may add students to available spaces during the add/drop period. Dates for add/drop are found at http://www.bridgew.edu/Registrar/dropaddwithdraw.cfm.
Withdrawal and Withdrawal Pass/Fail
Students may withdraw from a class after the drop period by submitting a Withdrawal form for your signature. Up to a certain date, the student may withdraw with a W on the transcript. After a later date, the instructor must indicate whether the student is withdrawing with a passing or failing grade. This indication also goes on the transcript. (A grade of W, WP or WF is not included in GPA calculation.) Approximately one month prior to the last day of classes, students are not allowed to withdraw from a class. Specific dates are posted at http://www.bridgew.edu/Registrar/dropaddwithdraw.cfm; they are also printed in the course schedule booklet.
Some students will ask to take your class without the stated prerequisites. If you think that a student can do the work, you may sign a Prerequisite Waiver Form which the student can obtain from the department secretary. The student must then obtain the signature of the department chair. Departments vary on procedures for this policy, so you may want to check with your chair about how your department handles this procedure. If the student does not have the required prerequisite, he/she will not be allowed to enroll in the class without the form signed by the department chair. The policy regarding prerequisites is stated in the undergraduate catalog under Registration and Enrollment Policies.
Although students are expected to attend class regularly, the attendance policy for each class is determined by the professor. The policy should include the circumstances under which you as professor will approve an excused absence and the procedure for completing any make-up work. This policy should appear on your course syllabi. For the complete college attendance policy, please see the Undergraduate Catalog, Registration and Enrollment Policies.
To provide you with the ability to reschedule a once-a-week class that has been cancelled due to an unanticipated event, the following is proposed:
1) If a class is not conducted because the University cancelled classes, a faculty member who wishes to hold a make-up class has the following options:
- Hold the class later that week (or the following week if possible) on Friday afternoon or Saturday, based on instructor and student schedules, classroom availability, and building accessibility. The faculty member would need to contact the Registrars Office to reserve a room.
- For classes that meet in the late afternoon or evening, the regular class meeting could be extended by some amount of time each week to make up for missed time, based on instructor and student schedules and classroom availability.
- Additional course work and discussion groups could be assigned via the Web.
2) The following limitations will be observed:
- Holding a formal class make-up session is at the discretion of the instructor. It is recognized that there are legitimate alternatives to conducting a formal in-classroom session. Faculty are encouraged to state their policy regarding this option in the course syllabus.
- An alternative classroom would not be automatically assigned. The faculty member would need to contact the Registrars Office to reserve a room.
- Recognizing that students may have legitimate conflicts that prevent attendance at the make-up class:
Classroom Conduct Policyi) No exams or other obligatory graded assessments should be conducted during the makeup class;
ii) Students should not be penalized for not attending the makeup session;
iii) Any announcements, assignments or handouts provided during the makeup class should be readily available to all students enrolled in the course.
The Classroom Conduct Policy describes a process for faculty to address disruptive behavior in the classroom. In the case of inappropriate behavior in the classroom, faculty should communicate their concerns and expectations to the student(s). Faculty should also inform their department chairs of any significant classroom disruption. In extreme situations that require immediate assistance, faculty should call Campus Police at x1212.
The Classroom Conduct Policy is in the BSU catalog at http://catalog.bridgew.edu/.Federal financial aid to students is attached to the careful monitoring of class attendance. Three times during the semester, a census form is distributed to faculty to determine which students are not attending class. The form should be completed accurately and handed in on time. Instructions are provided with the form. If you mark a student as “not attending,” note the date of last attendance. A student should be reported as not attending only if he/she has stopped attending and participating in your course, not if he/she is active but simply absent from class during that particular week.
For a student noted as "not attending," a symbol of WA is recorded on the student’s academic record, and he/she is notified of the withdrawal. If the student wishes to remain in your class, he/she must obtain your signature on the notification letter and present that letter to the Registrar’s Office. If the student does not respond to the letter, the WA will remain on his/her academic record unless you wish to change the WA to a grade when you submit your final grades.
At midterm, faculty are asked to report on students receiving D’s or F’s in their classes. This is done on a Warning Form that will be given to you at that time. It is important to have given students adequate evaluation to determine if they are succeeding or not. Students who are not doing well then have the opportunity to get assistance from the Academic Achievement Center or withdraw from the class in a timely manner.
Final exams should be administered as scheduled, unless the Dean has granted an exemption. A request for an exemption must be submitted in writing to the Dean. Major tests (full class period) are discouraged during the week immediately preceding the final examination period (laboratory tests are exempt from this guideline). A student may make up a final exam only when he/she or a member of his/her immediate family is seriously ill on exam day. The student should submit a doctor’s note to the professor verifying the illness. For the final exam schedule, see a printed BSU Course Schedule, or http://www.bridgew.edu/Registrar/Final%20Schedules.cfm.
Grading
Grading system: Bridgewater State College operates on a plus/minus grading system. The complete set of allowable grades is stated in the Undergraduate Catalog, http://catalog.bridgew.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=58#Grading_System.
Final grades: Final grades are due at the Registrar’s Office 72 hours after the completion of the final exam. They must be submitted in person or through Web for Faculty. Please do not publicly post grades. You should also refrain from putting student exams or other materials in public places for pickup.
Incomplete grades: A student may request an incomplete grade, which is granted only at the instructor's discretion. All incomplete work must be submitted and graded by the last day of classes of the following semester. After that point, all incompletes become F's. This policy is state in the Undergraduate Catalog, http://catalog.bridgew.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=58#Grading_System.
Grade changes: If you as the instructor wish to change a student’s grade after final grades have been submitted, a Change of Grade form must be signed and submitted by the instructor to the Registrar’s Office. Forms are available in the department office. If a student thinks that a mistake has been made in his/her grade, the student may petition you for a change of grade at any time before the last day of finals in the following semester. See Undergraduate Catalog, http://www.bridgew.edu/Catalog/.
The college has an obligation to establish and promote standards of academic integrity, and each member of the college community has the responsibility to understand, support, and practice them.
Baruch College also provides some suggestions for faculty to help prevent cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct.
- Clearly state your policy in the course syllabus.
- At the start of the first class meeting, spend time discussing standards of academic scholarship and conduct.
- Refer students to the academic misconduct policy, which is promulgated in the Student Handbook http://www.bridgew.edu/handbook/ and University Catalog http://catalog.bridgew.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=58#Academic_Integrity_and_Classroom_Conduct .
- Make sure students know the criteria for evaluating their performance.
- Evaluate methods that generate a high degree of stress, which are more likely to spur academic misconduct.
- Ensure equal access to study materials such as reserve materials.
- Assure students that they can succeed in your class.
The policy for handling cases of academic misconduct is in the Student Handbook at http://www.bridgew.edu/Handbook/PoliciesProcedures/academicintegrity.cfm.
The student Code of Conduct governs policies and regulations regarding the rights and responsibilities of Bridgewater State College community members, along with the judicial process followed when members violate the rights of others.
The Code of Conduct is in the Student Handbook at http://www.bridgew.edu/Handbook/
Information on Learning Disabilities
Bridgewater offers a number of services to students who have a documented medical
condition, are physically challenged, or have emotional or learning disabilities.
Go to http://www.bridgew.edu/AAC/Disability_Resources.cfm
to find resources for students and faculty and policies and procedures.
Last Modified: July 3, 2012
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