Math Dept Policies and Procedures

Robert G. Muncaster

(Spring 2007)

Course Materials

• an instructor is expected to distribute to each student at the start of a course a statement of class policies, including, in particular, grading mechanisms and a grade scale, office hours, and contact information (see Capricious Grading Policies)
• it is essential that an instructor cover all material on the standard syllabus for a course. Subsequent courses in a sequence will assume this fact
• standard syllabi can be found at http://www.math.uiuc.edu/Bourbaki/Syllabi/syllabi.html

Examinations

• the Department expects a 1 hour semester examination to be given in a course for each contact hour of the course per week (for non-large lecture classes). Thus a "3-hour-a-week" course should have 3 semester hourly exams. In large lecture classes the number of hourly exams should equal the number of lecture hours per week plus one.
• at least one hourly examination should be given, graded and returned to the students prior to the drop date for a given semester. Drop dates and other deadlines can be found at http://www.oar.uiuc.edu/current/registration/deadlines.html
• final examinations are required in all undergraduate courses, except via special approval of the Associate Chair
• final examinations are expected in all basic graduate level courses, especially comprehensive examination courses
• all examinations at the undergraduate level should be in-class exams, except as approved by the Associate Chair
• final examination schedules are available at http://www.fms.uiuc.edu/FinalExams/
• deviations from the final examination schedule are not permitted, except as approved by the Provost's office (see Associate Chair for assistance)

Rosters and Grade Submission

• rosters for courses will be available on the Banner System as soon as your name is listed as the instructor of a course in the timetable
• to access the timetable, go to www.math.uiuc.edu -> Courses -> Course Information Suite -> Class Schedule
• to access rosters or submit grades, go to www.math.uiuc.edu -> Courses -> Course Information Suite -> UI-Integrate Self-Service
• the first time you go to Self-Service, you will be given information on setting up an Enterprise ID and Password (you netID is your Enterprise ID)
• grades are submitted on-line through the Banner System at the end of each semester. Deadlines will be announced.

Old Examinations/Faculty and TAs Leaving the University

• final examinations in courses should be retained for one year in case grade disputes or other issues arise
• after one year old examinations should be disposed of by secure recycling (ask for assistance in the main office)
• faculty or TAs who are leaving the campus for an extended period should leave exams from the past year and grade books with the Associate Chair

Absences from Teaching

• if a faculty member must be absent from class for either professional or personal reasons, the faculty member should arrange for a substitute with another faculty member (fair trade arrangement)
• all such substitutions should be reported to the Associate Chair in advance
• similar substitutions are permitted for absences by TAs, but these require advanced approval of the Associate Chair
• TAs may not leave the university at the end of a semester until all required components of their TA duties are completed

Religious Holidays

• examinations and other deadlines in a course should be scheduled so as to accommodate the religious preferences of students. Thus religious holidays should be avoided, where possible, when setting examination dates

Treatment of Students with Athletic Affiliations or Professional Affiliations

• the University asks instructors to accommodate, where possible, the travel schedules of athletes. In their sports endeavors, athletes are viewed as ambassadors of the University
• instructors should also accommodate, where possible, professional meetings such as conferences that add to the intellectual training of a student

Treatment of Students with Disabilities

• instructors should be mindful that this campus supports a large population of students with disabilities and that these students should be given accommodations, where possible, but only as prescribed by DRES (Division of Rehabilitation Education Services) and only to the extent that these accomodations do not disrupt the classroom environment

Official Procedures Dealing with Ethical Practice

• see Ethics in Teaching and UIUC Ethics Guidelines