Classroom Procedures
Syllabi
A course syllabus introduces students to the policies and procedures that will govern the course and describes the course’s objectives. It introduces the instructor, embodies his or her teaching philosophy, explains how class activities will achieve the course outcomes, and sets the stage for interaction with students in the class. Check with your department chair about departmental syllabus requirements and a sample syllabus. If a syllabus does not already exist for each class you teach, you are required to create a syllabus which should contain the following elements, at minimum:
- Instructor Information (how, when, and where students may contact you)
- Office Hours and Office Location
- Course Catalog description and an overview of the class
- Course Goals and Objectives (include the General Education objectives, if relevant)
- Title(s) of your textbook(s) and other reading material
- Grading procedure you intend to employ
- Course Calendar, including final exam date/time
- Class policies, including attendance policy
- Academic Integrity policy
- Statement regarding accommodations for disabled students
Be sure that a copy of your syllabus is given to your department chair and dean, as required.
How to order books
Go to the Adoption Insights Portal: https://aip.bncollege.com/app/. Faculty can use this resource to easily manage and submit course material adoptions each term.
Academic Integrity
The Student Handbook clearly states University expectations for Academic Integrity:
Students should strive to attain their highest possible level of academic achievement. They have an obligation to abide by standards of academic honesty which dictate that all their scholastic work shall be original. Violations of academic honesty are governed by the Code of Student Conduct.
The SVSU Code of Student Conduct is on the SVSU website Student Conduct Programs. For further information, please refer to www.svsu.edu/studentconductprograms/codeofstudentconduct/.
A clear statement about Academic Integrity in the course syllabus will communicate your expectations, including your policies for handling violations.
Attendance Policy
It is up to each instructor to determine the attendance policy for their classes. Whatever your policy is, it should be clearly communicated to the students and clearly stated in your syllabus.
Federal Financial Aid Regulations require the University to report non-attending students receiving financial aid. If you have any students who are receiving Financial Aid, during the third week of the semester, you will receive an email asking you to go to the “Faculty” link in “Self Service” tab on MySVSU to complete a roster indicating which students (if any) have not attended your class.
Additionally, when you turn in your final grades, you will be asked to place the last date of attendance for any student who failed your class. For these reasons, you might want to keep some informal attendance record even if you don’t have a mandatory attendance policy.
Course Evaluations
Each semester, students are given the opportunity to evaluate their courses. This is generally done in the classroom towards the end of the semester.
Evaluations can be done in paper or online. The majority of faculty prefer to host course evaluations online, but a paper/scannable course evaluation option is available, see your faculty secretary. You are free to prepare additional survey questions specific to your own course in addition to the standard form. The procedure for retrieving the forms varies somewhat by department but completed forms will not be available until after the semester grading cycle. Information on Exam and Student Course Evaluation Scanning can be found here.
Grading Policies and Incompletes
Progress records are maintained by the institution and posted to the student’s online account at the end of each term. The grading system is: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, F. A grade of “D” is not a passing grade for any required course.
Regarding prerequisites, students must obtain at least a “C” grade in all prerequisite courses before being permitted to enroll in subsequent courses.
A student may request of his/her instructor, through the last day of the final examination period, that he or she be given an “I” (Incomplete) grade. The instructor is authorized to give an “I” if it is deemed that the failure to complete work on time occurred for reasons beyond the student’s control. For additional information, please visit: https://www.svsu.edu/officeoftheregistrar/records/grades/.
Grade Grievance Procedure
The Student Grade Grievance Procedure shall be used by any student who has a complaint relating to the final grade received in a class.
Video Tutorial for the Grade Grievance Procedure: https://vimeo.com/1026672743/ae11f51e4d?share=copy.
Written step-by-step instructions for Grade Grievance Procedure: Grade Grievance Step 2-4 Instructions (24KB)
Inclement Weather Policy
Information about class cancellations and University closures due to inclement weather will be posted on the main page of the SVSU website www.svsu.edu and broadcast over local radio and television networks. In addition, ALL students, faculty, adjunct faculty and employees are automatically enrolled in this alert system with their SVSU email address. However, individuals are strongly encouraged to enable as many contact methods as possible beyond the SVSU email notification to increase the likelihood of receiving a given broadcast alert message.
For additional information, please see Campus Alert
SVSU Operations Manual: