Instructional Policies

You need to check with your supervising faculty member or your department about how many office hours you are expected to keep. On average, graduate students hold two to three office hours per week in their assigned offices for students to come ask questions. It is important that you keep consistent office hours. It is very frustrating for students, who have questions and who have taken time out of their schedule, to find out that you are not present in your scheduled office hours.

If you have to cancel your office hours, make sure to inform the class through UD PO Box, a UD email service. UD PO Box provides lists of email addresses to contact students about official course-related matters. Students receive messages in their e-mail and can reply to the sender. They cannot post to class or section lists through PO Box unless the list owner assigns them this privilege. All messages sent through lists are archived, so instructors can verify that students were informed of announcements. TAs should contact course instructors if they do need access and do not have it. 

If there is a problem with your classroom assignment, or you want to reserve a classroom for a review session or other special purpose, you need to submit an electronic Special Events Request Form to the University Registrar; for questions, call (302)-831-2131.

You can verify registrations via UDSIS, Faculty Center, University of Delaware 's computer system for student records. Students whose names do not appear on the class list are not officially registered for the class and will not receive a grade.

Students' photos are posted in the UDSIS class roster (helpful tool for learning students' names) and you need to be listed on the course to see the photos. Ask the department contact for UDSIS to add you to the course.

The University has a drop/add time period in which students can drop or add a class to their schedule. The drop/add period can be found on the academic calendar. After drop/add is over, it is the instructor's decision if he/she wants to accept new students into his/her class. Students need instructor's approval to be able to add the class to their schedule.

It is up to the instructor of the class to make a decision if he/she wants to accept the student into his/her class even though the class is filled. Advise a student to talk to the faculty in charge of the course. If you are the instructor for the class and you are willing to accept the student, send him/her to your department's secretary to pick up a “pink slip.” The pink slip needs to be filled out by the student and signed by the instructor (you) before the secretary can process it and add the student to the class list. It is important that the student fills out the slip; otherwise he/she will not be registered for the class.

UD has adopted a "Fair Use" policy, derived from U.S. copyright law, which defines what constitutes fair use of materials based on the nature of their use, the character of the work to be used, the amount of the work used and the effect the use could have on the market for the original. These rules allow use of materials for instructional purposes, without permission of the owners, provided their use is not in violation of the spirit of copyright laws that protect intellectual property.

From section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, "fair use" requires a balance of four factors.  These are:
1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

It is largely the responsibility of the individual to make good faith efforts to give attention to these four factors. Resources with more information can be found by searching the library's research guide for "fair use."

An instructor who must cancel a class needs to notify all of the students as far in advance as possible. Passing around a signature sheet for names and telephone numbers--business and home--is a good first day of class procedure to prepare for such emergencies. You may also send out an email to the entire class via UD PO Box.

If in doubt whether or not the University will cancel an on- or off-campus class due to weather, check the UDaily news site. You may also call (302) 831-2000 to obtain weather information.

Inclement weather or instructor absences may require the scheduling of a make-up class. Grade report deadlines usually do not permit extra class meetings at the end of the semester, and the University does not permit make-up classes to be scheduled on reading days. Therefore, make-up classes are usually scheduled on an alternate week night during the regular semester, or the time is made up by eliminating class breaks and extending the class period by 15 minutes. Please check with your department.

You may also consider using alternate methods for continuing class.

The final exam date for each course on campus is scheduled through the Office of the Registrar. After the first half of the semester is over, The Office of the Registrar usually posts official the final exam schedule. You can find your scheduled exam date, time, and location.

An unofficial schedule is posted on the registrar's site much earlier, with tentative final exam times based on lecture meeting times.  Despite the warning on this schedule, students may miss that large lectures or classes with multiple sections that share an exam may not follow this schedule.  These exams are usually scheduled for dates and times reserved for these situations, often at the end of exam week, or on a Saturday.  Students should be aware that the entire final exam period is considered part of the academic term.

According to UD policy, tests can only be administered during regularly scheduled class time. In addition, faculty are encouraged not to schedule examinations or require the submission of special assignments on the day of, or evening before, religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Passover. In addition, no examination, test, or quiz counting for 25% or more of the semester's grade for any class should be given during the last five class days of the regular semester. Exams can also not be given on Reading Day. Except in unusual circumstances, or in courses with different instructional and evaluation formats (laboratory, clinical experience, individual research), the last exam in the course should be administered according to the designated date and the time set forth by the Registrar's office.

A system of letter grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F is used in the majority of classes, excluding those courses approved for Pass/Fail grading. How these grades are calculated is at the discretion of the faculty. The Student Judicial System has mandated to impose an automatic grade of ‘F' if a student is found guilty of academic honesty. If a student fails to complete the course for illness or other reason deemed adequate by the faculty, the grade of I (Incomplete) could be given.

Grades are collected by the University at the midpoint of the semester for freshmen. Final grades must be submitted 72 hours after the final exam or the last class meeting.

If you teach your own course, you will submit grades via UDSIS, University of Delaware 's computer system for student records at a specific deadline. For details about grading information and deadlines refer to following guide provided by the Office of the Registrar.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly referred to as FERPA, regulations, you may not post grades by Social Security Number under any circumstances. Contrary to popular belief, having students sign a waiver at the beginning of the semester is not sufficient to avoid a FERPA violation. Social Security Numbers also serve as student identification numbers (as well as for a host of other identification purposes) and could be obtained from the posted list and used by anyone to access other information without the students' consent. Also, grades cannot be communicated by phone or via e-mail.

Parents often call faculty to inquire about their sons' and daughters' academic progress, as well as to find out about admission to majors and programs, among other reasons. The release of such information violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) statute and could place you at risk legally. The appropriate thing to do is to urge the parent (or other caller) to speak with the student, and have the student stop by, if possible, to make the inquiry in person. Alternatively, you could refer the caller to the college advising office, the undergraduate or graduate admissions office, or the Registrar's office, where the procedures can be explained in more detail.
 

First, bring a case of academic dishonesty to the attention of your supervising faculty member. Please be sure to provide evidence of cheating to the professor. If you are the sole instructor of a course, then you need to gather evidence of academic dishonesty and contact the Office of Student Conduct. The office will guide graduate teaching assistants through the process of adjudicating violations of the Student Guide to University Policies.

The University of Delaware officially defines sexual harassment as "any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that has the effect or purpose of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic environment, or of affecting an individual's employment or academic status." Sexual harassment is not only a clear violation of University policy, it is illegal. If you experience sexual harassment or if a student approaches you with a complaint of sexual harassment, you can contact the Office of Equity & Inclusion (OEI).

The University will carry out a thorough investigation of formal complaints to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the alleged harasser. Informal complaints are also effectively handled by the OEI. 

Further information about sexual harassment is available from the Student Guide to University Policies.

At the University of Delaware, the responsibility for defining attendance expectations is left to the individual faculty member. Thus, check to see the course professor’s policy on student attendance in the syllabus. If attendance issues are left to you, then you need to make sure students are aware of the attendance policies, especially the consequences of missing class on the first day or frequently. Be sure these policies are clearly stated on your syllabus, which will be referred to in cases of disputes.

Disruptive and disrespectful students are a problem that can be addressed on the first day of class when you or the professor establish(es) explicit ground rules for behaviors. The course syllabus should clearly state expectations regarding student behaviors, talking in class, tardiness, and respectful behavior. If a disruptive situation occurs, you or the professor need(s) to address the student's behavior rather than try to ignore it. Overlooking the problem may encourage the student's misbehavior further and may frustrate other students when they see that the teacher “does not care” when a classmate's behavior interferes with their ability to learn.

You may address disruptive dynamics in a number of ways: 

• Subtly call attention to the behavior. (e.g., stand next to, or look at a student who is talking.)
• Redirect the interaction. (e.g. “Do you have something to add, John?” or “Did you have a question, John?”)
• Talk with the student in private.

Finally, you may consider that disruptive behavior may be a reflection of some other instructional issues that need to be addressed (e.g. students may start talking to each other when the material is over their heads, is repetitive, or they have difficulty following the instructor.)

The Student Guide to University Policies includes a section entitled "Disruptive Conduct."

According to the University of Delaware faculty handboook, excused absences include certain medical and emergency issues, religious holidays, military duty, and conflicting participation in University events. In these cases, students should not be penalized for being absent for an exam, lecture, lab, or other activity. The students, however, are fully responsible for all material presented during their absence, and faculty are encouraged to provide opportunities, when possible, for students to make up exams or other missed work.

Medical/Emergency Excuses – Absences due to serious personal illness (hospitalization, surgery, protracted medical illness, or convalescence), or death within the family, or other serious family emergencies are University recognized excuses. To validate these excuses, the student should present evidence to the Dean's office of his or her college, who will then contact the student's instructors. For relatively minor, short term illnesses of students or their immediate family (colds and flu, where attendance in class is not desirable), the University system depends upon reasonable communication between students and faculty.

Religious Holiday Excuses – Absences on religious holidays listed in University calendars are recognized excuses. These holidays include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Passover. Students, however, should notify an instructor in advance that they will be missing class on that holiday. Absences on religious holidays not listed in the University calendar should be recognized as an excused absence if the student informs the instructor of this in writing during the first two weeks of the semester. If this event could not have been anticipated earlier in the semester, it could be excused if given advance notification by a faculty adviser.

Student Events – Absences due to athletic participation or other extracurricular activities in which students are official representatives of the University is recognized as an excused absence when the student informs the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of class of these future absences. If an absence could not be anticipated that early in the semester, an advance notification by a faculty advisor or athletic coach would grant an excused absence.

Military Service – Absences due to short term military duty in the National Guard or active reserve is recognize as an excused absence. Students would need to provide evidence to the Dean of their college, who would then provide a letter of verification to all the student's instructors.

The University of Delaware officially states in the faculty handbook that “all faculty should avoid real or apparent conflict of interest, coercion, favoritism, or bias by not serving in evaluative roles involving someone who is an immediate family member or anyone with whom they have a consensual amorous relationship. This policy includes all full-and part-time faculty or other personnel who teach and supervise research, including graduate students and administrators with faculty status.”

Graduate TAs are strongly discouraged from dating undergraduate students who attend their courses, especially since it would be a violation of the aforementioned policy. As for dating undergraduate students that are not in your course, they may potentially become one of your future students and, therefore, dating undergraduate students is strongly discouraged in general.