Between the start of the third week and the end of the sixth week of classes during both fall and spring semesters, each instructor shall evaluate the performance of each of the following:

1. Non-transfer degree candidates who are enrolled in their first or second semester (summers not included);
2. Provisional students and;
3. Nondegree regular students who have earned twenty-seven or fewer credits.

If any such student has a grade of less than C, the instructor will utilize the online EPR system which will then notify the student and his or her advisers that the performance is unsatisfactory. (Senate Policy 47-70).

Classroom disruptions are any behaviors which substantially or repeatedly interfere with the conduct of the class. Obvious examples of disruptive behavior include: threatening the instructor or others with physical violence, disoriented or erratic behavior, constant sleeping or talking, consistently entering class late, shouting at classmates, reading a newspaper or other materials, using cell phones, and any other actions which provide distractions to others.

In order to safeguard the educational process and maintain an atmosphere of civility in the classroom faculty are encouraged to abide by the following guidelines:

1. Set Clear Standards of Behavior. Setting clear standards of behavior at the beginning of a course is a powerful deterrent to inappropriate behavior. In their syllabi, faculty members should state their expectations for classroom behavior and define inappropriate actions. If a faculty member feels that eating in class, using cell phones, or any other such behavior is inappropriate, this should be explained in the syllabus. In addition, if an academic penalty is to be imposed as a result of prohibited actions (e.g., being late or not participating fully in group projects), this should be clearly indicated on the syllabus.
2. Confront Inappropriate Behavior. When students behave inappropriately, the behavior should be pointed out as quickly as possible while treating the student with respect and courtesy. Ideally, the correction should be done in private. However, some problems require immediate attention, i.e. students talking among themselves and disrupting class. When confronting the student in public, the faculty member should identify the inappropriate behavior, request that it should not be repeated, and explain that it is disruptive to the rest of the class. In doing so, the faculty member must treat the student with respect to help keep the situation from escalating and avoiding further disruption. If the student persists in being disruptive in the class setting, the instructor should discuss the matter with the director of the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response (SACR) who will make arrangements to meet with the student. If unsure as to how to handle a situation, consult with your division head. Note: Faculty are strongly encouraged to document these issues when they occur, in case the behavior should persist.
3. If the Behavior Continues, Remove the Student from Class. Faculty have the right to request that students leave a class provided that their actions are obviously distracting and not conducive to an educational environment. After doing so, meet with the student privately to explain the inappropriateness of his or her behavior, and ask that it cease immediately. Explain that if the behavior continues, you may file a complaint with SACR. This may be followed up with a written statement repeating this message.In the case of simple inappropriate behavior, faculty do not have the right to bar the student from additional class meetings without institutional reviews being afforded to the student. In no case can a student be permanently expelled from a class without appropriate institutional reviews. Faculty should also not tell students to drop a course against their will. The University removes a student from the course, not the instructor, and only after appropriate institutional reviews. In the case of a serious disruption of the learning environment (i.e. fighting, unbalanced behavior, threats of violence, harassment), however, University Police should be contacted for immediate dispatch to the class. Students engaged in such behavior will not be permitted to return to class until institutional procedures are completed. Police Services will notify the director of SACR. The faculty member should document the issue, and notify their Division Head and the Associate Dean.
4. If the Behavior Still Is Not Stopped, File a Complaint with SACR. The division head as well as the director of SACR should be notified when this occurs. Disruptions of this nature are a violation of the University Code of Conduct and should be handled through SACR. If the student is found responsible, the director of SACR will determine an appropriate sanction. Sanctions may include moving the student to another section of the course or administrative removal from the course.

Should a faculty member wish to discuss how best to respond to a student’s behavior in class, they is encouraged to contact their division head, the assistant dean for policy and planning, the vice chancellor for academic affairs, or the director of SACR.

Please note: Students may not be penalized in the course for missed exams, papers due, etc., until a remedy is determined. These matters must be adjudicated with appropriate procedures so that the student’s due process rights are preserved. At the same time, the rights of the other students in the class must be preserved.

Students who have complaints about an instructor, whether it relates to class grade, conduct, or other issues, will be asked to follow the steps below:

1. Discuss the problem with the instructor first.
2. If the problem is not resolved, the student should be directed to the appropriate division head. The instructor should also inform the division head about the complaint and provide any relevant information.
3. If after meeting with the division head the complaint is still not resolved, then the student will be directed to the vice chancellor for academic affairs.

At each step in this process, the instructor will be kept informed of the disposition of the complaint. Instructors may be asked to provide a copy of their syllabus, assignment weights and grades, or other relevant materials. Faculty can ease the complaint process by providing clear statements of grading criteria and assignment due dates, academic integrity, absences and make-up policies, and expectation about classroom behavior.

Division Heads will provide a report of student-faculty complaints from their division to the Assistant Dean for Policy and Planning at the end of each semester. If a difficulty arises in a course and a number of students have lodged similar complaints, the administration may survey all the students in the course to determine the degree to which there is a common problem.

For some courses the department offering a course will prescribe a book, books, or a list of approved books. Instructors are usually free to supplement these books with others of their choosing. For other courses, instructors may choose any book they think appropriate. If you do not have a book list, consult with your division head or program/discipline coordinator to determine which book is currently in use. You are expected to submit your book request form to the bookstore as early as possible. Deadlines for instructors to provide textbook lists to the Penn State Bookstore have been established to coincide with the beginning of the registration period for the semester: March 1 for fall semester, September 1 for spring semester, and February 1 for summer session.

If no information is available about textbooks or other materials required for a class, “Not Available” should be written on the form. You will then be contacted by the bookstore at a later date in order to provide information about your selection. If required materials for a class will be provided during the first week of classes (such as a list of readings on electronic reserve), “To Be Announced” should be written on the form.

Whether you require a textbook or not, please return the book order form as soon as possible, and please include the above designations depending upon your particular situation. If your textbook information is already available, you may forgo the form itself and use the online input system.

Contact the bookstore at 814-949-5121 for information on ordering textbooks. You may obtain a desk copy request form from your faculty administrative assistant.

As a faculty member, you are expected to be available to students in addition to classroom time. State in your syllabus and announce to students what your office hours are and whether you will be regularly available before or after class. An instructor should also be available at special times for students, particularly at the beginning and end of the semester and preceding and following exams. Availability of special office hours should be announced in class. If you have questions, you can contact the Registrar’s Office.

Advisers need to be reasonably available at all times. Please note that you are expected to be on campus at least three days a week, even if you teach only two days a week.

Please convey information to students about how you can be contacted outside of your scheduled office hours. Provide students with the telephone number and office location of your faculty administrative assistant so that students can leave messages directly with the administrative assistant. Your mailbox will be located in your administrative assistant’s office area. Inform your students where your mailbox is located, and regularly check your mailbox. All students also have access to email accounts, in case you wish to communicate in that medium. Questions concerning email should be directed the Office of Information Technology at 814-949-5356.

The common hour period is from 12:05–1:20 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No classes will be scheduled during this period in order to provide time for committee meetings and other activities.

Except in unusual circumstances, instructors are expected to meet all classes on the days and times assigned. Canceling a class should be an extremely rare event. Although last minute cancellation should be avoided, there are unusual circumstances, such as an illness or accident, where they may be unavoidable. If bad weather requires the University to cancel classes, the college’s website will provide information.

Be sure to reach out to your students when cancelling a class. Contact your students using the preferred contact method mentioned in the course syllabus.

Faculty who know in advance that they cannot meet a class because of University responsibilities or another important reason should attempt to schedule a classroom activity profitable for the student that does not require the faculty member’s presence—guest lectures, films, or examinations proctored by a substitute faculty member are possibilities. Utilize the Don’t Cancel That Class form to request an in-class presentation.

Rescheduling a class meeting is difficult, although the 7:00 a.m. time period is usually a good option. A Saturday morning make-up class meeting might also be considered. When arranging a make-up class, be sensitive to the work and family responsibilities of the students. Remember that they cannot be required to attend a make-up meeting. It may be prudent to anticipate this problem by scheduling one or two classes in your syllabus as “catch-up days.”  If you decide to re-schedule a class meeting, be sure to reserve the classroom through the Classroom and Event Scheduling site.

Faculty members are expected to proctor their own in-class examinations. If you cannot be present to proctor your exam, you should make arrangements with another faculty member to proctor the exam. If you are having difficulties in finding another faculty member to proctor the exam, please contact your division head, who may be able to assist you in finding an appropriate faculty member to proctor your exam. Faculty administrative assistants or other support staff should not be asked to proctor exams.

If a student misses an examination and you wish to allow the student to make up the exam, you (the instructor) are responsible for proctoring the make-up exam. If you are unable to proctor the make-up exam, check with faculty in your program/discipline or your division head. The Student Success Center can proctor exams for individual students. It is important to allow sufficient time for scheduling the make-up exam and for delivery of the exam to the Student Success Center. You should not ask your administrative assistant to proctor an exam.

Faculty administrative assistants and other support staff (laboratory technicians, work-study students, etc.) should not be asked to engage in instructional activities. Instructional activities include meeting with your class, taking roll, proctoring exams, running experiments, etc. These activities are the responsibility of the faculty. If you can not meet with your class, you need to make alternative arrangements or cancel the class. Another faculty member, your program coordinator, or division head may be able to assist you. Staff who also serve as instructors can be asked to assist in meeting with your class, but there is no requirement for them to do so.

Grades will be entered by the faculty through LionPATH.

For full semester courses, the first day that grades can be entered is the Saturday after the last day of regular classes. For partial semester courses, the first day to enter grades is the day after the last scheduled day of the class. According to University policy, grades must be submitted no later than two business days after the final exam.

The University does not mail grade reports to students. Students who have an access account can get their grades through LionPATH.

The University requires all faculty members to have students evaluate their teaching. The University’s Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTE) form used for evaluation is administered online. Evaluations for your class will automatically be made available for your students to complete and submit during the last two weeks of class, according to the Registrar’s open/closed list. The SRTEs cannot be completed during final exam week. Instructional Services will automatically make the necessary preparations for online SRTEs for every course section offered at Penn State Altoona.

Peer evaluation is also a possibility. Peer evaluation by college and discipline peers is required in every promotion and tenure dossier. Evaluation also may be invited by the instructor or prompted by student complaints, but only after the instructor is notified that a visitation will take place.

Other forms of teaching evaluation may be explored and considered as well, but not in lieu of either SRTEs or peer evaluation.