Student-Related Instructor FAQ
PART I Student-Related Instructor FAQ
(CLICK ON THE QUESTIONS BELOW)
Students with questions about registration, prerequisites, and other administrative matters should be referred to one of the following advising offices within the Bauer College
- Undergraduate students, the Undergraduate Business Programs Office, 262 MH
- CAP students (5000-level courses), 325 MH
- MBA students, the MBA Program Office, 275 MH
- MS/Accountancy students, 325 MH
- MS/Finance students, 330 MH
- PPA students, 325 MH
- Doctoral students to Mary Gould, 262 MH.
What are the enrollment deadlines used by the Bauer College?
The University establishes the enrollment dates and deadlines followed by the Bauer College. These dates can be found on the web at http://www.uh.edu/enroll/rar/enrollment_schedule.html
For a fall or spring semester, the last day on which a student can add a class or change sections of a class is the sixth day of classes. The Bauer College does not participate in late or extended registration activities. Instructors should not sign petitions or drop/add forms to add students to their classes.
Did you know? Registration begins at least two months prior to the beginning of a semester, allowing students ample time to make enrollment decisions and changes well before the first week of classes.
Can an instructor add a student to his/her class?
Instructors cannot add students to classes. Instructors should not sign petitions or drop/add forms to add students to their classes. Please refer students with enrollment issues to the appropriate advising office listed above. Advisors can give students options and, if appropriate, add students to classes during the registration period.
Did you know? Department chairs review enrollment figures frequently for their courses and are aware of that some classes fill up quickly. They work closely with the advisors to meet student needs in terms of timely degree completion.
One of my students told me that although they did not pay fees on time, they are now ready to pay and want to be added to my class. How can I do this?
Non-payment of fees by undergraduate students is handled by the staff in 109 E. Cullen. For graduate students, please refer them to the following offices:
- MBA students, the MBA Program Office, 275 MH
- MS/Accountancy students, 325 MH
- MS/Finance students, 330 MH
- Doctoral students to Mary Gould, 262 MH.
Can an instructor change or waive the course prerequisites?
Individual faculty members cannot waive prerequisites. Prerequisites are imposed on business courses by vote of the faculty of the Bauer College. These may include a gpa requirement, filing of a degree plan, a specific major for enrollment, or specific course prerequisites. Students with questions about prerequisites should be referred to the appropriate advising office for course selection options.
Fyi about prerequisites: Frequent mailings are sent to students before the semester begins, letting them know that they will be dropped if they do not resolve their missing prerequisite situation within the first few days of the semester.
How does an instructor obtain a class roll?
Official class rolls are generated by the Registrar's Office and distributed to the instructors by their departments. First day class rolls give a rough idea of the students enrolled in the class at the beginning of the semester. Once the 12-day rolls are distributed to the faculty, these “Official Reporting Day” rolls can be used to verify enrollment and drop students who have not been attending.
Tip: At any time during a semester, each department's Office Coordinator can email an electronic version of the class roll to an instructor. The Office Coordinator will need the 5-digit section number and the instructor's email address to do this.
What are the drop deadlines for students?
Can I drop a student from a class after the last day to drop? Do I need a special form to do this?
In the Bauer College , after the last day to drop a course (about four weeks before the end of a fall or spring semester), students may be dropped for “rare, substantiated, non-academic reasons” by the instructor. No special form is needed for this since the instructor will indicate the drop on the grade sheet if they agree to drop the student. Also see Medical Withdrawal question below.
FYI: instructors are not required to drop students after the last day to drop. If an instructor agrees to drop the student, it is not a given that the grade will be a W. The syllabus for the course would be a good place to outline how this situation will be handled.
A student has asked me to give them an incomplete grade although the student has not been attending class for some time and has turned in very few assignments. Should I give them an incomplete? If I do so, does the student register again? I won't be teaching the same course in the next semester, so should the student just sit in someone else's class next semester?
An incomplete grade should be given only if a small portion of the class needs to be completed. The situation described above would indicate that the grade earned should be assigned. The instructor's syllabus outlines the grading guidelines for the course. How does the syllabus address frequent absences and failure to turn in assignments?
If the instructor decides to give an incomplete, the student should not register in the course again. The instructor will need to work with the student to determine the best course of action in order to complete the incomplete work, although allowing the student to sit in someone else's section could be seen as unfair to the students who did complete the course in the usual way.
Once the student has satisfactorily completed the incomplete work, the original instructor will need to complete a grade change form to change the grade.
Note: after one year, the incomplete grade automatically changes to an F.
One of my students has asked for a medical withdrawal—how do I handle this?
Undergraduate students should be referred to 109 E. Cullen. The staff in that office handles the paper work for medical withdrawals for undergraduate students, including working with doctors' statements, etc.
- MBA students, the MBA Program Office, 275 MH;
- MS/Accountancy students, 325 MH;
- MS/Finance students, 330 MH;
- Doctoral students to Mary Gould, 262 MH.
A student has asked me to backdate a drop so that they can receive a) a refund, or b) a better refund than if the drop were dated today. Can I do this?
No, instructors in the Bauer College cannot backdate drops. This extreme measure is taken only in case of administrative error on the part of the College. A student who feels an administrative error has been made by the College or University may request a back date for courses from the respective office that committed the error.
The University has an office that audits actions taken by staff in regard to students, including backdating, and can require justification of all actions taken. Please do not backdate drops for students.
Can an instructor respond to a student's email requesting grade information if the student includes their student number?
Because of student confidentiality issues and because email is not necessarily a secure way to report grades, all University faculty and staff are discouraged from using a student's social security number as the student ID and further, are discouraged from reporting grade information via email. Use of web ct minimizes the compromise of individually identifiable information.
NOTE: if you reply to the student who has included their student number or social security number in their email, be sure to delete the ID or ssn from the student's email before hitting “Reply.”
When are final exams?
The general UH final exam schedule is found at http://www.uh.edu/enroll/rar/final_exam_schedule.html
In addition,
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Fall 2006 Final Exam Day, Date and Time
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Class Time |
Days |
Fri, Dec 8 |
Sat, Dec 9 |
Mon, Dec 11 |
Tues, Dec 12 |
Wed, Dec 13 |
Thurs, Dec
14 |
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8:30-10 am |
MW |
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8-11 am |
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10-11:30 am |
MW |
11 am-2 pm |
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11:30 am-1 |
MW |
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11 am-2 pm |
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1-2:30 pm |
MW |
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2-5 pm |
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2:30-4 pm |
MW |
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2-5 pm |
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4-5:30 pm |
MW |
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5-8 pm |
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5:30-7 pm |
MW |
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5-8 pm |
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7-8:30 pm |
MW |
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8-11 pm |
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6-9 pm |
M |
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5-8 pm |
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6-9 pm |
W |
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5-8 pm |
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8:30-10 am |
TTh |
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8-11 am |
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10-11:30 am |
TTh |
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11 am-2 pm |
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11:30 am-1 |
TTh |
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11 am-2 pm |
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1-2:30 pm |
TTh |
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2-5 pm |
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2:30-4 pm |
TTh |
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2-5 pm |
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4-5:30 pm |
TTh |
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5-8 pm |
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5:30-7 pm |
TTh |
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5-8 pm |
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7-8:30 pm |
TTh |
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8-11 pm |
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6-9 pm |
T |
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5-8 pm |
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6-9 pm |
Th |
5-8 pm |
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8-11 am |
Sat |
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8-11 am |
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11 am-2 pm |
Sat |
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11 am-2 pm |
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For Bauer College classes that meet in the evening, the final exam schedule is emailed to the faculty and staff prior to the beginning of the upcoming semester.
Did you know? The final exam schedule must be followed by all instructors giving a final exam.
How are end of semester grades reported to the Registrar?
After the last day to drop a course for the semester and before the first day of finals, the Registrar's Office sends the grade sheets to the College. The grade sheets are distributed to the individual departments within the College and are then given to each instructor. As with student ID numbers and test grades, the grade sheets must be carefully handled to ensure student record confidentiality.
Instructors must return the completed grade sheets to 262 MH 72 hours after the final exam. The grade sheets are checked for completeness and hand-carried to the Registrar's Office for computer processing. Torn or defaced grade sheets must be typed by the faculty member's department. Grade sheets with missing grades, more than one grade per student, etc., are delayed in processing.
Can grades be posted in the hallway by the classroom? How can students know their grades?
Many classes now use web ct to communicate with their students. A component of web ct allows the secure reporting of grades. Outside of web ct, grades should not be posted unless a written agreement has previously been obtained from the student. If grades are posted, no individually identifiable information can be used, e.g., student numbers or names.
Students can check their UH web accounts or use the VIP (telephone) system to check their end of semester grades. If the instructor has not turned in the grade sheets, the web and VIP will have no record of the grades.
Once the grades are reported, if needed, how can a grade be changed?
Instructors can change a grade by completing an Academic Record Course Adjustment form (aka Grade Change form). These forms are obtained from the Department's Office Coordinator. Instructor will need the student's name, student ID, course number and section, to complete the form.
Describe what happens to the grade change form after an instructor completes it.
I need a classroom for a make-up exam, a Friday afternoon or Saturday study session/exam, or a review session. How can I find out if a room is available?
You or your office coordinator can go to http://www.bauer.uh.edu/Intranet/roomreserv/roomreserv.htm and complete the online request form. Please allow at least three working days for a response. Note that Friday afternoon or Saturday requests must be submitted no later than the preceding Tuesday.
My classroom is too hot/cold. Who can I call about this?
The UH Physical Plant has a fix-it phone number: 34948. You or your department's office coordinator can report the problem.
There's an empty classroom across the hall from mine that I'd rather use. Can I go ahead and move my class?
Classrooms are assigned to classes using a complex, sometimes historical, but definitely idiosyncratic set of parameters. If you would like to change classrooms, please ask your department chair to look into the matter for you. In the meantime, please do not change classrooms. Some instructors do not necessarily meet every class session and every now and then, a class will begin at a slightly different time because of a guest speaker or some other reason. Your request will be seriously considered and if there is a way to accommodate it, you will be notified asap.
What is a Q grade? Is this a new grade option? Is it possible to give any course or student a Q?
Only undergraduate students in a 1000 or 2000-level course are eligible for the Q (i.e., “quit”) grade. This is an option available only since Fall 2004 (for courses taken Fall 2004 or later) and if requested, must be requested by the student from the Registrar’s Office, 108 E. Cullen, no later than the last day to drop for a semester.
PART II General Administrative Issues
General Information for faculty from UH
Faculty Handbook
Parking and Finding your way around
Campus and college maps, dining, visitor parking http://www.bauer.uh.edu/about_bauer/visiting.htm
Bauer is fortunate in that there is ample parking near the building. Faculty/Staff Gated Parking Lot 1A and two large general parking lots are located in front of the building. A parking permit can be purchased at the Parking Office in the basement of the E Cullen Building (Main Administration).
Payroll
As your offer letter states, you have a one semester contract. Lecturers are paid on the first business day of each month throughout their contract. Direct Deposit is available and strongly encouraged. However, if you opt to receive a paper check, your department coordinator will receive it on pay day. You can pick it up from her or notify her in writing or by email that you would like it mailed to you.
Semester |
Contract Dates |
First Paycheck |
Details |
Fall Semester |
September 1 st – January 15th |
1 st business day in October |
Contract rate/4.5=monthly salary
half paycheck in October |
Spring Semester |
January 16 th – May 31 st |
1 st business day in February |
Contract rate/4.5=monthly salary
half paycheck in February |
Summer I |
June 1 st – July 15 th |
1 st business day in July |
Contract rate/1.5=monthly salary
2/3 of salary in June 1/3 in July |
Summer II |
June 1 st – July 15 th |
1 st business day in July |
Contract rate/1.5=monthly salary
2/3 of salary in June 1/3 in July |
Summer III |
June 1 st – August 31 st |
1 st business day in July |
Contract rate/3 = monthly salary |
Summer IV |
July 16 th – August 31st |
1 st business day in August |
Contract rate/1.5=monthly salary
1/3 of salary in July 2/3 in August |
Faculty ID Card
The UH ID Card is called the Cougar 1 Card. It can be obtained through the Cougar 1 Card office. The office is located in room 279 of the University Center (3 rd floor on the side facing the Hilton School Buildings). You can have your picture taken and a temporary red identification card issued between 7:30am and 7:00pm. Your permanent card will be mailed to you. More information is available at http://www.uh.edu/cougar1card
Office Space
Your department coordinator can show you where office space is available for your use. S/he can also take care of providing any keys you need.
Record Keeping
Students have one year to contest a grade. Therefore, you should keep all of your class records for one year after the semester ends. Each department has its own system for record retention. Please see your department coordinator to find out where to keep yours.
Textbooks
There are two bookstores that service the University of Houston
UH Bookstore in the University Center http://www.uh.bkstore.com/
The College Store http://www.thecollegestore.com/rho/
About two months before the semester begins, you will need to let the bookstores know which book you are using and also the maximum number of people that can enroll in your class. You can do this online through the UH bookstore. For the College Store you can email the textbook manager, Eric Sullivan, at esullivan@nebook.com .
Please get your book requests in on time so students can get better deals on used books and in selling back their textbooks!
Photocopying
Each department has a copying machine. If you are unable to come in early enough to make copies or transparencies for your exam, please contact your department to make arrangements.
Office Supplies
The receptionist in your department can assist you with any supplies you need for teaching.
Mail
Each department has mailboxes for faculty. Please talk to your department coordinator to find out where yours is.
Useful Phone Numbers
- Bauer Main Number 713/743-4600
- Undergraduate Business Programs 713/743-4900
- MBA Office 713/743-4876
- EMBA 713/743-4700
- Accounting & Taxation 713/743-4820
- Decision & Information Sciences (DISC) 713/743-4747
- Finance 713/743-4755
- Management 713/743-4660
- Marketing & Entrepreneurship 713/743-4555
Writing the Syllabus
All instructors are required to prepare a syllabus for each class they teach. The syllabus is a contract with your students which lets them know what they need to do to be successful in your class and also lets you know that they understand what their assignments are. Adherence to the syllabus is strongly advised.
Each syllabus is required to be posted in WebCT and include the following statements
Academic Honesty:
The University of Houston Academic Honesty Policy is strictly enforced by the C. T. Bauer College of Business. No violations of this policy will be tolerated in this course. A discussion of the policy is included in the University of Houston Student Handbook, http://www.uh.edu/dos/hdbk/acad/achonpol.html . Students are expected to be familiar with this policy.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
The C. T. Bauer College of Business would like to help students who have disabilities achieve their highest potential. To this end, in order to receive academic accommodations, students must register with the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) (telephone 713-743-5400), and present approved accommodation documentation to their instructors in a timely manner.
Students with Disabilities
Should you have a student approach you with any requests due to a disability, please make sure they are registered through the Center for Students with Disabilities. The Center will advise you on how to proceed with special accommodations for the student. http://www.uh.edu/csd/
WebCT
WebCT is an online instructional tool used across the university to facilitate teachers and students. WebCT has many benefits. It offers a place for the instructor to place the syllabus and important class documents. An instructor can also post grades for students to see in a confidential environment. To get started contact on of the college's instructional designers at 713/743-4858 or go to http://www.uh.edu/webct/
Instructional Equipment
Most class rooms have projection equipment attached to computers permanently installed. Any problems with equipment in classrooms should be directed to the college IT department (called RICS) 713/743-4871 or in room 102. In addition, each department has a television and a portable projection cart available.
Visiting Speakers
Many of our faculty invite guest speakers to their classes from the Houston business community to enhance their students' learning experience. Your department coordinator can help you arrange parking for your guests.
Proctors/TAs
Proctors and teaching assistants can help you administer your classes and exams. Each department has its own system for assigning proctors and teaching assistants. Please speak with your department for details.
Test Grading
UH has a Learning and Assessment Center on campus that can grade scantrons. The turn-around time is usually less than 48 hours and they can email the results to you. http://www.las.uh.edu/
Missing Class/Cancelled Class
If you need to cancel class, please inform your department. They can place signs on your door and reroute students as required.
Minor Emergencies
Room temperature, electricity, janitorial, opening doors 713/743-4948
UH Police (non-emergencies) 713/743-0600
Major Emergencies
Call 911
In case of extremely severe weather or some type of disaster situation, please go to www.uh.edu or contact your department for updates on university closure or class cancellation.
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