News for part-time faculty:November 28, 2007Thank you for your willingness to teach for us Winter term, and I wanted to take a few minutes to outline some details of teaching. Communicating with you. We use email to send out information about meetings, announcements, etc., so please ensure Janet O'Brien, our Office Manager, has your current contact information. You will have a mailbox in the main department office (Neuberger 23) for internal communication, etc. Please contact Janet for information about keys, paychecks, etc., and let me know what I can do to help you settle into the basement. Communication with others. We need as soon as possible an electronic version of your syllabus that we can post online for student referral. We also need your office hours and contact information that can be released to students (telephone number and email) and posted online. The rule-of-thumb for office hours is 2 hours per week for a 4-credit class. Even if students do not come to see you, please maintain regular office hours (the part-time office is in Neuberger 45). If you must cancel a class, we need to know as soon as possible in light that the office is closed at 4:30 p.m. Make sure students turn in assignments via the web, during regular class hours, or during your office hours: I'm sorry we don't have the staff on hand to accept papers turned in to Neuberger 23. Cancelling classes. If a course doesn't fill it will be cancelled. Depending on the type of class, 25 students is considered minimum enrollment, and larger classes are encouraged by our College. You can check on your enrollment numbers before classes officially start by logging into the banner system at PSU: https://banweb.pdx.edu/pls/oprd/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin Faculty meetings. All part-time instructors are invited to faculty meetings, which we announce via email. We typically meet alternate Fridays at 10 a.m. Budgets. Our supplies and photocopying budget is limited, and I appreciate your efforts to use our resources judiciously. Use the free services offered by Clean Copy/PSU Bookstore to create course packets and materials for your students. Avoid making last-minute copies by planning assignments ahead of time, which can be included in a packet or placed on WebCT. In December we will have a new photocopier, so you will need to meet with Janet for instructions (between 8-4:30) if you use the photocopier. WebCT. The Department's long-term plan is locate all course materials online to reduce paper costs. We're changing from WebCT to Blackboard, and the folks in WebCT support can help you place your course online and transition you to the new system. Best way to get on board is to register your class on WebCT and the gurus will contact you: HYPERLINK "http://www.de.pdx.edu/webct/" http://www.de.pdx.edu/webct/ End of term issues. Look forward to some important issues at the end of the term. All students are required to complete an evaluation at the end of class, and we place the forms in your mailbox. Please read the instructions carefully, as the instructor is not permitted to be in the classroom nor handle the forms. Another important issue is attending to the deadlines for posting grades online: please make sure you follow the PSU procedures for posting grades. As soon as grades are posted our office needs a hard copy of the final grades with the grading criteria from the Syllabus. We keep grades on file in the event of a dispute. Student conduct. Once grades are posted we occasionally receive calls from unhappy students. Make sure your grading expectations are clearly outlined in the syllabus and that you have a method for resolving disputes, including how and when to reach you. My philosophy is to encourage students to resolve problems with their instructors first. If disputes arise, students should come to me for a hearing. Familiarize yourself with the code of conduct, which is posted on the Dean of Students website: http://www.pdx.edu/dos/conduct.html. Our Department will not tolerate cheating or plagiarizing, and we take the code seriously. Housekeeping. Contact me or Janet if you have any other concerns. Feel free to use the kitchen for cold or hot water, microwave and refrigerator.
Thanks for listening, |
