August 2021
Once-per-term publication for ADJ, VIS and AFF faculty
A NOTE FROM DEAN DRAKE
After more than a year of various degrees of remote work, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you back for fall 2021. As always, this issue of The CLAS Teacher is full of useful information and resources to support you in finalizing your syllabi.
Many of the faculty and staff I have talked to expressed the hope of renewing connections and making new ones as we come back together this academic year.
As you return to the classroom at the end of this month, you will be engaging with students who have been working remotely for some time. First and second year students in particular will need us to be extra clear about “normal” course operations, as well as what support systems are available. Your help spelling out everything from how office hours will be conducted to how to connect with advisors, tutors, affinity groups and the food pantry will be invaluable.
I’m happy to report that our college recently became the host for the event formerly known as the Fall Arts Celebration. Renamed the GVSU Arts Celebration, the series now spans the full academic year. These free art exhibitions, concerts, poetry readings, and lectures can make wonderful co-curricular activities for your students and also offer a great way for you to make the most of your affiliation with CLAS.
I wish you a rewarding semester of connection with our wonderful students,
Jen
Jennifer Drake, Dean
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
For Fall
Starting August 9 masks are required in indoor spaces by everyone and vaccination is required by September 30. Full details can be found on the Lakers Together website.
Faculty will not be required to teach courses in multiple modalities to accommodate all students. We are, this fall, “back to normal” for course delivery as published in Banner and for our attendance policies. It will be important for faculty to talk with students about attendance policies this fall, encouraging students to limit any days out of class unless for illness or quarantine.
Faculty will be notified if their students are isolated and quarantined—that is, if the university knows about it. Messaging to students from the university and individual faculty should emphasize that communication to the institution about quarantining will be an important student responsibility so they are accommodated appropriately. Info on how faculty are notified.
A student who is quarantined or sick for an extended time may require some accommodations to make up classwork. Typically, faculty are quite good about this, and we’d expect the ways faculty normally accommodate students in such situations—where a medical issue is documented—to apply.
- Provost’s resources on covid: {since removed}
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Compilation of communications to various constituencies on how fall will look:{since removed}
Office Hours Policy
The University Policy Regarding Office Hours reads: “Members of the faculty are expected to publish office hours. For a standard teaching load, instructors should be accessible to students for a minimum of one hour per week for every three credits taught. Availability can be a combination of in-person office hours and online communication, including virtual office hours.” The following bullet point provide clarification and additional information on this policy:
- Each instructor must be reasonably available to meet with students in person. We understand in person to mean “real-time interaction”.
- Office hour arrangements should be clearly spelled out in the syllabus and on the faculty member’s office door.
- Faculty may post a notice if the wearing of face coverings in their personal offices is required.
- Units should make sure that office staff have information on how to connect with faculty during virtual office hours.
Academic Policies
You will find up-to-date academic policies and COVID-related dealing with instruction at the Provost’s website.
Lakers Together
For up-to-date policy and procedures related to the pandemic, please consult the Lakers Together website, especially the section dedicated to faculty and staff.
CLAS Faculty and Staff Start Up Meeting
Faculty and Staff Meeting, Thursday, August 26, 2021, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Virtual. A Zoom link will be provided closer to the date of the meeting. You can RSVP online to receive the Zoom link.
For details, please see our Start Up Week webpage. Meeting documents will be live links closer to the event.
Student Advising and Tutoring Resources
Tutoring
Individual and drop-in tutoring are both available to students for many courses and disciplines. All tutoring will take place online for Fall 2020. Students can make individual 50-minute tutoring appointments with qualified peer tutors for many 100 and 200 level courses, or they can visit a virtual drop-in center for a quick question. To schedule an appointment with a tutor or to access drop-in center information, please visit the Tutoring Center website.
Academic Advising
As a complement to faculty academic advising, the CLAS Academic Advising Center will be providing virtual professional academic advising services for all CLAS majors as well as our Exploratory (Undecided) Study students. The Center is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day and students can schedule individual appointments online or over the phone at (616) 331-8585. The advisors in the Center are skilled in serving the needs of all students pursuing a major and/or minor in CLAS. In addition, the Center provides information for students pursuing teacher certification, professional programs such as medical, dental, pharmacy, veterinary studies, prelaw studies and offers a wide range of student success services.
Students in your courses that are pursuing majors and/or minors outside of CLAS also have access to critical academic advising services in their own colleges.
The GVSU Academic Advising website provides a list of these Centers as well as their locations and contact information.
The CLAS Faculty Advising Repository is available for all faculty in CLAS and provides a wealth of information to support your students, including policies and procedures, important forms and quick links, and critical referral information in support of student success.
Additional Academic Support is available for all students
Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors – the Center provides assistance to all students with any writing project throughout their academic careers. Scheduled appointments and drop-in hours are available.
University Libraries – a variety of services, resources, study and presentation spaces are available for students, faculty and staff.
The Knowledge Market – The Knowledge Market is a collaborative partnership between the Speech Lab, Writing Center, and University Libraries. Students can make a virtual appointment to meet with consultants from the Library Research Center, the Writing Center, the Speech Lab or the Data Inquiry Lab. Consultants work one-on-one or in small groups to develop research strategies, analyze data, improve writing, and polish presentation.
Student Conduct, Intervention and Support
Academic Integrity – The Student Code provides clear information on the principles of academic honestly and integrity. When incidents occur, faculty are encouraged to file a report to request additional action. This keeps a record of all incidents and allows the full University Conduct Process to be initiated.
Students of Concern Care Form – Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to refer a student who may be[BS1] struggling with academic, personal, and/or emotional difficulties and may be exhibiting concerning behavior. Questions on this process should be directed to Emily First, Student Support Manager, at (616) 331-3585 or [email protected].
Course Registration Changes
Through the first week of classes, students are able to make changes to their course schedules without penalty and faculty will see fluctuations in their enrollment during this first week. After the first week, if students wish to make changes to their schedules, there are additional steps to follow:
The Late Add process requires permission of the instructor, unit head and the CLAS Deans Office before the course can be added by the student. This will likely impact tuition charges and there could be additional late fees. Students should check with the Registrar’s Office to determine the additional costs associated with adding courses late.
Students who drop courses after the first week can do so on Banner and will be subject to the published tuition refund schedule. Students should always consult with the Financial Aid Office located in 100 STU to assess the impact on their financial aid eligibility if the course is dropped. The student will be issued a “W” on their transcript for any dropped course.
Each semester, the final drop deadline is set for the end of the 9th week of classes. Students who wish to drop courses after this final deadline should be referred to the Late Drop process.
Questions regarding course registration and the late drop and add procedures should be referred to AD Betty Schaner at [email protected] or (616) 331-2403.
Syllabus Construction, A Proactive Tool for Student Success
A complete syllabus is a proactive tool to support student success throughout the course. The most troublesome grade appeals are those where course information is incomplete or absent on the syllabus. This includes, but is not limited to, the academic integrity statement, grading scale, basis for assigning grades, Disability Support Resources statement and related issues. The absence of course information makes it difficult to support faculty grading decisions when students are concerned about faculty clarity in grading.
Setting students’ expectations this year is more complex than usual.
All course syllabi need to include the learning objectives from the updated Syllabi of Record (SOR), per Higher Learning Commission requirements.
A list of information to be given to students at the beginning of the semester can be found in University Policies. Faculty are expected to include a link to the University's list of policies that apply to all courses. Recommended: “This course is subject to the GVSU policies listed at https://www.gvsu.edu/coursepolicies.” (See University Policies FH 3.03 A-E for more details.)
The Pew FTLC website is an excellent resource for syllabus construction. https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/syllabus-design-85.htm
You are encouraged to contact your unit head for example syllabi and the Syllabus of Record.
Additional Resources
Teaching-Related Grants for GVSU Faculty https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm
A subscription to The Teaching Professor is available online through the library website under “Find Journals”.
The Faculty Teaching and Learning Center (FTLC) has an overview (online orientation) for part-time faculty.
Affiliate Faculty Advisory Committee (University)
CLAS Affiliate Faculty Advisory Committee
Fall Fitness
Digital Print Shop in the Visual and Media Arts Department (large format and specialty printing not covered by the Copy Center). Very competitive pricing.
E-learning resources assistance at the Digital Studio and Instructional Design for eLearning
Campus Bus System
Sprout (www.gvsu.edu/sprout) to sign up for workshops on campus
GVSU Alerts direct to your phone
Acronym Decoder
Repair Clinic
Free repair clinics for all GVSU students take place once per term. Volunteers repair clothing, broken glasses, backpacks, and more. The next Repair Clinic will be held October 19, 6-8 p.m. in Holton Hooker. Details will be posted on CLAS social media (@CLAScomm on Twitter and @GVSUCLAS on Facebook and https://www.gvsu.edu/clas/repair-clinic-842.htm), the Laker Hub screens, and on posters in living centers and elsewhere. For more information: [email protected].