7. Academic Programs

  1. Syllabus Policy

    1. Faculty must prepare a syllabus for each course they teach. The syllabus must include information contained in the syllabus template available on the college website. The syllabus must provide students an accurate description of the course, the assignments, required texts and other materials, and the grading scale and criteria. The syllabus must be posted on Canvas before the start of the academic term. Faculty must send their syllabuses to the administrative associate no later than the first Friday after the start of the term.

  2. Classes with Multiple Sections
    1. Students who take classes with multiple sections taught by different instructors should have substantially similar experiences and preparation. Such classes should use a single syllabus with adjustments for only such matters as class dates and times. All faculty teaching a section of a class with multiple sections must follow the standard syllabus for that class. All must use the same textbook, have similar assignments and expectations, and use the same communication channel, if one is specified for that class. Because many of the classes with multiple sections are foundational ones that prepare students for later courses, a high degree of uniformity in the class is essential so that all students will be well prepared for more advanced studies.
  3. Canvas
    1. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses Canvas as its learning management system. Faculty members shall use the system for posting course documents, communicating with students, recording grades, and other class functions. They can learn about the system through the online tutorial available through the college website. Those who are teaching a course with multiple sections should follow the policies for using Canvas set forth in the standard syllabus.
  4. Class Meetings
    1. Every class that meets in person has a scheduled time and place to meet. The university prohibits moving such a class to a different time because students sign up for multiple courses and changing times may upset their schedules. Also, many students work or have outside activities that prevent them from meeting at times other than the scheduled times. Classrooms may be changed, but only with the approval of the associate dean for academic programs and the college staff person in charge of scheduling rooms. If a room change involves one of the general-purpose classrooms in Andersen Hall (Rooms 15 or 109), approval from the Office of the Registrar is necessary.

    2. If a faculty member expects to miss a class, the faculty member should arrange for another faculty member to conduct the class or identify other means for delivering instructional materials. If a faculty member is unable to meet with a class because of illness, accident or some other unforeseen circumstance, the faculty member should notify the associate dean for research and faculty affairs by phone and email as promptly as possible and notify the students in the class by email or other communication channel the students use in connection with the class. If a faculty member is going to be gone for reasons such as a professional conference, faculty must also complete the memorandum of absence. 

  5. Class Technology
    1. If students are required to use specific equipment or software in order to complete their course assignments, the instructor must be sufficiently competent in the use of the equipment or software to be able to adequately instruct and supervise the students.
  6. Grade Policies
    1. Section 5.3 of the Board of Regents Bylaws requires that all students receive an evaluation of their performance during the course of the semester, if requested. All students must receive either a final grade or an incomplete at the end of the semester. Unless course requirements specify otherwise, all students majoring in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications must receive a letter grade for courses in any major in the college. The grade a student receives should reflect the instructor’s honest evaluation of a student’s work.

    2. To provide early feedback to students and improve retention efforts, instructors should assign and provide a grade and feedback on the first assignment within the first two weeks of the semester. Instructors should ensure all grades are posted and current at midterm.

    3. For students expecting to graduate at the end of the semester, instructors must submit degree grades in advance of the final grade. The degree grade given should indicate the lowest possible grade that student might receive at the end of the semester.

  7. Incomplete Grades
    1. Instructors may give the grade Incomplete or "I" only when a student is unable to complete a course due to illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family. Incompletes will be only given if the student has already substantially completed the major requirements of the course. A contract for how and when the students will complete the course requirements must be approved by the student and the instructor.
  8. Grade Appeals
    1. Regents Bylaw 5.3 specifies that students have the right to appeal grades they consider the product of caprice or prejudice on the part of the instructor. The provision requires the college to have a process for resolving disputes about grades.

    2. Students first should talk to the instructor to seek a mutual understanding about the grade. If they are unable to agree, students may appeal the grade to the associate dean for academic programs. The associate dean may ask the instructor for information about the course, the grading policies, and how the appealing student’s grade was determined. The associate dean also may request information about the distribution of grades for other students in the class. Such information should be anonymized. The associate dean also may ask the student to explain the basis for believing the grade is the product of caprice or prejudice on the part of the instructor. Based on the evidence presented by the student and the instructor, the associate dean shall render a judgment. If the judgment is that the preponderance of the evidence shows the grade was the product of caprice or prejudice, the associate dean shall ask the instructor to change the grade.

    3. Either the student or the instructor may appeal an adverse decision by the associate dean for academic programs to the Executive Committee. The evidence the student and the instructor presented to the associate dean shall be forwarded to the committee. The committee may request additional information from either or both parties. The committee, at its discretion, may schedule a hearing at which the student and the instructor may present evidence and answer questions. The burden of proof in such disputes is on the student to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the grade was the product of caprice or prejudice on the part of the instructor. The decision of the committee shall be by majority vote. If the decision is that the grade was the product of caprice or prejudice by the instructor, it may order the grade to be changed. If the instructor refuses to change the grade, the associate dean shall administer the grade change.

  9. Faculty Office Hours
    1. Faculty shall post on Canvas, in their syllabuses and outside their offices, the hours during which students may expect them to be available for conferences. In the alternative, faculty may ask students to schedule appointments for conferences. In either case, faculty shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate all students who need advice or assistance.
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