5.14 The Classroom

Class Sessions. The first day of class is an important time for faculty and students to establish expectations, build rapport, and set the tone for engagement. During the first day of class, faculty are expected to outline course policies, course content, and the course evaluation metrics. Faculty are required to provide a detailed syllabus that meets FNU guidelines, to every student.

For every class session, whether face to face or online:

Faculty must be in their classrooms 15 minutes prior to the start of every class. This includes Distance Learning courses.
Faculty are expected to prepare lessons plans for every course and course session.
Faculty are required to respond to student emails within 24 hours.
Faculty are required to update grades by the end of each week, throughout the term, within the Blackboard LMS. Grades are to be visible to students within the Blackboard LMS. No other location for the course gradebook is authorized.
Faculty are required to provide students with midterm evaluations.
Faculty are required to respond to their supervisor’s emails within 24 hours.
Faculty are required to notify their supervisors if they are going to be absent for a course session, and arrangements must be made in advance to provide students with proper instruction.
Faculty are required to maintain classroom decorum and discipline.
Faculty are required to maintain and update current contact information for all students in their courses.

Course Information and Announcements. Faculty should utilize the Blackboard platform to create a virtual announcement page to keep students informed of activities, deadlines, and other important communication.

Classroom Rules. Students must understand that FNU seeks to maintain academic excellence. To support faculty, and achieve this objective, FNU requires students to adhere to the following standards:

Students who regularly arrive late because of their jobs must bring a letter from their supervisor and make arrangements to make up missed work. Late arrivals to class may not be used as an excuse for missed assignments or course content covered during that time frame.
All students must have a copy of the syllabus at all times.
Every student should have the textbook for the course.
Instructors may institute particular class requirements, which do not require consultation with a Division/Department head, such as a cell phone usage policy.
Medical students are expected to be in uniform while in attendance.
No food or beverage are permitted in any classrooms.
Disruptive classroom conduct is not to be tolerated.

Course Syllabus

Course syllabi are available for every course in SimpleSyllabus which is managed by the Office of Academic Affairs. The sole, official repository of course syllabi is SimpleSyllabus. This centralized syllabi system is the only authorized means for maintaining, and disseminating, syllabi for courses taught at FNU. There is no alternative delivery method for course syllabi that is approved. Faculty will not provide PDF, or printed copies, of any syllabi. Failure to follow this policy is subject to progressive discipline through Human Resources. Students are to be referred to the SimpleSyllabus platform for access to syllabi.

Faculty are required to have a course syllabus. Faculty will update their own syllabi, modeled after the institutional syllabi. The syllabus will present information on class schedule, number of sessions, holidays, course description (quoted from the FNU Catalog), textbook, course requirements, course outcomes, student learning outcomes, weekly planner, required assignments, class policies, grading system, and exit competencies. Instructors are encouraged to bring in guest lecturers, arrange for field trips, and promote library skills by means of library assignments.

Faculty will verify that the course syllabi is published and accessible to students at the beginning of each course. Students are required to access the syllabus when attending class.

The syllabus contains class policies and other information that the student should review in the first week of class. Faculty should review the syllabus with the students on the first day of class. The instructor may subsequently update the syllabus with notification to the students, up to the end of the add/drop. No further changes to the course syllabus will be made after the add/drop period. In rare instances, when a course syllabus requires revision, the faculty member must request and receive permission from the Office of Academic Affairs to make the change.

Faculty are required to update the components of each syllabus that are different from term to term. Faculty are not permitted to change the course Textbook, Grading Criteria, Course Outcomes, and Student Learning Outcomes of a course, unless as part of a collective faculty discussion and with department consensus.

Class Period Length

Each faculty member is expected to hold class sessions at the scheduled times, and for the scheduled duration. Classes should never begin nor end outside the scheduled times without prior approval of the Division Head, and or the Campus Deans.

Faculty must always bear in mind that most students are receiving some kind of government aid. Various agencies of the government have different rules and regulations governing student aid and can demand that the student return any moneys from shortened classes (for example, the Veterans’ Administration).

Cancellation of Classes by Faculty

The cancellation of classes must be avoided. If a course session must be cancelled:

Notify the Department or Division Head and the Campus Dean prior to cancelling the course session to obtain a substitute instructor.
If a substitute is not available, please inform your students as early as possible and schedule a make-up session.
In cases of severe weather, catastrophes, or disasters, FNU will follow the policy established that will ensure the safety of student, faculty and staff. Faculty are to maintain current contact information for the students in their courses to assist FNU Leadership with the dissemination of closure information.