Course Instructors

Academic Expectations

The university has established a set of academic expectations to encourage good communication between students and instructors, consistent attendance, timely completion of work, and early intervention where help is needed. These are published in the course catalog and student handbook. Please familiarize yourself with these expectations and reiterate them in your classes.

Course Syllabus

Every course should have a syllabus. A syllabus should include faculty contact information and office hours, course description and learning goals/outcomes, required books or materials, course requirements and grading, due dates, policies on attendance and late work, and expectations regarding academic integrity and the honor code. The syllabus should clearly identify any requirements that must be met--and to what standard--to pass the course irrespective of the points earned. If a course will include travel, field experiences, or strenuous physical activity, the syllabus should describe these requirements so that students can judge their ability to participate or make special arrangements as needed; instructors may want to email the class list in advance to alert students to these aspects of the course. Students who need academic accommodations should be directed to arrange these through the Center for Academic Success (see below).

While you should state requirements and policies in the syllabus, it's important to make the syllabus inviting rather than legalistic: say something positive about what you and the students will do together and what they will learn. (Accreditors look to see whether our course syllabi reflect our mission, have clearly stated learning goals or outcomes, and emphasize academic integrity.)

Lawrence Email

Lawrence email is used for all university correspondence. Encourage students to check their Lawrence email daily or forward it to a personal account. You might also encourage them to use good email etiquette (including a subject in the subject line, using a proper salutation and tone, etc.) as this will help them develop skills they'll need after college.

You can email your whole class by sending a message to SUBJnnn-termcode-CRN@lawrence.edu (as in CHEM101-201550-1234@lawrence.edu). The exact email address is on the class list in Voyager. Messages can also be sent through the news forum on your course Moodle or Canvas site.

Office Hours

Choose several hours a week (preferably more than one day at different times) to be accessible to students; for part-time faculty, this may be by appointment. Publish these on your syllabi and post them by your door. Also let students know when to expect email replies from you—within one business day is reasonable.

Textbooks & Copyrights

Federal law requires us to provide textbook information to students for their financial planning. You should enter your book information into the Lawrence Online Bookstore no later than week 4 of the preceding term. This makes the information available to students during the pre-registration period in weeks 5 to 10.

You must have copyright clearance for course readings you make available to students. You can use the course pack tool in the Lawrence Online Bookstore to compile a set of readings and have our bookstore partner, Akademos, clear copyrights, assign an ISBN and price, and make the pack available for students to purchase.  Or you can put the readings on electronic reserve at Mudd Library, and they will clear the copyrights for you. See the Course Reserves page on the Mudd Library website for more information.

Classroom Technology

All of Lawrence's classrooms have computers and projectors with audio, and the Classroom Technology/Facilities page lists the equipment in each classroom. Lawrence also has active learning classrooms with reconfigurable furniture and additional technology to support collaborative learning. Instructional Technology has clickers available for classroom use.

Moodle and Canvas

As of the 2021-2022 academic year, all courses will automatically have a Canvas site   Moodle will continue to be an alternative for the 2021-2022 academic year and older Moodle sites will be available through September 2025.  See the Instructional Technology website for more information or For help, see the Instructional Technology page or contact Jedidiah Rex, Instructional Designer and Technologist.

Academic Travel

Courses may include community-based learning, day trips, or domestic or international travel. There are university policies governing authorized drivers, vehicle use, insurance, waivers, and so on. If you are planning for students to travel away from campus for your course, you should read the web pages on Academic Travel and follow the guidelines and requirements stated there.

Academic Accommodations

Lawrence is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990/2008) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973) to provide reasonable accommodations for student with disabilities who need them to access our educational programs. Students must arrange accommodations through the Director of Accessibility in the Center for Academic Success, who will provide information to instructors. Instructors may be called upon to provide materials in advance, to help identify note-takers for a class, and/or to offer exams with extended test time or in a reduced-distraction setting. See Accessibility Services' Information for Faculty and the Mudd Library Accessibility page. If a student asks you for accommodations, please direct the student to the Accessibility Services website.

The Center for Academic Success also recommends that you include a statement like the following in your syllabus:

Lawrence University is committed to ensuring equal opportunity to the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability or think you may have a disability, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible by emailing accessibility@lawrence.edu. The Accessibility Services Specialist can work with you to determine what, if any, academic accommodations are necessary for access to equal opportunity. If there are circumstances that may affect your performance in this class, please let me know. Together we can develop strategies to enable you to succeed in the course. All students are encouraged to utilize the available resources on campus, including writing tutors, content tutors, reference librarians, and academic counselors.

ESL Support

Students who are non-native speakers of English might need access to a dictionary or additional time to write answers on an in-class assignment or exam. These students might also benefit from tutoring in writing or oral communication. If you have a student who is struggling with language issues, refer that student to the English as a Second Language support in the Center for Academic Success. 

Attendance Policy

It's up to the instructor whether to count attendance or participation in grading. In any case, you should be able to respond to requests from other offices (the Dean of Students, the Center for Academic Success, the Director of Athletics, etc.) about whether a student has been attending class or submitting work. Many professors like to track attendance by collecting in-class assignments or quick writes, using clickers or texting apps, circulating a sign-in sheet or roster for students to initial, or, for smaller classes, simply scanning the room and noting who is present or absent.

Early Assessment

Because our terms are short, you are encouraged to conduct an assessment during the first two weeks to identify any student who may need tutoring, ESL assistance, or other support to succeed in the course. This can be an ungraded assignment, practice test, or pretest for prerequisite knowledge or skills. It should give you information you can act on to provide supplemental help or to connect a student with appropriate resources in the Center for Academic Success.

Graded Work

Graded student work is private under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If you want to return graded papers to students outside of class, put them in campus mail envelopes. You are not permitted to discuss a student's work or attendance with a parent unless the student has submitted a release to the Registrar's Office. If a release has been submitted, this will appear in the Academic Record Notes that are visible to the student's advisor. When in doubt, check with the advisor or Registrar's Office.

Gradebook

If you use Canvas, posting grades in the gradebook benefits students as it allows them to view and evaluate their progress at any time.  Because Canvas is a web-based tool, we recommend that you download a copy of your gradebook at the end of the term for future reference.

Honor System

Students are expected to reaffirm the honor code on submitted papers, projects, and exams by writing "I hereby reaffirm the Lawrence University Honor Code" or simply "IHRTLUHC" and signing their name. In Moodle, students can affirm the honor pledge by clicking a box when they upload work. At Lawrence, instructors are not required to proctor examinations, but you are expected to set clear parameters for time limits, locations, and acceptable resources. If you give an exam in Moodle, you should hide all resources in Moodle during the exam except those you want students to consult. If you suspect that a student has violated the honor code, you should refer the matter to the Honor Council, who will determine if the honor code has been violated and what sanctions will follow. Instructors are not permitted to issue sanctions of their own accord. You can find more information on the Honor System website.

Class Performance Reports

Students are expected to engage in coursework and submit assignments when due. If a student isn't meeting course requirements or is earning a grade less than C-, send the student a class performance report (CPR) in Voyager (click CPR next to the student's name in the class list). A copy of this report will go to the student's academic advisor and the Center for Academic Success, alerting them to the problem as well as documenting the issue for academic progress reviews by the Faculty Subcommittee on Administration. 

Final Exams and Assignments

All final exams must be taken during the examination period, and no exams or tests may be given during the last week of classes (although weekly quizzes and lab practicals are allowed). A take-home exam may be distributed at the conclusion of the last class and due at the scheduled final exam time. The time of an exam may be changed within the exam period only with unanimous consent of the students and approval from the provost. Students may petition to change an exam time if they have three exams on one day, health issues, religious observances, or summer academic programs; exam times will not be changed for travel purposes. If you will be unable to give your exam due to illness or injury, notify your department chair or program director, who will help make other arrangements.

All final assignments or other work for credit must be submitted no later than the university-assigned final exam time; a student who needs additional time must request an incomplete from the Dean of Academic Success (see below).

Withdrawals and Incompletes

Students may withdraw from a course by the second Friday after midterm reading period and receive a 'W' on the transcript. The student must check the consequences of a reduced class load (for a student visa, athletic eligibility, financial aid, insurance, etc.) before withdrawing. A student who has been impacted by accident, illness, or other circumstances beyond their control may need additional time to complete course requirements and may request an incomplete from the Dean of Academic Success. The dean will consult with the instructor to determine what work is affected and when it should be submitted, which is generally within four weeks of the end of term. As with honor code violations, instructors are not permitted to grant incompletes on their own.

Title IX Reporting

Faculty members are considered “responsible employees” who must report sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator. If a student discloses sexual harassment, exploitation, or assault to you, you should fill out a report form on the Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education (SHARE) website or email the Title IX Coordinator at TitleIX@lawrence.edu.