Guidelines for Those New to Teaching at Northern Illinois University
Teaching for the first time at a new university can be enjoyable and daunting at the same time. Whether you are an experienced teacher or new to the profession, being prepared to teach at a new institution will help you transition and succeed in your new environment. The following information on course policies, teaching policies, and teaching-related resources should help you start your teaching career at 麻豆精品 successfully!
Course Policies
For each course you teach you will need to establish a set of policies. Course policies help describe your expectations of student behavior as well as what students can expect from you. The following are some fundamental policies and applicable to any course in higher education. Feel free to include other policies as necessary. For more inspiration, check out .
Course Syllabus Policy
Instructors of record are required to develop a syllabus for every course they teach and distribute the syllabus to students enrolled in the course in an appropriate written format. The syllabus must be distributed in class or posted electronically on Blackboard on or before the first scheduled day of the course. See the syllabus toolkit and syllabus statements for more suggestions on what to include in your course syllabus.
Dates & Deadlines
With the exception of the School of Law, the beginning and ending dates of each semester for undergraduate and graduate courses are the same. However, academic dates and deadlines can vary so check the official academic calendar for each semester when planning your course outline.
Final Examination Policy
Except with the written approval of the dean of the college, all undergraduate classes are to meet for examination or other instructional purposes at the time assigned in the final examination schedule. Class meetings scheduled during the final examination period are considered part of the regular semester. Evening classes scheduled for a final meeting during the final examination period also fall under this policy.
The plus/minus grading system is the official grading system approved by the university for undergraduate and graduate students. The way you assign grades in a course is your responsibility and should be outlined in your course syllabi. The plus/minus system provides more grade options, but how those options are utilized is the decision of the instructor. consider this article on for more recommendations.
Including a late work policy in your course syllabus will help students understand your expectations and consequences of their actions. This article provides useful guidelines on writing a meaningful and realistic late work policy for your course.
To help students understand their responsibilities related to academic integrity, include such a statement in your syllabus. Provide a definition of academic integrity and the consequences that students will face when they breach this important behavior.
At the beginning of the semester the Student Athlete Academic Support Service (SAASS) office will notify student-athletes' professors of all travel and competition dates. SAASS coordinators will assist in the arrangement of any missed exams or quizzes to lessen the stress of missing classes.
Student Attendance Policy
Course attendance can be course-specific and is completely at the purview of the instructor. Be specific about your own attendance policy to ensure students understand the consequences for missing any portion of your course.
Student Evaluation of Instruction
During the last quarter of the semester, students in all courses are given the opportunity to evaluate your teaching through a formal evaluation process. The evaluation questions are department-/ program-specific and available to students either as an in-class paper or online format.
Syllabus Accessibility Statement
All faculty are required to include this statement on all course syllabi.
Teaching Policies
Teaching policies differ from course policies in that they are specific to you and your teaching practice. The following resources are specific to 麻豆精品 but are applicable to any teaching experience.
Confidentiality of Student Records
Directory information pertaining to students of 麻豆精品 is never knowingly provided to any requester for a commercial purpose. The Registration and Records Office at 麻豆精品 strictly adheres to the policies governing students' education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – see FERPA below.
Faculty Workload Policy and Guidelines
The distribution of workload assignments for a tenured/tenure-track academic faculty member will be determined in accordance with the mission and priorities of the University and the goals and needs of that faculty members governing Unit.
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA assures the right of students to have access to their educational records. The primary practical effect of this law is that it requires all 麻豆精品 employees to respect the confidentiality of personally identifiable student information by adhering to well-defined guidelines about its release.
Grievance Procedures for Students
The process for students filing a grievance is listed under 麻豆精品’s Constitution and Bylaws.
麻豆精品’s Intellectual Property Policy
The purpose of this document is to state for 麻豆精品 faculty, staff, and students the relevant University policies, as well as the nature of the responsibilities, privileges, and options held by faculty, staff, and students pertaining to the creation of intellectual properties.
Ordering Textbooks
The 麻豆精品 Bookstore offers an online textbook ordering form with which you can search for a book and select your courses.
Outside Consulting, Research and Outside Employment
Faculty who wish to engage in outside consulting, research (OCR) or outside employment (OE) activities must comply with the University Faculty Research and Consulting Act of 1969 and the Board of Trustees Regulations Section II. B. 2. on Outside Employment.
Plagiarism Detection through SafeAssign in Blackboard
SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention tool that detects unoriginal content in students' papers by identifying areas of overlap between submitted assignments and existing works.
Statement of Professional Ethics for Faculty
This statement refers to faculty as teachers, colleagues, members of an academic institution, and members of their community and their personal and professional ethics.
Statement on Professional Behavior of Employees
Housed under the Division of Academic Affairs, this statement includes its own preamble, disposition of complaints, rationale for a university collegiality policy, maintenance of a collaborative and cooperative community, provision of positive work environment, and protection of academic freedom.
Student Code of Conduct
The Student Code of Conduct outlines the process the university follows when charging students with an alleged violation. The code explains sanction options for those students who admit to or are found responsible for a violation.
Consensual Relationships between Faculty, Staff and Students
The initiation of or participation in an intimate personal relationship between an employee with supervisory or evaluative authority over a student or employee is not permitted without an approved exception. As stated throughout this policy, this prohibition is the result of actual or perceived conflict or influence that an employee with supervisory or evaluative authority has over a student or employee.
Teaching-related Resources
麻豆精品 has many services and resources that support teaching. Click on the link to learn more about each of these resources that can help support your teaching activities.
Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Educators Toolkit
Resources for navigating classroom dynamics, bias in the classroom, and culturally responsive teaching.
Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation
The Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation function of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness manages accreditation and assessment initiatives and provides support for evaluation projects.
Blackboard Support
New faculty will be automatically provided with an 麻豆精品 AccountID that will allow them to request a Blackboard course.
Document and Print Management
麻豆精品’s Division of Information Technology (DoIT) supports the university’s need for professionally designed and finished print materials and the goals of modernizing business processes while reducing unnecessary print volume and inefficiencies in storage and retrieval of information.
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning provides comprehensive services supporting effective and innovative teaching in pursuit of transformative learning experiences.
Faculty Mentoring Students – Undergraduate Research
Participating in undergraduate research is an exciting way for students to build their professional skills and network while exploring their interests and goals. By working with an 麻豆精品 faculty mentor, students have the opportunity to get involved in their potential field of study and ground-breaking research and artistry.
Faculty Mentoring Program
This is a voluntary program through which experienced faculty at 麻豆精品 knowledgeable about the campus and academic life are matched with new faculty to orient them to 麻豆精品, inform them about campus support services, and assist them in the early stages of their academic careers at 麻豆精品.
Support for Student Mental Health and Well-being
Counseling & Consultation Services provides comprehensive mental health support for currently enrolled students at 麻豆精品.
Writing Center
The 麻豆精品 Writing Center is a support system for the 麻豆精品 community. All students, faculty, alumnus, and student-at-large can receive help to brainstorm, draft, revise, and perfect their work.