Expectations of Faculty

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Teaching Policies & Guidelines

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In the Classroom

The instructor of record is responsible for the overall management of the course, including management of aspects of the course and coursework delegated to teaching assistants and laboratory assistants.

There shall be regular attendance by assigned faculty unless such attendance is prevented by circumstances beyond the control of the faculty member.

There shall be reasonable access to the instructor during announced regular office hours or by appointment.

All faculty are expected to meet their classes and keep office hours. When unforeseen circumstances preclude the instructor from attending classes and the instructor cannot arrange a substitute, the instructor should notify the department chair as far in advance as possible and, where possible, notify affected students. For other expectations, see the Reasonable Expectations of Faculty as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Grievance Procedure, or review the policy (Section B.1).

Attendance in Inclement Weather

Official closures and delays are announced on the campus website at umd.edu and snow phone line (301-405-SNOW), as well as on local radio and TV stations. If inclement weather conditions force a faculty member to cancel a class even though the University is open, the faculty member must notify the department chair in advance. Students must also be notified through procedures outlined in the syllabus.

Faculty Absence

In the event that faculty are unable to convene their classes due to illness or other factors, faculty should notify the department chair as far in advance as possible, and where possible, notify affected students. In the event of unavoidable faculty absence, there are three options for class coverage:

Reschedule class meeting time, if acceptable to students.
Arrange alternate method for teaching the session, such as on-line discussion.
Arrange for a University faculty member to teach class. University staff and graduate students may also provide instruction if they possess a mastery, or at least significant understanding of, class content.

Scheduling and Location of Classes

Permanent changes in the scheduling and location of classes must be approved by the Department Chair.

Statement on Classroom Climate

The University of Maryland values the diversity of its student body and is committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students. Patterns of interaction in the classroom between the faculty member and students and among the students themselves may inadvertently communicate preconceptions about student abilities based on age, ability/disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. These patterns are due in part to the differences the students themselves bring to the classroom. Classroom instructors should be particularly sensitive to being equitable in the opportunities they provide students to answer questions in class, to contribute their own ideas, and to participate fully in projects in and outside of the classroom.

Of equal importance to equity in the classroom is the need to attend to potential devaluation of students through reference to demeaning stereotypes of any group and/or overlooking the contributions of a particular group to the topic under discussion. Joking at the expense of any group creates an inhospitable environment and is inappropriate. Moreover, in providing evaluations of students, it is essential that instructors avoid distorting these evaluations with preconceived expectations about the intellectual capacities of any group.

It is the responsibility of individual faculty members to review their classroom behaviors, and those of any teaching assistants they supervise, to ensure that students are treated equitably and not discouraged or devalued based on their differences. Resources for self-evaluation and training for faculty members on classroom climate and interaction patterns are available from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Accessibility

Faculty need to provide academic accommodations for students in accordance with University policies, including policies on excused absences as well as disability and accessibility.

Faculty shall endeavor to protect student privacy regarding personal information shared in or outside of class, with the exception of legal obligations to report certain information to state authorities and University officials, such as child abuse, child neglect, and sexual misconduct.

Assigned course materials should be readily available. Faculty must ensure that eligible students receive reasonable accommodations relative to their coursework in accordance with federal and state disability laws, subject to the University’s disability and accessibility policies and procedures.

Relevant Student Policies

For more information about policies that impact undergraduate courses, click here.

Topics addressed in these policies include:

Academic integrity,
Student and instructor conduct,
Accessibility and accommodations,
Attendance and excused absences,
Grades and appeals,
Copyright and intellectual property

This page also includes resources that support students’ academic success as well as their health and well-being.

If you encounter a disruptive student, please refer to the suggestions provided by the Office of Student Conduct.

If you encounter students who need support or note that a student has had extended absence from class, contact the Student Affairs office of your academic college.

Other Expectations

There shall be a complete course syllabus for the current term made available to students no later than the first day of class at the beginning of each undergraduate course. Any changes to the syllabus made after the first day of class must be announced and must be clearly represented with the date of the revision. The course syllabus will specify in general terms:

a course description, including course objectives;
the content and nature of assignments;
the schedule of major graded assessments (e.g., examinations and due dates for projects and papers);
the examination and/or assessment procedures;
the mode of communication for excused absences;
the basis for determining final grades, including if the plus/minus grading system will be used and the relationship between in-class participation and the final course grade; and
reference to the list of course-related policies maintained by the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

In cases where all or some of this information cannot be provided at the beginning of the course, an explanation of the delay and the basis of course development shall be provided.

There shall be a reasonable number of graded assessments or progress reports to permit evaluation of student performance throughout the course. These assessments shall be returned to the students in a timely manner. Faculty shall issue mid-term grades for undergraduate students when required, in accordance with III-6.00(B), University of Maryland Policy and Procedures Concerning Mid-Term Grades for Undergraduate Students.

Final examinations worth more than 10% of the course grade shall be administered during the final examination period when one is established and published by the Office of the University Registrar. Unit-level guidelines may require that specific courses administer final exams. When a final examination period is scheduled, no final examinations shall be administered on Reading Day or during the last week of classes, defined as the final seven calendar days of the semester ending on the “Last day of classes'' published in the academic calendar.

When a final examination is administered during finals week, no exams or alternative assessments worth more than 10% of the course grade may be due or administered during the last week of classes.

If a course has no final examination administered during the final examination period, alternative end-of-semester assessments (e.g., term papers, final projects, presentations, performances, lab practicals) worth more than 10% of the course grade may be due during the last week of classes, if detailed expectations for the assessments are provided by the end of the ninth week of classes. Alternatively, these end-of-semester assessments may be due during the time scheduled for the final exam of the course during the final examination period, but they may not be due on Reading Day.

Each faculty member shall retain, for one full semester (either fall or spring) after a course is ended, the students’ final assessments in the appropriate medium. If a faculty member goes on leave for a semester or longer, or leaves the university, the faculty member shall leave the final assessments and grade records for the course with the department chair, the program director, or the dean of the College or School, as appropriate.

There shall be academic accommodations for students in accordance with University policies, including policies on disability and accessibility, excused absences, and sexual misconduct.

There shall be a reasonable opportunity for students to review papers and examinations, including the final examination or assessment, after evaluation by the instructor, while materials are reasonably current.

There shall be reasonable adherence to the course syllabus.

There shall be reasonable adherence to the published academic calendar, campus schedules, and location of classes and examinations.

Classes not specified in the schedules are to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time on campus, unless an off-campus location is clearly justified.

Changes to final examination schedules and locations must be approved by the chair of the department or the dean of the College, or the appropriate designee. However, final examinations or assessments may not be rescheduled to the final week of classes or to Reading Day.

No class meetings or required activities may be held on Reading Day. However, individual meetings and makeup exams may be scheduled at the explicit request of the student.

Faculty shall endeavor to maintain student privacy with respect to information shared in the course of the student-faculty relationship, subject to legal obligations to report certain information to state authorities and University officials, including child abuse and neglect and sexual misconduct.

There shall be public acknowledgement of significant student assistance in the preparation of materials, articles, books, devices and the like. Students retain their intellectual property rights as set forth in the University of Maryland Policy on Intellectual Property.