preparing your syllabus

Prerequisites

Officially approved prerequisites should be listed prominently on the syllabus. The course instructor has the right to limit the students in the course to those who have the stated prerequisites. If this limitation is exercised, it must occur before the end of the add period.

Grading and Exam Policy

Instructors are required to provide information about the exam procedures to be used in the course and to demonstrate how grades will be determined. This information must be given to students within the first ten days of class. The percentage of the total grade for each item (mid-term exams, final exams, homework, papers, projects) should be clearly outlined. If attendance and/or participation are to be part of the course grade, you must state this.

Attendance

It is the policy of the University that class attendance by students be encouraged and that all instructors organize and conduct their courses with this policy in mind. A student should attend every class for which the student is scheduled and should be held responsible for all work covered in the courses taken. In each case, the instructor should decide when the class absence constitutes a danger to the student’s scholastic attainment and should make this fact known to the student at once. A student whose irregular attendance causes him or her, in the judgment of the instructor, to become deficient scholastically, may run the risk of receiving a failing grade or receiving a lower grade than the student might have secured had the student been in regular attendance.

Instructors should provide, within reason, opportunity to make up work for students who miss class for regularly scheduled, University-approved curricular and extracurricular activities (such as field trips, debate trips, choir trips, and athletic contests). However, if such scheduled trips are considered by the instructor to be hurting the student’s scholastic performance, the instructor should present such evidence for necessary action to the head of the department in which the course is offered and to the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled.

Sample Grade Scale

While instructors determine the methods of evaluation for their courses, many have asked for a sample grade scale. One suggested scale for point distribution follows: A = 95 to 100; A- = 90 to 94.9; B+ = 87.9 to 89.9; B = 83.33 to 87.8; B- = 80 to 83.32; C+ = 75 to 79.9 C = 70 to 74.9; D = 60 to 69.9 and F = 59.9 and below. The Penn State grading scale does not allow the option of awarding grades of C-, D+ or D- grades.

Evening Exam Scheduling

The holding of evening examinations in courses not normally scheduled in the evening is permitted only when all the following conditions are fulfilled: 1) consent of the dean of the college in which the course is taught is obtained; 2) not more than four such examinations are scheduled in any one semester in any course; and 3) the evening examinations are scheduled in advance with the University and announced to the students during the first week of the semester.

Final Exam Policies

According to Faculty Senate policy, only quizzes and narrowly limited tests may be given during the final week of classes. A reasonable interpretation is that those tests that comprise 10% or less of the students’ grades for the entire course are appropriate. Tests worth more should be administered during the final exam period. If final written examinations are not required, you may not require the submission of alternative means of evaluation earlier than the first day of the final examination period. It is expected that grades will be handed in 48 hours after the final exam (or alternative).

Mid Semester Evaluations

The Registrar will collect and record information on mid-semester course performance for first and second semester degree candidates and provisional students as of the sixth week of the fall and spring semesters. Accordingly, some measure of student performance evaluation must take place prior to the sixth week of the semester. The Registrar will distribute scan forms containing the names of students in your course(s) prior to the sixth week of fall and spring semesters. There is very little turnaround time for this procedure. You will complete the forms by identifying satisfactory (SAT) or unsatisfactory (UNSAT) for each student listed based on the student’s achievement as of the sixth week of the semester.

Questions about any of the above issues can be referred to Robin Robinson at rmb3@psu.edu or (814) 863-3870.

Academic Integrity Statement

The syllabus must include an academic integrity statement. For example:

Penn State defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts (Faculty Senate Policy 49-20).

Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University’s Judicial Affairs office for possible further disciplinary sanction.

Questions about academic integrity can be referred to Ashley Tarbet at aet143@psu.edu or (814) 865-1070.

Disability Access Statement

Please include an access statement on your syllabus. For example:

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell the instructor as soon as possible.

Questions about disability access can be referred to Jennifer Morris at jxm2@psu.edu or (814) 863-5538.

Angel - Penn State's Course Management System

ANGEL is a software application that enables instructors to manage course materials, communication, quizzing, and certain aspects of grading from one online location without knowledge of HTML. If you teach a class at Penn State as a faculty member, instructor, or teaching assistant, you can use ANGEL to:

-Make course materials such as syllabi, schedules, announcements, lecture notes, quizzes, and multimedia resources available on the Web from one location.

-Manage the administrative aspects of your courses more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks.

-Introduce exciting new learning opportunities to your students using its communication features.

For further information about ANGEL, please refer to the following web site: https://cms.psu.edu/frameIndex.htm.