4.22 Academic Policies and General Information

1. Communications: Faculty members are assigned e-mail addresses, phone extensions, office space, and individual mailboxes. Faculty members are expected to post and keep office hours as directed by their dean. Office hours and location should be indicated in each course syllabus.

1. Instructional Support and Materials: Each school is assigned an administrative assistant who provides instructional support. The deans are responsible for establishing policies and procedures for faculty in their school to avail themselves of this assistance. Deans are responsible for distributing and collecting textbook order forms from the bookstore. Faculty members in need of desk or examination copies of books or other materials should order them directly form the publisher/manufacturer or may ask the departmental administrative assistant to place the order.

1. Class Attendance: Faculty are expected to attend all scheduled classes. When the faculty member is unable to attend class because of illness or other emergency, the department chair and/or dean must be notified prior to the scheduled class time. Faculty members are encouraged to prepare a contingency reading assignment, video, or other material which may be assigned to the class in the event of the instructor’s absence. Classes may not be canceled nor may substitute instructors be arranged without the prior permission of the department chair and the dean. Faculty members are expected to meet with their classes for the entire scheduled time.

1. Class Rolls and Official Communications: The initial class roll should be reviewed online prior to the first class meeting. Students who have not completed registration may be listed on the class roll, as well as students present who are not yet listed on the class roll. Please follow carefully guidelines issued by the dean and/or registrar for handling these situations. Final class rolls are available online at the end of the drop/add period. Faculty must verify these rolls and notify the Registrar’s Office about any problems.

1. Syllabi: Faculty members are required to distribute a written course syllabus at the first class meeting. A copy of the syllabus for each course must be filed with the appropriate dean’s office no later than the end of the drop/add period of each semester. Refer to the university catalog for policies and procedures regarding class attendance, academic integrity, incomplete grades, grade changes, drop/add and withdrawal. Each syllabus should contain the following items/statements:
1.  Contact information
2. Office hours
3. Student e-mail policy
4. Attendance policy
5. Disability statement
6. Academic Integrity statement
7. Basis of evaluation – students should have grading feedback prior to the midterm point.
8. Course objectives and tentative schedule
9. Withdrawal policy – refer students to withdrawal policy in the catalog and/or academic calendar.
10. Policy concerning make-up exams and deadlines for special projects and assignments
2. Field Learning Experiences: All off-campus trips must be approved in advance by the department chair and appropriate academic dean. This policy does not apply to activities that are a regular and recurring part of a class. The university maintains liability insurance that covers approved off-campus activities. Prior to departure, all participants must have completed a waiver of liability form. The department chair should ensure that original signed waivers are forwarded to the dean of the respective school, with copies forwarded to the Assistant Vice-President for Finance and Human Resources.

1. Final Examinations: Faculty members are expected to give final examinations (or an equivalent evaluation measure) and to follow the examination schedule printed in the semester schedule of classes unless otherwise specified by the dean of the school. Change of time or date is permitted only for serious reasons and not for mere convenience. However, such a change must be acceptable to all the class members and be approved in advance by the appropriate academic dean.

1. Guest Speakers in Class: Faculty members using outside guests or speakers in the classroom are encouraged to give prior notification to the department chair.

1. Online Learning Policy: Online Learning Policy Mission

In an effort to extend academic offerings for students through electronic and virtual means, Piedmont University applies the following core principles:

1. Provide an open and effective learning environment where teaching and learning occur anytime and anyplace, both in synchronous (professor and students meet at the same time in different locations) and asynchronous environments (professor and students meet at a different time and different location);
2. Provide accessible teaching and learning resources and support to students, faculty, and staff; which ensures student confidentiality and secure information as required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Federal Requirements 10.6, 2018 SACSCOC Policy Statement on Distance and Correspondence Education, and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);
3. Ensure that online learning efforts are committed to quality and continuous improvement through course assessment, research, faculty development, advising, and the encouragement of innovation with emerging technologies and strategies.