Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations as we bring Spring 2018 in for a landing.  As the end of the semester approaches, I would like to remind you of the deadlines and procedures for grading your Questrom classes.

Grading Information:

• Do not use a grade of “MG” per Questrom policy. Students who never attended class or neglected to drop a course should be given a grade of “F.” This grade can be changed at a later time in appropriate circumstances.
• Incomplete grades are to make accommodations for students with an unforeseen medical emergency or family crisis. Incomplete grades are not to spare a student from receiving a bad grade, nor to create an uneven playing field by giving certain students more time than their classmates to complete course requirements. All students who receive a grade of “I” should complete an “incomplete grade contract” with the faculty. Incomplete grades must be resolved by the end of the following semester (or within one year for PhD students) or they will changed to an “F.”
• Grade lists are not to be posted by any means, even if the student’s identity is concealed with a unique identifier. Students can see their final grade on the Student Link as soon as they are submitted.

WebGrade Information:

• All grades need to be submitted via the “Faculty Link”. Simply log on at www.bu.edu/link/shortcut/faculty and select your class.
• Grading is a 2 step process. The first step is to enter and save your grades. The second step is to submit your grades. For step-by-step instructions on how to use WebGrade, visit https://www.bu.edu/reg/general-information/webgrade-for-instructors/.

Grading Deadlines:

All grades must be submitted within 72 hours of the last class deliverable, and under no circumstances should any grades be missing as of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15. Many of our graduate students rely on employer reimbursement, which requires grades to be posted in order to process. Additionally, staff in the Program Offices rely on the timely posting of grades in order to audit all student transcripts to certify graduation.  Thank you for your consideration and cooperation.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Norm

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Welcome back (or, if you’re new to the Questrom family, welcome aboard)!  What follows is a memo containing important information regarding the Spring 2018 semester: dates, international student check-in, etc.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please respond to this email or call me at 353-9106.  You can also stop by my office, Room 150A, just to the left of the main stairs on the first floor.  I encourage visitors!

YOUR CLASS MEETING TIME AND LOCATION

I strongly encourage you to consult the University Class Schedule to review your finalized class meeting time and location.  The University Registrar’s Office did not finalize classrooms until just before Christmas.  You should consult the Link (www.bu.edu/link/ – click “Faculty” and “Class Lists”).  Should this not work, you may consult the general University Class Schedule (choose “SPRG 2018” and “QST” – contact me with questions) to verify your location and time.

Spring 2018 marks our third semester on the university block schedule, so I believe we’ve hit a groove, but just as a reminder:

• Some undergraduate courses are on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday (50 minutes per session) offering pattern.
• Other courses that were listed on the schedule as meeting twice weekly for 90 minutes, but with an implied dismissal time 10 minutes prior, will now be listed as 75 minutes with the expectation that they will meet for that entire period.  To emphasize, the time listed on the class schedule is now the actual meeting time!
• In most cases, there is a built-in 15 minute passing time between classes, rather than the previous (implied) 10 minutes.
• Evening courses now begin at 6:30 and let out at 9:15.
• The afternoon sections of the undergraduate Cross-Functional Core will begin at 12:20 (MWF) and 12:30 (TR).

 SPRING 2018 – IMPORTANT DATES

Please read through this relevant calendar information including Registrar’s Office semester dates and class meeting dates by course meeting pattern. Please remember that faculty members are expected to make allowances for any student who must miss class due to religious observance; if you have questions regarding this policy or a specific holiday observance, please ask us.  See below for a list of religious holidays.

While I encourage you to review the links listed above for the important information they contain, here is a quick overview:

Standard calendar

January 18: Classes begin

February 19: Holiday

February 20: Substitute Monday schedule

March 3-11: Spring Break

April 16: Holiday

April 18: Substitute Monday schedule

May 2: Last day of class

May 7-11: Final exams

Questrom Commencement Ceremonies: May 18

MBA-specific dates

Mod 3: January 22-March 1

Mod 4: March 12-May 2

Concentrated Core Session 1: Monday (January 22-March 12), Thursday (January 18-March 1)

Concentrated Core Session 2: Monday (March 19-April 30), Thursday (March 15-April 26)

Dates of Interest

Dean Reiser’s Birthday: February 20

Red Sox home opener: April 5

 SPRING 2018 CLASS LIST AVAILABLE ON FACULTY LINK

You can view and download your class list on the Faculty Link. Please let me know if you have trouble accessing the Faculty Link.

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Grace Uygun and/or Tony Chu will soon be sending you an e-mail about the final exam schedule. Please respond to that e-mail as quickly as possible so that we can move along with the final exam scheduling process. The final exam period is May 7-11. The final exam schedule will be finalized and published in February. The Registrar’s Office provides a grid setting the final exam times and dates according to where courses fall in the class schedule. Deviating from the grid increases the likelihood that a faculty member will have to schedule make-up exams for students who have conflicting exam times.

Any student needing to make travel plans before the final exam schedule is published should plan to travel on the evening of May 11, as travel plans are not considered a valid reason for a final exam to be rescheduled!

CHECK-IN FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 

The U.S. federal government requires all continuing international students to physically check in at their respective program office during the first week of each semester, and new international students must check in at the International Students and Scholars Office at 888 Commonwealth Avenue.  Please make an announcement during your first two class meetings.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

The following is a list of religious holidays from the Marsh Chapel website:

Sundown March 30-April 7: Passover

March 30: Good Friday

April 1: Easter

A full multi-faith list of holidays may be found here.

The following notes, including a link to the University’s Policy on Religious Observance, is also provided on the Marsh Chapel website:

Weekly observances vary (i.e. Friday/Saturday for Judaism; Sunday for Christianity; Friday for Islam). The Jewish Sabbath and Holy days begin at sundown. Passover is not a synagogue-based holiday, but a home-based holiday (hence the significance of home and travel time). The intent of the University Policy on Religious Observance is that the student need not face a conflict or choice between academic performance and religious observance. These dates and notes were assembled by the University Chaplains, meeting with the Dean of the Chapel. Dean Hill is happy to speak directly with faculty, staff, students and others, as the need arises.

If you are facing any tricky situations regarding student absence and religious observance, I encourage you to contact Dean Reiser in the UDC or Dean Phillips in the Grad Center.

 

Wishing you a wonderful spring semester!

Norm

Norm Blanchard

Director – Course Planning

Boston University Questrom School of Business

Rafik B. Hariri Building

595 Commonwealth Avenue

Boston, MA  02215

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