TO: All Faculty Teaching in the Undergraduate Program, Fall 2018<\/p>\n
FROM: Rachel I. Reiser, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Program<\/p>\n
RE: Fall 2018 Questrom School Opening Memo<\/p>\n
TABLE OF CONTENTS:<\/p>\n
1. Announce the Pre-Reqs In Your Class
\n2. Standards for Assigning Grades
\n3. Adding Students to Your Class
\n4. Include Academic Conduct Statement in Your Syllabus and Discuss in week one
\n5. Send Us Your Syllabus
\n6. BU\u2019s Policy Concerning Student Privacy Laws (FERPA)
\n7. Student Name Cards (A.K.A. “Tent Cards”)
\n8. Suggested Verbiage for Accommodations of Disabilities
\n9. University-Wide Grade Grievance Policy
\n10. Reminder about Gateway Requirements
\n11. University-Wide Pass\/Fail Policy
\n12. Concerns about Individual Students<\/p>\n
Colleagues:<\/p>\n
Welcome back! Or, for those of you teaching with us for the first time, welcome aboard! The Undergraduate Academic & Career Development Center (UDC) is located on the first floor, Suite 104. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. We always welcome faculty stopping by, even if it\u2019s for a brief \u201chello\u201d or to grab some candy!<\/p>\n
Over the past week or so, you received two emails from Norm Blanchard, Director of Course Planning and Classroom Utilization for Questrom, in which he discussed several dates and topics that are universal to both the Graduate and Undergraduate Programs. These messages are both attached to this email and I encourage you to read through them thoroughly if you have not done so already. This memo from me is intended to provide some additional specifics that are unique to the Undergraduate Program and relevant to you in your role teaching our undergraduate students.<\/p>\n
Please review the UDC website<\/a> for extensive information about the Undergraduate Program here at Questrom.<\/p>\n The university\u2019s registration system is not equipped to check whether or not a student has completed the necessary pre-requisites when s\/he registers for courses. Therefore, we ask that you 1) communicate the pre-requisites via email to your class if you plan on contacting your class PRIOR to the start of the term and 2) announce the pre-requisites (pre-reqs) for your course<\/strong> at your FIRST class session. Course pre-requisites can be found on the UDC website<\/a>, or by contacting the UDC. The Undergraduate Program Development Committee (UPDC) has determined that the approval of the department chair is required to waive a course prerequisite when adding a student.<\/p>\n Required courses:<\/p>\n 5-20% of students can expect to receive C\u2019s or below (for adequate or poor work)<\/p>\n Electives:<\/p>\n Notes:<\/p>\n The UDC will close all Questrom undergraduate courses at about 5:00 PM on Monday, September 3, so that students wishing to add into a course after classes have begun (Tuesday, September 4) must be signed in by the professor on a drop\/add form \u2014 at that point students will no longer be able to add into your course without your okay. Check your enrollments BEFORE you add any students to your classes, since students can drop and add classes using the WebReg system through Monday, September 3 at ~5:00 PM.<\/p>\n When adding a student to your course, please verify pre-requisites<\/a>. In order to receive credit the student must have completed all pre-req(s) and, in many cases, must be a Questrom student. Before signing him or her in, send the student to the UDC if you or the student is unsure of their eligibility for the course. Once the add\/drop form is signed, the student should bring it to the UDC.<\/p>\n It is your call as to whether you add students, subject to room capacity and the student\u2019s eligibility to take the course! You can find accurate information on the capacity of your classroom<\/a>; please make sure to check the room capacity and your current course enrollment prior to adding any students!<\/p>\n If you wish to add and are concerned about a student\u2019s eligibility, please contact Meghan Mogan<\/a>, Director of Academic Advising & Student Services for the UDC.<\/p>\n Please note that all undergraduate programs within Boston University operate under the university\u2019s Academic Conduct Code. One important provision of the University\u2019s undergraduate Code is that, subject to the approval of the Questrom Dean\u2019s Office, a faculty member bringing a case of alleged academic misconduct may ask for the matter to be settled by the student signing a written statement admitting to the violation and as a result receiving a letter of reprimand, thereby avoiding having the case go to hearing. You may find this code at https:\/\/questromworld.bu.edu\/acc\/.<\/a><\/p>\n It is important to include specific information relating to academic conduct in your syllabus. You should also discuss this in your remarks during the first week of class and throughout the semester, especially before major assignments and\/or situations where rules of acceptable collaboration may not be clear.<\/p>\n Please be vigilant in your proctoring. We are aware that a preferred method of cheating is for students using cell phones to text answers to one another, and using the text capabilities of high-end calculators to store notes. I urge you to ban these devices from the room when giving exams.<\/p>\n I will add that we have a proctor request system in place to assist you if you need further support for proctoring exams. You can request a proctor at https:\/\/questromworld.bu.edu\/proctor\/faculty-form\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Please send to Rebecca DiMattia<\/a> an electronic copy of your syllabus via e-mail attachment by Friday, September 7. It will be kept on file in the UDC.<\/p>\n Many years ago, the university made substantial changes in the way its employees are to interpret the laws regulating student information. Without getting bogged down in the details of the FERPA laws and the University\u2019s past and present interpretations of them, please know that it is contrary to University policy for anybody (including a faculty member) to discuss a student\u2019s performance in current or past courses with anybody but the student, even if a student has given consent for parents to receive certain academic information. If a parent contacts you, the most you may convey within university policy are the broad outlines of your course requirements. Please refer any parents who wish to obtain student-specific information to me or Meghan Mogan in the UDC (617-353-2650).<\/p>\n Generally speaking, students registered in Questrom should be using a name card in one of their classes this semester (pre-identified), which they can use in all courses. Any student who needs a new tent card can print one using the template on the UDC website at https:\/\/questromworld.bu.edu\/udc\/essentials\/forms\/#toggle-id-13<\/a>. Please have students use this link rather than sending them to the UDC to obtain a new tent card \u2013 WE WILL NOT BE PRINTING THEM AND WILL INSTEAD REFER THE STUDENTS TO THIS SITE.<\/p>\n Dr. Lorraine Wolfe from the Office of Disability Services has asked that we pass along the following passage for you to include in your syllabus and to refer to when necessary:<\/p>\n \u201cIn keeping with University policy, any student with a disability who needs or thinks they need academic accommodations must call the Office of Disability Services at 353-3658 or stop by 19 Deerfield Street to arrange a confidential appointment with a Disability Services staff member. Accommodation letters must be delivered to me in a timely fashion (within two weeks of the date on the letter and not later than two weeks before any major examination). Please note that accommodations will not be delivered absent an official letter of accommodation.\u201d<\/p>\n Students are urged to resolve any grade grievance informally by meeting with the instructor responsible for the grading of the course to discuss concerns. If concerns are not resolved a formal appeal may be made in accordance with the University policy on grade grievances<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two years ago, there was a change in the Gateway Course grade requirements. The changes apply both to students who begin at Questrom or who endeavor to transfer to Questrom from another BU school\/college. Previous to Fall 2016, students needed to achieve at least a B- in the Gateway Courses, SM131 (Business, Society, & Ethics) and FE101 (Introduction to Finance) in up to two tries in taking these courses. Beginning in Fall 2016, if a student does not earn a 2.7 (B-) on their first attempt and chooses to repeat a Gateway Course, then the average of the two attempts for the course must be at least a 2.7. Only the first two graded attempts of a Gateway Course, including any attempt that results in a W, will be considered for the purposes of fulfilling this Gateway criterion.<\/p>\n Effective in the Spring 2017 semester, the University adopted a new pass\/fail policy. To encourage intellectual exploration, Boston University permits students to elect up to 8 credits of academic coursework on a Pass\/Fail basis to satisfy requirements for the bachelor\u2019s degree. P indicates a course grade of D or above.<\/p>\n In keeping with the intended use of Pass\/Fail to encourage intellectual exploration, students have until the course\u2019s drop with a \u201cw\u201d deadline to elect Pass\/Fail. Faculty will not be aware of whom among their students will elect to take the course as Pass\/Fail.<\/p>\n Please note that in general, students enrolled in the Questrom undergraduate program may only complete courses Pass\/Fail in the following categories: 1) the non-management elective requirement, and 2) the free-electives requirement; students may not apply the course toward required electives which must be from Questrom, and Pass\/Fail courses may not be applied toward a Questrom concentration. Additionally, the Pass\/Fail option may not apply to gateway or the business minor requirements for non-Questrom students. You can read more about this policy on the University website<\/a>.<\/p>\n1. ANNOUNCE THE PRE-REQS IN YOUR CLASS<\/h2>\n
2. STANDARDS FOR ASSIGNING GRADES<\/h2>\n
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3. ADDING STUDENTS TO YOUR CLASS<\/h2>\n
4. INCLUDE ACADEMIC CONDUCT STATEMENT IN YOUR SYLLABUS AND DISCUSS IN WEEK ONE<\/h2>\n
5. SEND US YOUR SYLLABUS!<\/h2>\n
6. BU\u2019S POLICY CONCERNING STUDENT PRIVACY LAWS (FERPA)<\/h2>\n
7. STUDENT NAME CARDS (A.K.A \u201cTENT CARDS\u201d)<\/h2>\n
8. SUGGESTED VERBIAGE FOR ACCOMMODATIONS OF DISABILITIES<\/h2>\n
9. UNIVERSITY-WIDE GRADE GRIEVANCE POLICY<\/h2>\n
10. REMINDER ABOUT GATEWAY REQUIREMENTS<\/h2>\n
11. UNIVERSITY-WIDE PASS\/FAIL POLICY<\/h2>\n
12. CONCERNS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS<\/h2>\n