4.8 Miscellaneous Faculty Duties
4.8.1 Duty at Registration
All full-time teaching faculty members are expected to respond affirmatively to requests from their Departmental Chair or Academic Dean for assistance in the registration or pre-registration process, student advising or orientation, and related administrative duties. If the needs of a particular department require it, other teaching staff members, including Teaching Assistants, may also be expected to fulfill duties related to registration.4.8.2 Office Hours
At the beginning of each semester or term, faculty members shall post a schedule of regular office hours or conference periods that are convenient to students and meet departmental needs. Each faculty member shall also inform his/her departmental office of these scheduled office hours, and is expected to be available at the times indicated. A reasonable guideline for minimum office hours is 0.7 scheduled office hours per each Teaching Load Credit for which the faculty member is formally responsible.
4.8.3 Course Syllabi
At the beginning of each semester or term, all faculty will provide to their students a syllabus for each course. All syllabi will be posted on the UTEP website and be readily accessible to the public as required by state law.
The posted syllabus should include, as appropriate:
- Faculty member’s contact information (e.g., office location, preferred telephone number, email address) and contact information for Teaching Assistants, if applicable;
- Faculty member’s office hours;
- Course goals and student learning outcomes/objectives;
- Required or recommended textbooks, other reading and resources, equipment, etc.;
- Statement describing student performance assessment and evaluation of the learning outcomes/objectives;
- Description of major course assignments and examinations;
- Grading policy and procedures that explain how the final grade will be determined;
- List of academic assistance resources available (e.g., Writing Center, computer labs);
- Course attendance and tardiness policy statement;
- Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) statement;
- Academic integrity expectations statement;
- Statement regarding technology use during class or lab (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptop computers); and
Any special expectations, requirements, or procedural policies that govern conduct of the class and student-faculty interactions.
4.8.4 Final Examinations
All final examinations are to be administered on the day and hour indicated in the Schedule of Classes for the specific semester or term. Any departure from the regular schedule of final examinations that moves the exam earlier than final examination week must have the prior approval of the Dean of the College or School.
It is University policy that students shall not have to take more than two final examinations in a single day. In the unlikely event that the examination schedule results in a student's having three final examinations on one day, the second of the three examinations shall be rescheduled by the faculty member upon the request of the student.
4.8.5 Attendance at Commencement Exercises
Attendance at commencement exercises is one of the regular duties of a faculty member. At least half the members of each academic department shall attend each commencement exercise. Each department shall select its attendants by procedures established within the department.