Section II

ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF FACULTY

The orderly conduct of academic affairs in an educational institution requires that faculty members accept and discharge responsibilities related to their workload assignment and carry out the traditional duties associated with their positions consistent with professional good practice.  Policy statements on specific activities and areas of responsibility are provided below.

Assigned Workload

The work of the university faculty in teaching, research and creative activity, administration, and service is professional in character and does not, therefore, conform to an exact pattern such as the eight-hour day or the forty-hour week.  However, so that there may be consistency, equity, and some basis for judgment of work loads and assignments and for comparison with other institutions and state agencies, the standards summarized here will be used.  The basic element of faculty work assignments is a work unit, which is based on the contact and preparation time for one class hour (50 minutes) per week for a semester of an equivalent amount of time for other kinds of scheduled activity.  Included for each of these work units is the classroom contact time, the time for class preparation, grading, office hours and other work with students outside class.  A minimum of twelve work units per semester constitutes the typical work assignment of a full-time faculty member.  However, individual work units will vary considerably in nature (if not, theoretically, in number).  Work assignments typically include assigned teaching and advising, research/scholarly/creative activities, and service or administration, in varying proportions.

Faculty members are typically expected, as part of their university service as full-time faculty members, not only to teach, to take part in research, scholarly and/or creative endeavors, and to perform academically related and public service, but also to take part in advising students, serving on committees, and maintaining currency in teaching and research disciplines through professional development activities.  Such activities are considered a normal part of the duties of full-time faculty, along with those activities directly linked to a particular class, and constitute a necessary part of such a work assignment.  However, work units may be earned for work done beyond the minimum in any of these areas, as well as for instruction and administration.  Work units are only earned for assigned responsibilities, not for work and activities undertaken at the initiative of the faculty member.

Teaching

Faculty members are responsible for maintaining in the classroom and laboratory an environment appropriate to academic endeavor and complying with the university statement on discrimination, adopted in 1983 and amended in the Fall of 1991: The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, does not condone discriminatory treatment of students or staff on the basis of age, disability, ethnic origin, marital or parental status, race, religious commitment, sex, sexual orientation or veteran’s status in any of the activities conducted upon this campus.  Members of the faculty are requested to be sensitive to this issue when, for example, presenting lecture material, assigning seating within the classroom, selecting groups for laboratory experiments, and assigning student work.  The university faculty, administration, and staff are committed to providing an equal educational opportunity to all students.

Faculty members assigned to teach classes are responsible for determining that the content of their classes is appropriate to each course, as officially described in the catalog (or proposing changes to the description through the campus process), and achieves the coverage indicated by that description.  Faculty members are responsible for confining classroom discussion to subjects related to the topics of concern in the course and for conducting the class so as to facilitate learning for all students, consistent with good teaching practices.  They are also responsible for choosing appropriate texts and other teaching materials in a timely way. They are responsible for holding the classes and giving final exams at the times and places approved for them, except as changes are authorized by the appropriate department head and dean.  They are responsible for providing reasonable accommodation to students with documented disabilities, consistent with policies and procedures of the Center for Students with Disabilities (telephone 5-3104).  Faculty members are expected to provide a syllabus for each course to inform students of the learning objectives for the course, the course coverage/topics, the required texts and materials, how the final grade will be determined, and how the students may contact the faculty member.  It is also the responsibility of the faculty member to include in the course syllabus instructions on how students can learn prior to class time whether a class is cancelled because of weather conditions or for other reasons.  See http://www.uark.edu/admin/vcacsey/vcaa/policies.html.

Faculty members who develop or teach courses off campus through distance education, online instruction and or courses with some or all of the course activity conducted outside the U.S.A. are required to comply with all the university policies applying to such activity.  Sources of information for regulation and policy are the Academic Policy Series, the Office of Study Abroad, and the School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach.

Attendance Policy

(Faculty Senate, May 26, 1999)

Education at the university level requires active involvement in the learning process.  Therefore students have the responsibility to attend classes and to actively engage in all learning assignments or opportunities provided in their classes.  Instructors have the responsibility to provide a written policy on student attendance that is tied to course objectives and included in a course syllabus.  There may be times, however, when illness, family crisis, or university-sponsored activities make full attendance or participation impossible.  In these situations students are responsible for making timely arrangements with the instructor to make up work missed.  Such arrangements should be made in writing and prior to the absence when possible.

Examples of absences that should be considered excusable include those resulting from the following: 1) illness of the student, 2) serious illness or death of a member of the student’s immediate family or other family crisis, 3) University-sponsored activities for which the student’s attendance is required by virtue of scholarship or leadership/participation responsibilities, 4) religious observances (see UA Religious Observances policy), 5) jury duty or subpoena for court appearance, and 6) military duty.  The instructor has the right to require that the student provide appropriate documentation for any absence for which the student wishes to be excused.

Grades and Exams

Faculty members are advised to note the terms of the “Grade Appeal Structure for Undergraduate Students” in which is implicit the assumption that instructors will include grading and make-up policies in the syllabus for the course or at the course web site, or announce such policies at the beginning of class meetings for each course.

Student appeal and grievance policy and procedures are available at http://catalogofstudies.uark.edu/ for undergraduate students.  See http://www.uark.edu/gradinfo/grievance-final.htm for graduate student procedures.

The grading system in use at the university is stated in the current catalog under the heading Grades and Marks, at http://catalogofstudies.uark.edu/

The Campus Council has gone on record as “affirming the fundamental responsibility of instructors to inform students of their progress in courses as accurately and completely as possible.”  In meeting this responsibility, early progress grades are entered into the web-based facility by faculty at the end of six weeks for students in 1000- and 2000-level courses.  Early progress grade reports are issued to students in the seventh week, as soon as possible following submission by instructors, with the reports made available to deans’ offices for advisors.

Each faculty member is expected to select appropriate times for the periodic examinations that are necessary or desirable during the course of the semester, but if examinations are to be given at times other than the regular class period, these times must be published in the printed schedule, included in the syllabus,  and announced at the first class meeting.

A copy of the final examination schedule is included in the Schedule of Classes.  Any final examination must be given at times specified in the schedule.  Whenever extreme circumstances make necessary a deviation from the announced schedule, clearance for such deviation must be obtained in advance from the appropriate college dean and the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.  Consistent with Campus Council policy of 1989, it is the policy of the university to minimize student participation in extracurricular activities during the final examination period.  No meetings, social activities, athletic events, or other extracurricular activities which require student participation will be scheduled on Dead Day or during the final examination period.  Any exceptions to this policy must receive prior approval from the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Final examinations in the summer term courses are to be given at the final scheduled class session.

Faculty members are responsible for entering final grades into a web-based facility consistent with procedures established by the Registrar’s Office.  A paper-based process is still in place for grade changes, with policy established by the Registrar’s Office.  See the grading system statement at  http://catalogofstudies.uark.edu/           

Campus Council policy (1978) provides that instructors for on-campus courses are to report final grades as soon as possible and no later than two working days following the end of the final exam period.  Grades for off-campus courses are to be reported within four days following the exam.

Posting Grades

The Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, prohibits disclosure of personally identifiable education records to a third party without prior written consent.  Accordingly, faculty should ensure that grade information posted or made available through graded papers left for collection in public places (such as offices or hallways) is not “personally identifiable.”  The Department of Education Regulations for the Act define “personally identifiable” information as that data or information which includes (1) the name of the student, the student’s parent, or other family members; (2) the student’s address; (3) a personal identifier (such as a social security number or student number); or (4) a list of personal characteristics, or other information which would make the student’s identity easily traceable.

Office Hours

Faculty members are expected to keep regularly-scheduled office (or laboratory) hours each week during which time students may confer with them.  The number of hours scheduled should reflect the teaching load and class enrollment of the faculty member.  Office hours should be flexible enough to provide reasonable access to students who may have class conflicts.  For example, office hours of (only) M-W-F, 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. eliminates access for those students who have class during that hour.

Records

Consistent with Academic Policy 1480.10, records and materials collected by faculty as evidence of student performance and learning are the primary source of data for the evaluation of students for grades.  Members of the faculty are responsible for maintaining such records as part of their teaching responsibilities.  Such records should be retained for two years following the assignment of final grades for all coursework, either by the faculty member or by the department in which the faculty member is appointed, in the event of the faculty member’s leaving the employment of the institution.

Students’ Religious Observances

(Campus Faculty, revised November 15, 1995)

Although Christian religious holidays are reflected to some extent in the academic calendar of the university, holidays of other religious groups are not.  When members of other religions seek to be excused from class for religious reasons, they are expected to provide their instructors with a schedule of religious holidays that they intend to observe, in writing, before the completion of the first week of classes.  The Schedule of Classes should inform students of the university calendar of events, including class meeting and final examination dates, so that before they enroll they can take into account their calendar of religious observances.  Scheduling should be done with recognition of religious observances where possible.  However, faculty members are expected to allow students to make up work scheduled for dates during which the student’s religious observances are scheduled, to the extent possible.

Textbook and Course Materials Policy

Each year with the beginning of a new appointment period, faculty members should be reminded of the policies and procedures for compliance with Arkansas legislation relating to textbooks and course materials (Acts 105,  106, 175, and 277 of 2007).  Here below is the text of Academic Policy Series 1406.30.

1) Inducements(Act 105)

Acceptance of inducements (such as a gift, payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, or services) to require specific textbooks is prohibited by this legislation.  Not included as inducements are the following:  sample copies, instructor’s copies, or instructional materials for a textbook or royalties or other compensation from the sale or publication of a textbook that includes the employee’s own writing or work. 

A violation of this policy shall be reported within ten business days of discovery to the chief academic officer and the chief legal counsel of the University and to the Legislative Council.  A violation may be reported to these same parties by any business or consumer.

2) Deadlines for Textbook and Course Material (Undergraduate) Adoption (Act 175)

This legislation requires that for each full semester and collectively for summer sessions, the University shall distribute a list of all textbooks and course materials required or assigned for an undergraduate course by publication on its website and posting at its bookstore. The University of Arkansas Bookstore located in the Arkansas Union will be the central repository for all textbook and course material adoption information and for compliance with the legislation.  This information will be shared with competing local bookstores and placed on the University website.  Faculty members are required by this legislation to choose and report their choices of textbooks and course materials to the Bookstore no later than noon on April 1 for summer and fall semester courses and no later than noon on November 1 for spring semester courses.  For each textbook or course material on the list provided to the bookstore, the faculty member shall include the following:  a brief description of the textbook or course material; the author or authors; the title and edition; and any special instructions or circumstances for the purchase or use of the textbook or course material. 

A textbook or course material for an undergraduate course may be adopted after the time specified above if the adoption is approved by the department chair and the dean or division head of the affected college; and the dean or division head of the college forwards to the chief academic officer of the institution the following information:  a list of late adoptions; the names of the person or persons responsible for each late adoption; and a written statement explaining why each adoption was late.

3) Prohibition of Referrals (Act 277)

Consistent with this legislation, the University may not place or permit to be placed on its website or its bookstore’s website a link to the website of a retailer of textbooks or other educational materials if the retailer of textbooks or other educational materials is not required to report and pay Arkansas sales and use taxes and does not obtain a use tax permit from the Department of Finance and Administration and report and pay Arkansas sales and use taxes on sales of textbooks and other educational materials to residents of this state. Nothing in this section prevents a faculty member from referring students to any source for required or suggested textbooks or course materials.

4) Regulation of the Use of Royalties from the Sale of Textbooks and Educational Materials (Act 106)

(Financial Benefit to Instructor from Student Materials:  Conflict of Interest Resolution)

Consistent with University of Arkansas Board of Trustees policy 450.1, full-time faculty and non-classified administrative staff members may engage in limited and specifically approved outside employment for compensation provided this employment does not interfere with the employee’s duties (such as by creating a conflict of interest or commitment) and provided that the employee receives written approval from his or her department head and/or dean in advance of the employment.  Similarly, employees planning to engage in outside employment must disclose by means of the appropriate form any relationships or activities which might give rise to conflicts, or the appearance thereof, with their duties, responsibilities or obligations to the University of Arkansas.

Faculty members who derive direct or indirect financial benefit from materials required to be used by their students are engaged in outside employment for compensation that constitutes a conflict of interest.  Procedures required to address that conflict of interest are as follows.

Required Compliance Procedures

• Faculty members must disclose the conflict of interest in writing and obtain prior written approval from department chair and dean to require the purchase of their own proprietary materials by their students or to require the purchase of any other materials for which the faculty member receives compensation (including, but not limited to publishers’ incentive payments).

• The request for approval must include a description of the material(s) and a justification for their use.

• The request must state the provision made for disposition of payments, revenues and royalties from the sales of the material(s).  These revenues must be paid to a unit not directly related to or associated with the faculty member, but one (e.g., college or school) that will benefit students academically at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

• Consistent with the deadline for reporting Outside Employment (report to dean before September 15), faculty members must provide a satisfactory accounting of remuneration and disposition of payments, revenues and royalties acceptable to their Dean relative to materials required for student purchase during the preceding year.

NOTE:  The required compliance procedures do not apply to faculty members teaching only in non-credit courses and programs.

Texts of the legislation of the Arkansas 86th General Assembly to which reference is made here are available at

http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/noframe.asp

8/13/07

Teacher and Course Evaluation

(Campus Council, Adopted March 14, 1985)

The Campus Council action reaffirmed the value of teacher and course evaluation by students, but significantly modified its implementation by recognizing that student evaluation of teaching effectiveness serves two related but distinctly separate objectives.  The first relates directly to the instructor’s own effort to teach effectively.  The second pertains to administrative decisions regarding salary, promotion, and tenure.  While evaluations by others—such as peers and recent alumni—are valuable, and their use is encouraged as a means of broadening the basis for judgment, the perceptions of current students are an essential consideration in any administrative review of teaching effectiveness.  The new policy also makes clear that no one form [such as the Purdue form] or procedure is suitable for all classes, and one form may not be equally appropriate for realizing both objectives.  The policy adopted by the Campus Council specifies the following:

1.      That each department faculty adopt a formal procedure whereby each student in each class has the opportunity to submit a written critique to the instructor for the instructor’s self-evaluation.  If maximum benefit is to be realized, students must be assured that their comments are for the instructor, alone, and will be reviewed by others only if the instructor releases them for such review;

2.      That each department faculty adopt a formal procedure or procedures which will ensure that the perceptions of current students are duly considered when teaching effectiveness is evaluated in making decisions regarding salary, promotion, and tenure.  [The Purdue evaluation form is used for this purpose at the university.]  Perceptions may be obtained from student comments released by the instructor, from the Purdue results, from narrative statements, from exit interviews conducted by someone other than the instructor, or from some combination of these alternatives.  All evaluations for administrative purposes, including those released by the instructor as in (1) above, must be administered by a person or persons designated by the department in which the course is offered (rather than by the instructor), and in accordance with procedures which ensure the integrity of the process.

3.      That the dean of each college or school shall be responsible for the adoption and implementation no later than Spring, 1986, of the forms and procedures described in (1) and (2) above.  The forms and procedures adopted by each department will be made available to instructors and students.

Note:   Most colleges and schools at the University of Arkansas use the Purdue Teaching and Course Evaluation System.  Forms are provided early in each semester to allow faculty to select evaluation items for each class.  Some core items are identified by the university and by each school and college.  Late in the semester, evaluation forms are generated for each class.  Evaluation forms are distributed to and collected from classes by someone other than the instructor and collected for processing by Computing Services.  In the following term a computerized summary of responses is provided to faculty along with the original evaluation forms.  Faculty teaching in summer terms make their selection of items during the spring semester for forms delivered in the summer.  See Academic Policy 1405.15 at the web site.  During 2006-07, a committee of the Teaching Academy was established to review the teacher and course evaluation system at the University of Arkansas.

http://www.uark.edu/admin/vcacsey/AcaPolicySeries/academic_policies.html

Teaching Resources and Development Opportunities

Teaching and Faculty Support Center (TFSC)

The TFSC at the University of Arkansas was established in 1992.  Representing a part of the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching, the center provides a central facility to assist faculty, teaching assistants, and departments in the continued improvement of learning and teaching.  It functions as a resource clearinghouse for addressing instructional issues.  The address of the center is 146 N. Harmon, Harmon Avenue Parking Facility, HAPF-703, telephone 575-3222.  For more information, visit the web site at: http://www.uark.edu/misc/tfscinfo/

Teaching Academy

The Teaching Academy is an honorary society of the University of Arkansas for outstanding teachers that advocates and represents teaching interests as well as sponsoring events such as an annual  workshop on teaching.  For more information, consult the web site at http://www.uark.edu/studorg/uateach/.

 Student Conduct Policies

Academic Integrity – Term Paper Assistance

(From Campus Council action of March 26, 1987)

The use of the services of “term paper assistance” companies is a violation of university policies on academic integrity.  Student submission of such research or term papers to meet requirements of any class or degree program is expressly prohibited and constitutes academic dishonesty.  Any violation of this prohibition will automatically result in both punitive action by the instructor (e.g., the award of a grade of “F” for the course) and a referral of each violation to the All-University Judiciary Committee for its consideration.

Academic Honesty

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, presents this policy as part of its effort to maintain the integrity of its academic processes.  Academic honesty should be a concern of the entire university community, and a commitment to it must involve students, faculty members, and University administrators.

Students must understand what academic integrity is and what the most common violations are.  With that understanding, they must commit academic behavior.

Public support and encouragement of the faculty is a second critical component necessary to strengthen academic integrity on campus.  Faculty members must be continually vigilant in the management of their classes, their assignments, and their tests.  To see the entire policy text and provisions, please visit the web site at http://catalogofstudies.uark.edu/

Academic Support and Related Services for Students

Support services for students include many services directly related to performance in the classroom and laboratory, some of which are identified below.

•  The Career Development Center provides a comprehensive career development program with career advising sessions, a career decision-making course, job-search workshops and individual assistance with resume preparation, job interview skills and placement services.  For more information visit http://career.uark.edu/

• The mission of the Enhanced Learning Center (ELC) is to foster the intellectual development of the student community  at the University of Arkansas.  In collaboration with faculty, students and staff, the ELC provides programs and services to support every student’s academic pursuit.  For more information visit  http://elc.uark.edu/

• The Language Learning Center (LLC) is an audio/visual center designed to serve and support all students enrolled in language courses in the Department of Foreign Languages.  This particular lab is set up with 18 networked computers that support state-of-the-art class assignments throughout each semester.  Additional equipment and materials include tape recorders and USB microphones to support online or offline oral/aural activities, DVD and VCR players, a reservable smart room with Satellite, DVD, Video and Videodisc players, and 20 wireless Macintosh computers to support in-class chat-room and multimedia-based activities.  Other portable equipment such as overheads and CD/tape players is available for teaching activities.  This lab also supports innovative language learning activities in undergraduate and graduate level courses that include web and video development.  Web development, graphics editing and video editing software, scanners, digital video cameras and CD and DVD burners are available to enhance the knowledge of our students in terms of either designing, developing and teaching with technology, or using and developing technology with the target language as the foundation of the material developed.  For more information on the center and it and available materials visit http://www.uark.edu/depts/flaninfo/lab.html.

• The Math Resource and Tutoring Center provides for students in pre-college and college algebra, survey of calculus, calculus I and II, finite math, and trigonometry.  For more information and hours of operationvisit http://mrtc.uark.edu/

• Since 1984, the Quality Writing Center has been a free consulting service for students, faculty, and staff from all schools and colleges on campus and serves as a resource for any type of writing project.  The Center goal is to help those who come to the center become more competent and self-confident writers.  All aspects of writing from organization, coherence, and clarity to punctuation, grammar, usage, and style are taught, and the Center staff work at all levels from teaching basic writing skills to helping with research papers, theses, and dissertations to consulting with faculty on writing-related issues.  Center staff do not, however, proofread or edit papers. The Center is located in Kimpel Hall 315 and 319 and in the Enhanced Learning Center in Gregson Hall.  For more information visit www.uark.edu/write.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Faculty members typically have shared responsibility for advising undergraduate and graduate students at all levels of study including the preparation of honors and graduate theses.  Assignments differ among programs and levels of study, but a specific university policy addresses academic advising of undergraduate students, Academic Policy 1550.20, and it is provided below.  Two pieces of recent legislation also address faculty and institutional responsibilities toward such students, and faculty members should be familiar with these responsibilities. 

Consistent with Act 1014 of the Arkansas General Assembly of 2005, qualified degree-seeking freshman must be given the opportunity during their first registration to enter an eight-semester degree completion program or to decline to do so.  Such programs exist for the great majority of areas of study at the University of Arkansas and full information is available on line. [Insert web site]. 

Similarly, consistent with Act 472 of 2007, entering undergraduate students must be informed during registration of the opportunities provided by the Arkansas Course Transfer System ].  This system specifies course transferability among Arkansas public institution of higher education and its provisions may be viewed on line.. [Cindy put the web site here.]

Academic Advising of Undergraduate Students

(Academic Policy 1550.20)

Academic advising is an active, ongoing exchange between adviser and student with the purpose of providing students information and direction to make their educational experience relevant, coherent, and meaningful. It is a process that helps students connect to the U of A, make thoughtful academic decisions, and maximize their educational opportunities. Informed and supportive academic advising is essential to the vision for a “student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world.”

Procedures may vary among schools and colleges; however all academic advising should demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Be a developmental and educational process that occurs over time;
• Be a collaborative effort to connect students to campus resources;
• Include consideration of individual students’ interests, abilities, and needs;
• Include recommendation of required and appropriate courses;
• Provide interpretation of University, college, and department rules and regulations;
• Support and make possible a student’s understanding of and progress toward meeting academic requirements;
• Provide for reasonable availability and accessibility of advisers to students;
• Make available general information regarding career options and opportunities, with appropriate referrals;
• Be based upon shared responsibilities of adviser and student, the adviser being responsible for making available timely and
• accurate advice, information, and referrals, and the student being responsible for acting upon the advice, information, and referrals to complete requirements for the chosen degree.

The University is committed to developing each student to his or her fullest potential. To this end, programs in each college have been established to improve the academic achievement and persistence of students on academic warning and other students in need of academic assistance. Such assistance is provided through a variety of instructional and informational services

The number and kinds of advising duties assigned to faculty members and staff will be reflected in their workload assignments, and their accomplishments and those of their students reflected in their merit evaluations.  Training and developmental opportunities will be made available to faculty and staff assigned to advising duties.  Awards for outstanding advising will be developed commensurate with those for teaching, research, and other service assignments.  The institution will establish a continuing process for the monitoring and identification of issues related to advising and the design of solutions.  Those involved in the everyday practice of advising students will have a key role in this process through the Academic Advising Council.

RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Tenured and tenure-track faculty members are expected to engage in research, scholarship or other creative activity as a substantial part of their assigned work at the university.  Depending upon the unit, this effort can be up to 50 percent or more of the academic year assigned workload and 100 percent of the summer assigned workload.  The activity is expected to result in work products and recognition of the effort by such indicators as invited presentations or shows, publication of articles and books, invitations to join prestigious societies, and other recognition appropriate to amount and quality of activity as evaluated by peers.  Consistent with the vision of a student-centered institution, faculty members are expected to provide for active involvement by students in their research, scholarship, or other creative activity.

Faculty members who engage in research, scholarship or other creative activity are responsible for determining and complying with university regulations that apply to their activities—such as govern the preparation and approval of proposals for funding, the amount of time which may be spent on consulting, the treatment of human or animal subjects of experiments, the use of biohazards including human pathogens, the reporting of outside income, conflict of interest, and computing activities.  They are responsible for determining that laboratory procedures, including modifications for facilities and installation of equipment, conform to university regulations.  Activities on university property or time should be appropriately scheduled and approved.  Faculty who travel from the campus to engage in research, scholarship or other creative activity should comply with university policies regarding absence from work.

Faculty must be aware that the U.S.A. Patriot Act can have an effect on scholarship, particularly with certain international scholars and students.

Resources and policies related to research and creative activity are identified below.

Financial Disclosure for Sponsored Programs