Faculty Academic Resources (In the Classroom)

Syllabus Guidelines and Helps

An accurate, complete and well-organized course syllabus is the first of many resources in a faculty member’s toolbox to set students up for a successful experience in each class. Additionally, the state of Texas requires faculty to post syllabi for all undergraduate classes at the start of each semester (see House Bill 2504 and Texas Education Code 51.974). Consult with your department head about specific requirements for submitting syllabi in your unit.

As of this draft, university-leadership is developing university-wide guidelines for course syllabi that will be distributed upon completion. In the meantime, the following information may offer some guidance in the process of creating a new course syllabus:

All syllabi should include the following information

Course Information	Course prefix, number, section, title, location, meeting time/day
Course Description	Copy / paste the course description from the university catalog and then supplement with additional information at the discretion of the instructor. This should include any applicable prerequisites and/or corequisites
Student Learning Outcomes	Generally begin with “The Student Will….” Cross listed courses [graduate / undergraduate] must differentiate undergraduate and graduate learning outcomes. Check with your department head to see if departmental SLOs already exist for your course.
Textbook and Materials	List all textbooks and other course materials. Differentiate between required and recommended books and materials.
Assessments and Assignments	Briefly describe the assignments, quizzes, exams, projects and other course requirements. Cross-listed courses must differentiate undergraduate / graduate expectations
Grading	Describe the grading scale [U-S / A through F / etc. and the weight of each course assessment so students will know how their grade will be tabulated. Also describe whether you will use a grading calculation based on percentages or points. NOTE: ETAMU does not use the +/- grading scale.
Attendance Expectations	Describe your attendance expectations and how attendance may calculate into the students’ final grade
Late Assignments / Graded Work	Describe if / how you will accept late work and how points may be deducted for late work.
Course or Program-Specific Guidelines and Policies	Describe any additional course or program-specific information, including but not limited to Technology requirements as applicable to the course (primarily for online and hybrid courses) Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as applicable to the course In-class cell-phone or device regulations (what is allowed / prohibited) Food / Drink expectations of the instructor (what is allowed / prohibited) Safety protocol as applicable to the course (labs; etc.) Dress code as applicable to the course Travel expectations as applicable to the course (study abroad) Special fees or expenses as applicable to the course
Course Calendar	Include a week-by-week, chapter-by-chapter, unit-by-unit outline of the course including specific due dates, deadlines and related expectations. Include the day, time and location of the Final Exam as posted on the University Final Exam Schedule [the final exam must be administered at the posted day/time/location).

Other Syllabus Suggestions

Ensure your syllabus is consistent with itself and that a course policy stated on one page does not conflict with a related policy on another.
Consider making your syllabus ADA-compliant. Specifically, some students use reading devices that do not function well with certain aspects of printed or digital documents. Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Tool can help you ensure compliance for students in your classes that may use a reading device.
- In Microsoft Word, click the “Check Accessibility” Tab under the Review Tool and follow the prompts.
  - Fonts: Use a sans-serif font such as Calibri
  - Weblinks: Instead of pasting a URL into your syllabus (www.textbooks.com/543h43d, for example), type “Click here to visit the website” (or something similar) and embed a link in the text.
  - Pictures: For ADA compliance, all pictures need “alt-text” or to be set as decorative. Right-click on any picture and click “Edit Alt-Text.” You can either set the picture as decorative or add an alternative text that an ADA reader can recognize
  - Tables: If you use tables and if the table crosses from one page to another, ensure the header (top row) appears at the top of each page.
    - Highlight the top row
    - Right click and select Table Properties
    - Select “ROW” and then click Repeat Header Row at Top of Each Page

Office Hours
- To ensure that students know when their instructors are available, faculty will post and adhere to a minimum of five office hours each week. Office hours must be stated on each course syllabus and posted outside the faculty member’s office or workspace. Office hours can be face-to-face or virtual (in proportion to modality of classes taught), and the mode of the office hours (face-to-face or virtual) should be described on the course syllabus. Deviation from or adjustment to office hours should be communicated to students in advance. Departments may require additional hours.
Bookstore
- The Campus Bookstore is managed by the College Bookstore Division of the Texas Book Company. It is located on the first floor of the Sam Rayburn Memorial Student Center. Faculty can now use the bookstore’s new online adoption tool to submit textbook requisitions for their courses.
  
  Textbook submissions deadlines are:
  - Spring Semester text requisitions are due by October 15th
  - Summer Semester text requisitions are due by March 15th
  - Fall Semester text requisitions are due by April 15th
  For more information email campusstore.AMC@bibliu.com, call 903.886.5830 or visit www.amcbookstore.com/home. For questions about textbook adoptions, contact textbooks@tamuc.edu.
Office of Academic Technology (D2L Helps)
- The Office of Academic Technology’s (OAT) primary focus is to assist faculty in teaching with technology. The unit works with faculty to assist with use of the university’s myLeo Online (D2L Brightspace) learning management system (LMS) for online courses; training on classroom technology; and the accessibility of course materials and multimedia studio production for courses.
  
  Forms and resources for faculty are available on the Internal Resources page of the OAT office. Specifically, the OAT office can help you:
  - Copy course content from one semester to another, and/or from one course to another. Click here to access the Course Copy Form.
  - Enroll a graduate assistant (who has completed FERPA training) into an undergraduate course to help with grading, monitoring attendance, or other tasks. Click here to access the TA/GA Enrollment Request Form.
  For D2L/Brightspace questions, faculty may also contact the D2L online support resources page online or by calling 877.325.7778 (available 24/7)
  
  Visit the Office of Academic Technology online, email online@tamuc.edu, or call 903.886.5511.
Information Technology (CITE)
- CITE manages the technologies to help East Texas A&M University improve the quality of education and research, prepare our students for work in the twenty-first century, expand its role in the community and around the world. Faculty are encouraged to explore the CITE Internal Webpage and the full CITE Resources Page online.
  
  Visit CITE in-person in the McDowell Business Administration Building (Rm. 156), email helpdesk@tamuc.edu or call 903.468.6000.
  
  For assistance with a technical need, submit a ticket or check on the status of a ticket at the ETAMU IT Client Portal.
Office of Thesis and Dissertation Services
- Graduate faculty who oversee graduate student thesis and/or dissertation projects are encouraged to visit the Thesis and Dissertation Services internal website. TDS conducts a format-only review of proposal and final documents. Graduate students and faculty are encouraged to visit the various web pages provided by TDS to understand the thesis or dissertation process and review the resources provided to assist in writing and successfully completing the document. The Graduate School provides a template and formatting guide to help students prepare their document according to its formatting requirements. Please see the thesis process page (www.tamuc.edu/thesis) or the dissertation process page (www.tamuc.edu/dissertation) for more information.
  
  Thesis and Dissertation Deadlines
  
  For more information, email TDS@tamuc.edu
Concerns and Incident Reporting
- Faculty, staff and students can submit reports to notify the appropriate persons when there is a concern for a student. Online reporting forms include:
  - CARE Report: to report a concern regarding homelessness, food insecurity or harm to self and others
  - Civil Rights / Title IX: to report sexual misconduct, harassment, stalking and relationship violence allegations
  - Student Misconduct: to report behavior by an ETAMU student that violates the Code of Student Conduct or the Residential Life and Learning Community Standards.
  - Organization Misconduct: to report a student organization that violates the Code of Student Conduct or Student Organization Policy.
  - Hazing: to report an East Texas A&M student or student organization you believe has experienced or engaged in any form ofhazing.
  - Report Disruptive Students to report student behavior that disrupts the operation of a building, classroom or common space on campus.
  - Study Abroad: to report incidents that occur abroad that violate the Code of Student Conduct.
  For more information visit in person in the Halladay Student Services Building (Rm. 201), the Student Rights and Responsibilities website, email studentrights@tamuc.edu or call 903.886.5195.