Organizing Your Course
A GHC approved course syllabus is provided to you from your instructional manager for your course.
A course syllabus determine:
If you are teaching a college credit course, a meeting will be arranged with a full time instructor to brief you about the scope and depth of the course, some of the policies and procedures of teaching at GHC, and other information about resources and requirements.
A text or set of texts supporting the college credit course you are teaching is also provided.
The goal here is to make sure you are comfortable with the course and the teaching environment at GHC. One of the requirements is that each of your students and the instructional manager who is supporting your effort should get a copy of the course syllabus you use by the first class session.
The instructional manager is available to help produce your course syllabus. Please call that person for help. A copy of your syllabus MUST be on file in the Instructional Manager's Office
Classroom Management Strategies
It is helpful and clearly proactive to outline your expectations ahead of time
about the class environment and behavior expectations. Following are some suggestions
that may work for you. Any of these strategies should be clearly outlined
in the syllabus and explained during the first few days of class.
Possible Syllabi Language:
Class Environment: It is the goal of this class to create a safe learning environment for all students. Towards this goal, I expect that all students will respect one another, allow for differences in opinion, learning styles, knowledge levels, and view all members of the class as contributing to the total learning experience.
Instructor Expectations: It is my expectation that students will engage in behavior that contributes to the classroom experience and is not disruptive. My definition of disruptive is anything that prevents your classmates or me from effectively getting information in the class. This may include such things as sleeping, arriving late, rudeness, talking in class, poor personal hygiene and excessive questioning or commenting. Note: The instructor decides what is disruptive and may take action to remove a student who disrupts a class.
Mention Code of Conduct and Student Rights and Responsibilities in your syllabus. Make it clear that you expect students to behave according to this code.
Other Considerations:
Give points for attendance and/or participation. Or consider beginning with a certain number of points and subtract points for absences, missing assignments, poor participation, etc.
Depending on the class, instructors may work with students to compile a list of criteria for evaluation during the first week of the quarter. Criteria include behaviors and goals for the class.
Talk with your colleagues and share syllabus ideas – share classroom behavior problems and try different methods until you find methods with which you are comfortable. The vice president for student services can be consulted about issues and may know the student. Recurring problems should be reported as they may be occurring elsewhere on campus. The vice president for instruction is also a resource.
Remember that the instructor is not responsible for immature student behavior. Instructors can expect reasonable and acceptable classroom behavior from their students and may grade their students according to the standards and requirements of the course.
Maintain standards and syllabus wording and expectations at a college level. Some of these suggestions might strike you as “high schoolish,” but they can be translated to college levels.
Textbooks
Desk copies and instructor manuals are available for your use from the office of your instructional manager during the quarter you teach. Your instructional manager will typically order textbooks based on choices made by divisions for courses taught. Instructional managers will also order desk copies of course texts and support materials. These materials should be available to you no later than one month before the start of your class. All texts ordered for your class should be required for use by students in your class. In addition, instructional division chairs would be glad to discuss textbook choices with you. Instructional managers will be glad to put you in contact with individual division chairs – or use the phone number list beginning on page 42 of this guide.
Getting Started - Class Session One
Beginning a class can be a time of some anxiety for students and instructors. Following is a list of suggestions, some of which may be beneficial as you plan for the activities that will take place in your class during the first class session.
1. Identify yourself and your course. Make sure students are in the correct place. Tell students how they may contact you outside of class time. Tell students when class meets.
2. Read the attendance roster and add, by hand, the names of students not appearing on the printout; try to familiarize yourself with your students' names and faces. They will appreciate it. For those students who do not appear on your roster, confirm their enrollment with the Office of Admissions and Records at 360-538-4028. If a student is not properly enrolled, inform them of correct enrollment procedures.
3. Distribute copies of your syllabus and review each section, especially
a. course objectives and goals,
b. course work requirements,
c. methods of student performance evaluation,
d. how grades are determined,
e. schedule of events,
f. attendance requirements,
g. schedule for breaks.
h. and required texts.
4. Allow time for students to purchase texts at the bookstore - it will close at 7:00 p.m. during the first week of class.
5. Also, consider making some time to become acquainted with your students. Try to make connections between the goals of your course and your students' goals and objectives. By recognizing the value of your students to you, as unique individuals, you can be perceived by them in a very positive way. Your interest in them can be a powerful motivator.
The vice president for instruction, the instructional managers, the division chairs, and other teaching colleagues are very interested in discussing your course with you. Please call on us at your convenience.
Record Keeping For Your Class
Although one of the primary goals of the instructional manager is to create an environment that allows you to concentrate your efforts on teaching, we will need your help regarding some basic record keeping requirements.
The college needs a permanent record of your student's progress in your course.
Before the first session of your course, you should receive a class roster for your course. The roster has a list of all pre-registered students in your class.
Because some students register late, you may have to add names to the class roster.
During the third week of class, you will receive an updated roster. This document should list all enrolled students through the late enrollment period. A discrepancy form will accompany this check roster.
Please report the name of any student who:
1. Is attending class but is not on your roster.
2. Is on your roster but has not attended class.
The Admissions and Records Office will resolve discrepancies and report results to you. You may be asked to have a student contact the Admissions and Records Office to help in clearing up the discrepancy. That office is open Tuesday evenings until 7:00 p.m.
If a student is attending class but has not enrolled, he/she is in violation of state law. He/she will need to either enroll or be excluded from class. The Admissions and Records Office can help a student enroll.
A final class roster will be sent to you after "W" Day, the day during the seventh week of class when students may no longer drop a class without penalty, change from graded to pass/fail (where allowable) or change from graded to audit. This roster will show all official "W's" and audits, "N.”
"W" Day notices will be posted around campus and at off campus centers.
A grade roster will be sent to you at the end of the quarter. It will show all official "W's" and audits, "N.” All enrollment discrepancies will be resolved at this point.
If you have any questions about these record-keeping requirements, please call your instructional manager at your convenience.
Grading Policy
For courses numbered 100 and above and for English 060, 095, Math 058, 059, 060, 093, 094, 095, READ 080, 081, 090, 091, the following grades are assigned:
A = 4.0 D+ = 1.3
A- = 3.7 D = 1.0
B+ = 3.3 F = 0.0
B = 3.0 I = Incomplete
B- = 2.7 N* = Audit
C+ = 2.3 V = Unofficial Withdrawals
C = 2.0 W* = Official Withdrawals
C- = 1.7
*Cannot be initiated by instructor.
"W" grades are assigned automatically to students who drop a class on or before "W" Day during week seven of a quarter. You should not assign "W" grades. Students may drop a class by filling out a change of program form in the registrar's office. That office is open until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays.
"V" grades are "unofficial withdrawals." They are assigned by you to students who stop coming to class without officially dropping.
"I" grades can be assigned by you to students who do not complete course work. These students should have a deadline of not more than week 5 of the next quarter to finish course work. You are under no obligation to agree to assign an "I" grade.
For courses numbered less than 100, with the exception of English 060,095, Math 058,059,093,094,095, Read 080,081,090,091, and after previous arrangements, have been made with you by students, the following grades may also be assigned:
P----------------------------Pass
U---------------------------Unsatisfactory
Students may also enroll as an "audit.” Audits are indicated by an "N" in the grade column on student documents you will receive. Students auditing have paid tuition but participate in class in a limited way; they receive no college credit and are under no obligation to take tests or complete other assignments.Your final grades must be turned in to the records office ASAP after your class is completed but no later than the Monday after finals week.
Call your instructional manager at your convenience to discuss grade-reporting procedures.
Final Examinations
Final examinations are held during the last class session for evening courses.
Change of Registration
A Drop/Add Form must be obtained from the Office of Admissions and Records and must be completed and returned by the student (within three school days) before the change will be recognized as official. Forms are available in front of the Admissions and Records Office or from your Instructional Manager's office.
Dropping a Course
A student may withdraw from a course any time up to the seventh week of regularly scheduled classes and receive a “W” grade. (A “W” is a non-punitive grade assigned when a student withdraws from a class according to GHC procedures.) To do so, a drop/add form must be obtained from and returned to the Office of Admissions and Records. The withdrawal date is officially designated and posted on campus and at off campus centers.
If a student does not drop a course before
the withdrawal date, ordinarily an “F” or “V” grade will be assigned.
In any case, the student is expected to attend all classes until officially
withdrawn. It is the responsibility of the student to turn in the completed
drop/add form to the Office of Admissions and Records within three school days.
Adding A Course
Any course additions contemplated by the student require the instructor’s approval and should be proposed within ten days after classes begin. Adding a course after this time usually will not be to the advantage of the student. To add a course a drop/add form must be obtained from and returned to the Office of Admissions and Records.
Complete Withdrawal From College
A student may withdraw completely from college at any time during the academic quarter. If a student must withdraw from college, it is the student’s responsibility to complete a withdrawal form, available at Counseling Center. A counselor will complete an exit interview with the student. Students may also complete withdrawal procedures over the phone by calling the Counseling Center. (Counseling office is open Tuesday evenings until 7:00 p.m.) If the official withdrawal procedure is followed, the student will receive a grade of “W” (withdrawal, no penalty) in all courses. If this procedure is not followed, an UNOFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL from the college will result in “V” grades in all courses. A “V” grade is computed as a failure (“F” grade) on the student’s transcript.
Low Enrollment Class Cancellation
The college must be efficient and cost effective. We will make every attempt to assure sufficient student demand for courses before they are offered. Unfortunately, measuring student demand is not an exact science, and the consequence is that sometimes, course sections do not fill sufficiently to run. The exact number to run a class varies by quarter, location, budget resources and student need, among other variables, but courses with fewer than 10 students enrolled are in jeopardy of cancellation. If a class you are scheduled to teach is under enrolled, here is what will happen.
· You will be called, and the enrollment problem will be explained to you.
· Arrangements will be made to deal with the first class session. Typically, you will be asked to attend the first class session.
· A college coordinator will usually come to the class to talk to you and your students and to work on options that are workable for students and you.
· If the class is cancelled before the first class session, the college will do its best to contact each student and explain the situation and potential alternatives.
· If the class has to be cancelled, you will be compensated for the class time you have contributed in accordance with the faculty contract.
If You Must Miss A Class
Please call your instructional manager. That person will attempt to reach your students in order to inform them of the class cancellation.
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