Policy 3.10

Part 1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance regarding management expectations for faculty that are not included in the Minnesota State College Faculty Master Agreement but that are necessary to ensure consistent academic quality and to meet federal financial aid obligations 

Part 2. Definitions

Academic Property.

Academic property includes gradebooks, assignments, assessments and other academic records that impact a student's grade in a course.

Part 3. Course Syllabus

Subpart A. Written Syllabus

An instructor of a course must provide to students in the first week of class a syllabus that outlines:

1. Contact information for the instructor and office hours
2. Course objectives from Common Course Outline that has been approved by the College's Academic Affairs and Standards Council and procedures for reaching the course objectives
3. Standards for classroom participation and attendance
4. Types of assignments and tests
5. Due dates of assignments and policies regarding accepting late or inadequate work
6. Criteria for the evaluation of student work and grade determination
7. For blended/hybrid classes, the dates and times when classes will meet face-to-face.

Subpart B. Submission to the Office of Academic Affairs

Upon request, faculty members shall provide a copy of syllabi in electronic format to the administration.

Part 4. Retention of Academic Property

Instructors must retain academic property for one semester after the course is completed.​

Part 5. Reporting Last Date of Attendance

Faculty are required to report to the Financial Aid Office the last date of attendance for each student who stops attending or who never attends a course, according to the guidelines outlined in College Policy 4.16, Last Date of Attendance (LDA). The LDA policy is based on federal financial aid regulations requiring the college to determine the percent of aid earned by a student based on the amount of time spent in attendance.

The purpose of recording an LDA is to appropriately assess the financial liability for students, ensure good stewardship of financial aid funds and limit the financial liability for the college and academic consequences for the student. Faculty should complete these reports in a timely manner to prevent over-awarding financial aid and/or undue financial obligation for students who stopped attending or who never attended a course.

The LDA policy does not preclude faculty from establishing their own academic attendance policies, which may include assessing an academic consequence when students fail to attend class as required. The academic consequence cannot include administratively withdrawing a student for reasons other than those stipulated by the LDA policy.

Part 6. Grading Deadline

An instructor of a course must submit a grade for every student in their course by the grading deadline for the current semester established in the Academic Calendar.

Part 7. Class Cancellations

Faculty must request leave when canceling one or more class session due to illness, family emergencies, etc., as outlined in College Procedure 6.10.01.

Date of Adoption: 7/1/1999

Date of Implementation (if different from from adoption date):

Date of Last Review: 5/15/2019

Date and Subject of Revisions: