What You Need To Know: During The Semester
Early AlertsEarly alerts are an attempt to identify students who are having academic or behavioral problems in your class for early intervention by student services staff. Research and experience has shown that early intervention improves student success and retention. In order for early alerts to work, faculty need to report problematic student issues or behaviors as soon as they arise.
Why should faculty issue early alerts? All faculty should support student success and retention. Early alerts result in personal intervention by a student services staff member who will attempt to first email and then call the student to ascertain why they’re having a problem and how to address it effectively in order to get the student back on track in their class. In some cases, it might also help the student avoid incurring financial liabilities to the college. What types of issues or behaviors warrant an early alert? While a faculty member should always first attempt to speak with the student directly, the following issues or behaviors should result in the faculty member issuing an early alert.
Dealing with Student Issues in the Classroom
The course outline The first step to dealing with student issues in the classroom should take place before the semester even begins. Make sure that your course outline clearly spells out your expectations regarding attendance and classroom behavior. Some faculty even have a separate course policies document detailing what they expect of students and what students can expect from them. Consult with your Department Chair (especially if you’re an adjunct faculty member) to make sure your policies are consistent with the rest of the department’s. Document, document, document If a student engages in behavior that you find disruptive (texting during class, for example), a verbal warning is certainly sufficient for the first time. If a student persists in disruptive behavior, however, it is suggested that the faculty member keep a written record of each verbal warning and, if further action is necessary, also type up a formal written warning to hand to the student and issue an Early Alert. This warning should spell out the consequences of continued disruptions (e.g. removal from class for cause). Adjunct faculty members should always first discuss this with their Department Chair and, in all cases, a copy of this warning should be sent to the Department Chair so they are aware of the situation. Getting help Dealing with a problem student can be difficult for the instructor. Consider speaking with more senior faculty members for strategies in dealing with these classroom issues (we’ve all experienced them). Definitely make your Department Chair aware of the situation. Consider contacting the student’s advisor – they may be able to assist as well by speaking with the student. If a student is exhibiting behavioral issues which may be related to learning disabilities (e.g. autism, dyslexia, etc.) or post-traumatic stress (PTSD), contact Todd Zeff (687-5197, [email protected]), our Disabilities Director, for advice. He will know if a student is in a specialized program (e.g. TRiO) and working with a dedicated advisor who will also reach out to the student. For assistance with possible psychological issues, contact Linda Farina (687-5192, [email protected]). Removal of the student You cannot allow a single student to continually disrupt the learning environment for the rest of the class. If a student continues with their disruptive behavior in the classroom, and the early alert, notification of your Chair, and written warning have not produced results, you may then remove a student from your class using the Removal from Class for Cause form on the SUNY Ulster Portal (Faculty tab, Faculty Links box, and Faculty Forms link). Notify the student Once a student has been removed from class, they need to be notified. An email notification may not be read resulting in the student returning to class unaware that they have been removed. It’s best to tell the student in person (privately, not announced to the entire class) or over the phone. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe doing this, the Department Chair may do this for you (speak with them) and the Removal from Class for Cause form does have an option to notify Public Safety that you require assistance from them with notification of the student. After removal of the student for cause, you should send an email to your Department Chair, Kevin Stoner, who is the Vice-President for Academic Affairs ([email protected]) and also to Matthew Brennie, who is the Assistant Dean for Student Services ([email protected]) explaining that you removed a student from your class for behavioral issues. I feel threatened If you ever feel threatened by a student, or feel that a student is threatening someone else in the classroom, immediately notify Campus Security (687-5221) and Matthew Brennie, the Assistant Dean for Student Services (688-6068). After class, notify your Department Chair. |
Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism Academic honesty is a foundational principle in higher education. Society itself is defrauded when students or faculty engage in academically dishonest practices. Part of a college student’s education is learning that there is a zero tolerance policy for such practices in academia as well as in the workplace. What is academic dishonesty? Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following acts.
Midterm Grades
Below is the link with instructions how to enter your mid-term grades. Please note that it is very important students are made aware at this time of the semester how they are doing in your class(es). Providing mid-term grades will allow important decisions to be made regarding withdrawal or tutoring. If you do not wish to enter a letter grade, you can enter an S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). https://sites.google.com/a/sunyulster.edu/oit-tech-help/viewing-my-classes-work-around/faculty-resources-tab/faculty---enter-midterm-grades Please DO NOT enter any LAST DATES OF ATTENDANCE in this form. Withdrawals
Faculty that desire to have students withdrawn from one of their classes must fill out the following form: http://people.sunyulster.edu/Portal/FormsLibrary/RemovalForCauseSpecialCircumstance.pdf FERPA
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It is a federal law that protects student's educational records and information. Many commonly-accepted practices in the past are no longer allowed and may make the College vulnerable to lawsuits. We therefore take FERPA regulations very seriously. Click Here to Read More |
Any Questions?
Ask, ask, ask! We're all happy to help and want you to do well and succeed!
Ask, ask, ask! We're all happy to help and want you to do well and succeed!