SOLS Teaching Policy

Policy Last updated February 2023 

Contact [email protected] with questions or comments

Executive summary

Below is a list of recommended policies for “best teaching practices” in SOLS. These policies were developed by the Undergraduate Programs Committee (UPC) in consultation with the SOLS faculty at large. These evidence-based practices reflect the cumulative experience of SOLS educators, with support from research in STEM education. Furthermore, these policies align with those generated by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (hereafter referred to as “The College”) and the Provost Office. 

This document has been drafted to ensure that classes and curricula in SOLS, both online and on campus, are designed to simultaneously promote learning and reduce extraneous variation in grading among sections of the same course. These policies provide faculty with a tool for making decisions and a framework for teaching effectively. 

SOLS teaching policies

1.Course and curriculum review

A. Required courses for SOLS majors (both online and on campus) will cycle through a formal course review process at least once every 3 years. Faculty will be compensated for participating in the review process. Routine reviews will ensure that assessments align with learning goals and that students experience evidence-based approaches to learning.

B. All degree programs offered by SOLS will maintain specific program-level goals for skills and knowledge. See the current Draft SOLS Knowledge Outcomes and Draft SOLS Skills and Competencies Outcomes documents for examples.

2.Exams and assessments

A. General assessment policy

Assessments should accurately represent the learning outcomes of a course. Because learning outcomes should align well among sections of a course, assessments should also align well. Although some bias exists in any assessment, assessments in SOLS should be as valid and fair as possible. Assessments should be designed to produce a reasonable measure of learning. This goal can be achieved by incorporating a variety of assessments (e.g. clicker questions, quizzes, homework, lab reports, worksheets, essays, projects, exams, etc.) to correct for differential strengths and weaknesses among types of assessments. It is recommended that assessments are designed to test higher order thinking skills in students rather than for rote memorization. This has implications for overall course design as well, which implies that students need adequate practice exercising higher order thinking skills prior to being assessed on those skills. See Bloom’s Taxonomy for definitions of higher order thinking.

B. Dropped exams

SOLS discourages the dropping of grades from summative assessments, such as exams. In general, an instructor may only drop scores for an exam when the course includes a cumulative final exam; in such cases, the lowest exam score may be replaced by the final exam score. Even this practice should occur infrequently, because students may choose to “sacrifice” one exam if feeling unmotivated, unprepared, or overwhelmed. Although dropped exams alleviate the need for make-up exams, SOLS recommends an alternative approach to dropped exams: replace a missed exam score with the average of other exam scores on a case-by-case basis. 

C. Exam accommodations

ASU Policy states that a student with 3 or more exams scheduled on the same day may request a schedule adjustment from a faculty member. Instructors should contact the Office of Undergraduate Programs for help with proctoring rescheduled exams (email [email protected]). If necessary, the matter may be pursued further with the Dean(s) of The College. This procedure applies to conflicts among any combination of Downtown Phoenix campus, Tempe campus, Polytechnic campus, West campus, and/or off-campus class.

D. Exam versions

Large classes with students sitting close together side-by-side need to take steps to make it difficult for students to copy from their neighbors. Minimally, there should be two versions in which both the question and answer order are altered. If the classroom is particularly tight, three or four versions might be better. It is recommended to have different color paper on the cover page, so proctors can be sure that people sitting side-by-side have different versions.

E. Proctoring exams

The instructor should plan to have an adequate number of TAs attend exams to assist with proctoring. TAs should be informed of what behaviors to watch for and how to handle any situation that might arise. In general, TAs should be vigilant during exams to reduce incentives for cheating. For courses without TA support, instructors should contact the Office of Undergraduate Programs for help with proctoring rescheduled exams (email [email protected]). 

If you suspect that one or more students have cheated on an assignment or an exam, please review the section titled “Academic Integrity” below for instructions on how to proceed. 

F. Post-hoc adjustment of exam grades 

1. Although post-hoc adjustments of grades, such as curving, are commonly used in higher education, this practice would ideally be avoided except in specific circumstances. When used inappropriately, curving artificially changes the criteria for evaluating students, which limits the comparison of grades in a course among sections and years.
2. Faculty who teach different sections of the same course should work closely together to align their outcomes and assessment, such that one section is not “easier” or “harder” than another. If faculty agree on a common format for assessments or use a common pool of questions, faculty should be less tempted to adjust or curve exam grades or final grades.
3. Examples of appropriate and inappropriate uses of post-hoc adjustment of exam grades are given below.
    
   1. Appropriate conditions for the post-hoc adjustment of exam grades:
      1. If one or more questions are deemed incorrect or ambiguous, the instructor should remove those questions entirely from the exam and re-scale the exam grades to omit any effect of the flawed questions. For multiple-choice exams, an item analysis should be conducted to infer which questions might have poorly represented learning outcomes of students. Item analysis also identifies which questions discriminate between levels of understanding among students. 
          
   2. Inappropriate conditions for the post-hoc adjustment of exam grades:
      1. Arbitrarily applying a curve because grades are considered either too high or too low.
      2. If a significant proportion of the exam fails to represent the activities or problems that students were asked to practice for the exam. A misaligned assessment of this magnitude implies that the instructor spent inadequate time or care when constructing the exam. To avoid this problem, instructors should construct exams aligned to learning goals and provide ample opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback before the exam.
          
   3. Resources that address issues with curving:
      1. See this article published in May 2010 by economists Pradeep Dubey and John Geanakoplos who suggest that a forced grade curve is a disincentive to study. They stated that “absolute grading is better than grading on a curve.”
      2. See this opinion piece by Adam Grant in the NYT published September 2016.

G. Make-up exams

i. Instructors must allow students to make up assessments missed for university-sanctioned events (see this page in the ASU Academic Affairs Manual). When a make-up exam cannot be offered, SOLS recommends replacing the score for the missed exam with the average of scores for the other exams. This procedure is mathematically equivalent to dropping the exam for this student, without having to drop exam scores for other students.

ii. Instructors are encouraged to allow students to make up assessments missed for a credible emergency, significant illness, or death of a family member. In the case of illness, a doctor’s note should be provided and verified. If the student feels uncomfortable disclosing medical information, the instructor should have the student contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 480-965-6547 (or visit this website); this office will collect the relevant information from a student and present the instructor with appropriate accommodations. When a make-up exam cannot be offered, SOLS recommends replacing the score for the missed exam with the average score for the other exams. If a student misses more than one exam for valid reasons, the instructor can request an incomplete grade or a compassionate withdrawal for the student. For more information about incomplete grades or compassionate withdrawals, please contact the Advising Office in SOLS at 480-727-6277 (or visit this website).

3. Communicating with students

A. Information on the structure, assessments, and schedule in a course should be communicated initially via the syllabus. Students should be encouraged to understand the syllabus by completing a graded “syllabus quiz” in Canvas during the first week of a course.

B. Instructors should respond to emails from students within 48 hours. Even if the syllabus indicates other ways to obtain support, ASU expects prompt responses to students. If a student’s question or concern is clearly answered elsewhere, (e.g. in the syllabus or on Canvas), instructors should direct students to the location of that information or forward the communication to a designated TA or learning assistant who supports the course. When multiple students inquire about the same issue, the instructor should resolve the issue by posting an announcement to all students on Canvas, instead of contacting each student individually.

4. Grading and evaluation of students

A. Definition of formative and summative assessments

i. Summative assessments are instruments that measure a student’s conceptual or applied knowledge of a learning goal or outcome. These are usually midterm and final examinations but can include major projects or assignments.

ii. Formative assessments include any activity that enables a student to test proficiency or mastery of knowledge or skills. To adequately prepare for summative assessments, students should have ample opportunities to practice skills and apply knowledge that they will be expected to demonstrate on a summative assessment, including feedback to the student on ways they can improve their performance. These opportunities are called formative assessments. Examples include quizzes (in-class or online), clicker questions, worksheets, problem sets, lab reports, and class participation. 

B. Feedback

i. Feedback to students about their performance should occur frequently. Students need ample opportunities to identify misconceptions or mistakes and reflect on ways to improve their performance. Deliberate practice is the key to mastering any complex concept or skill. At a minimum, students should receive feedback on a summative assessment (exam or major assignment) before the due date for the next summative assessment. In larger courses, where personalized feedback may be difficult to provide, general feedback should be provided by posting an explanation for the correct answer to each question. See a staff member at the SOLS Teaching Innovation Center for instructions about how to add automatic feedback to questions in Canvas. 

ii. Assignments and exams should be returned to students in a timely fashion, with feedback on how to improve their performance. ASU requires that all faculty post grades to Canvas so that students will know their performance throughout the semester.

C. Summative assessment recommendations

i. SOLS strongly recommends that summative assessments (e.g., midterm and final exams) collectively constitute less than 60% of the total points in a course. These summative assessments would ideally be spread over a minimum of three periods (e.g., 3 exams, or 2 midterm exams and 1 cumulative final exam). The remaining fraction of the course grade should include graded formative assessments, such as homework, lab assignments, class participation, and clicker questions (see “general assessment” section above). The latter provide students with opportunities to practice and receive feedback prior to summative assessments.

D. Disputes or appeals about grading

i. Disputes or appeals about grading are governed by the “University Policy for Student Appeal Procedures on Grades”, which can be found at this website.

E. Scantrons

i. Grading of scantron exams is available at ASU’s Testing Center, within the University Office of Evaluation and Educational Effective (see this website).

F. Extra credit

i. If faculty offer extra credit for surveys, a course-related form of extra credit must be offered as an alternative for students who do not wish to participate in the survey. 

G. Online submission of coursework

i. Faculty who require students to submit work online via the LMS or other system should ensure students have adequate time to complete their submissions. As a general practice, we recommend avoiding deadlines on weekdays and encourse deadlines on Sunday at 11:59 PM. This practice maximizes the time that students have to complete an assignment and reduces the chance that TAs will have to grade assignments during the weekend.  

5. Guidelines for Syllabi 

A. Templates and examples of syllabi

i. A syllabus is usually a student’s first exposure to a course. Thus, a syllabus sets the tone for the course. Review the language of your syllabus to ensure a positive tone. Avoid language that emphasizes student deficit.

ii. You may build your syllabus from this template, which has been adapted from a syllabus template produced by The College.

iii. Syllabi must adhere to guidelines set by the Office of the Provost (see this website) and The College (see the original College template or via this document).

iv. Examples of syllabi used in SOLS can be found here in the following Dropbox folder. Another example of a creative syllabus can be found here, a “newsletter style” syllabus for a US History course that students might enjoy reading.

B. Technology accommodations

i. We recommend the following syllabus language for COVID-related (or non-COVID-related technology access issues:

1. If you are not able to personally finance the equipment you need to attend class via ASU Sync, ASU has a laptop and WiFi hotspot checkout program available through the ASU Library.

    2. Who is eligible for this program?

                  a. Any currently enrolled ASU student is eligible to check out a laptop. The current availability of laptops can be found here.

                  b. Borrowing and returning laptop rules:

                                  i. Laptops are lent on a first-come, first-serve basis, and cannot be reserved in advance. They can be returned at any time, but will be due at the conclusion of the fall 2020 semester.

                                  ii. Rentals are limited to one laptop per student.

                                  iii. Laptops are available for checkout at the following libraries on all four campuses. (Please check online for current library hours)

C. Disability accommodations

i. For information about how to support students with disabilities, visit the faculty and staff resources page maintained by the Disability Resource Center.

ii. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that faculty use the Ally reports in Canvas that will show whether files and content they use are accessible. For more information on how to use this feature, please contact the SOLS Teaching Innovation Center.

D. Ensuring equity and inclusion

i. Please use the following Title IX language in any and all syllabi:

1. Title IX is a federal law that provides that no person be excluded on the basis of sex from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.  Both Title IX and university policy make clear that sexual violence and harassment based on sex is prohibited.  An individual who believes they have been subjected to sexual a violence or harassed on the basis of sex can seek support, including counseling and academic support, from the university.  If you or someone you know has been harassed on the basis of sex or sexually assaulted, you can find information and resources at https://sexualviolenceprevention.asu.edu/faqs. 

           2. As a mandated reporter, I am obligated to report any information I become aware of regarding alleged acts of sexual discrimination, including sexual violence and dating violence.  ASU Counseling Services, https://eoss.asu.edu/counseling, is available if you wish to discuss               any concerns confidentially and privately.

E. Drop/add date

i. Syllabi should inform students of the drop/add date.

1. If a course uses CogBooks, instructors should know that CogBooks charges all students enrolled in a course only after the end of the drop/add date.
2. ASU does not provide refunds to students after the end of the drop/add date. However, an instructor may request a compassionate withdrawal for a student who must drop a course because of problems with physical or emotional health. For more information about compassionate withdrawals, please contact the Advising Office in SOLS at 480-727-6277 (or visit this website).

6. Academic integrity

a. The College dictates the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students concerning academic integrity. Current information can be found at the following website: https://thecollege.asu.edu/resources/academic-integrity-resources

b. Instructors should follow the guidelines below to deter academic misconduct and to address any cases that arise. 

1.Students should be informed clearly and succinctly about the Policy for Academic Integrity, specifying any details that pertain to the course. The policy should be communicated to students in several ways:

1. Documented in the course syllabus (required)
2. Students take a training activity (in person or on Canvas)
3. Students sign an Academic Integrity Contract (in person or on Canvas), and again prior to an exam

2. Faculty may choose to use an automated tool to detect plagiarism, such as “TurnItIn,” which is a plagiarism-detection software licensed by ASU. More information about this software can be found on this website.

3. We suggest a progressive disciplinary approach to academic misconduct, emphasizing a review of the policy and a discussion of its importance with the student. Sanctions should be escalated on a case-by-case basis. For example, the following case describes the escalation of sanctions detected by either an instructor or teaching assistant (TA):

     1. If the instructor suspects academic misconduct, the instructor should notify the student of the suspected incident, describe the evidence of the apparent misconduct, and ask the student to submit an explanation of their behavior in writing. The instructor should then follow up with a face-to-face or virtual meeting (perhaps in Zoom) with the student.

     2. During the meeting with the student, the instructor should reiterate and explain the ASU policy on academic integrity.

1. If the student admits to the misconduct and appears remorseful for their behavior, the instructor may issue the student a written warning with a reminder that further instances of misconduct will result in sanctions and reporting of the incident. Any sanctions (including zeroes and points reductions) are not warnings and must be reported via the process outlined below.
2. If a student refuses to take responsibility for academic misconduct in the face of overwhelming evidence, or if the misconduct is particularly egregious (e.g. multiple instances of plagiarism, cheating, or use of a 3rd party website that hosts exam or lab answers, AND after having received a warning from the instructor about this behavior), the instructor should notify the student that an academic integrity violation report will be submitted to SOLS. The instructor should gather documentation and submit it via the SOLS Undergraduate Academic Integrity Violation Report. Violation Reports are reviewed by the Curriculum and Academic Support Manager who will confer with the Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs for unit approval to submit the incident to The College for determination.

           3. If a teaching assistant reports academic misconduct, the instructor should meet with the TA to review the details of the incident. If the instructor agrees with the TA, the instructor (not the TA) should follow the process outlined above.

4. Unauthorized posting of course materials

1. Many course materials are posted illegally on company websites (e.g., CourseHero.com, or Chegg.com) without the consent of ASU faculty. Some companies have agreed not to post materials if the instructor adds a footer on documents about prohibiting distribution online. Therefore, instructors should include this warning on all assignments or materials to protect intellectual property. An instructor should include language similar to what is suggested below in the course syllabus:
2. Students may NOT share, sell, or distribute, notes, exams, exam questions, assessments, homework, problem sets, or course materials taken during the conduct of this course. Doing so will result in similar penalties as other forms of academic dishonesty.
3. If an instructor finds course materials on a non-ASU website, the instructor should contact the author of the website directly and request that ASU materials be removed from the site.

c. Reporting academic misconduct to the Office of Undergraduate Programs or The College enables ASU to identify repeat offenders, even when some instances of misconduct fail to meet the threshold for a grade of XE. For additional information regarding academic integrity, contact the Curriculum and Academic Support Manager for Undergraduate Programs.

7. Working with graduate teaching assistants

a. Instructors should meet weekly with TAs to help them understand their responsibilities for the course. Experienced TAs can be tasked with organizing and helping to prepare less experienced TAs, although the instructor should carefully oversee and regularly communicate with TAs.

b. SOLS offers a graduate-level course in teaching, called Scientific Teaching (BIO 530). All graduate students should complete this course in their first year of study.

c. Instructors should provide TAs with a written breakdown of the work required and time expectations for each task before the course starts (e.g., grading, teaching labs, office hours, etc.).

d. When a course involves multiple TAs, the instructor should ensure uniform grading among TAs. To promote uniform grading, the instructor should provide a rubric that breaks down how each question will be graded; this rubric should also be posted on Canvas as part of an answer key for students to see. For essays or reports, the instructor should compare the mean and standard deviation of grades among sections and examine discrepancies carefully. In the case of severe discrepancies, the instructor should ask one or more TAs to regrade exams according to the rubric. Re-grading individual assignments is preferable to curving the final grade, because the former approach identifies and corrects the specific cause of grade discrepancies. 

e. Instructors should require TAs to attend lectures, especially if they have not taken the course previously. Please ensure that TAs have adequate time in their contract to attend the lectures, because no TA should work more than 20 hours per week. 

f. Serving as a TA is part of the professional training of our graduate students. When designing a course, the instructor should consider opportunities for TAs to develop professionally. The instructor should mentor TAs through the process of teaching and grading. In this way, TAs develop skills for teaching in an intentional and responsible way.

g. If a TA fails to perform some responsibilities, the instructor should contact the Office of Undergraduate Programs ([email protected]). This office will work with the Office of Graduate Programs and the instructor to resolve the problem as soon as possible. 

Instructors should be aware of the policies governing teaching assistants, which are described in the ASU Teaching/Research Assistant/Associate (TA/RA) Policies and Procedures Handbook.

i. The Handbook describes the maximum number of hours that a TA may work in the Workload section on page 6:

   1. Since the primary purpose of an assistantship/associateship is to assist the [graduate] student in successfully completing an academic program, [graduate] students holding appointments as teaching or research assistants (or associates) will work no more than 0.50 FTE (20 hours per week) during the fall and spring semesters.TAs and RAs may workup to 1.00 FTE (40 hours per week) during summer sessions and semester breaks. However, TAs and RAs may not average more than 0.625 FTE (25 hours per week) during the year as measured by the Affordable Care Act (October through September). Graduate students are terminated from their appointment who exceed this limit and will not be eligible for reappointment for 26 weeks.

ii. If you anticipate that graduate students are spending more than 20 hours per week performing their TA duties, please contact the Teaching Innovation Center ([email protected]) to learn how to accomplish your teaching goals given the resources available for your course.  

8. Classroom disruptions and potential threats

a. The College offers policies for handling disruptions in the classroom at the following website. Although all policies should be followed, the first and foremost of these policies deals with communication between the instructor and students:

“The instructor should first discuss the behavioral concerns with the student. At that time, the instructor may give the student a warning that any further disruptive behavior may result in an administrative withdrawal from the course. Any oral warning should be accompanied by a written letter to the student, documenting the student's disruptive behavior. The letter should be written in consultation with the department chair, or the chair's designee. Exception: If the behavior is immediately threatening to the instructor or other students, the instructor should notify ASU Police and request that they remove the student. Neither written nor oral warning is required in this case.”

b. Additional resources for addressing student disruptions and campus threats

i. ASU active shooter training program: https://cfo.asu.edu/active-shooter-preparedness

ii. Student rights and responsibilities: https://eoss.asu.edu/dos/srr/codeofconduct

iii. Filing reports of conduct violation: https://eoss.asu.edu/dos/srr/filingreport

iv. Student advocacy and assistance: https://eoss.asu.edu/dos/srr/StudentAdvocacyandAssistance 

v. ASU PD (emergency and non-emergency): https://cfo.asu.edu/police

9.Teaching online or hybrid courses

a. All policies described above apply to online courses as well. Additional policies may be added or modified as needed to support faculty who teach online or hybrid courses. 

b. Both the Office of Undergraduate Programs and EdPlus support instructors developing online courses. Instructors interested in developing an online course should contact the Associate Director of Academic Programs in SOLS ([email protected]) for more information. 

c. Posting authorized course materials online

i. Instructors should use the ASU-approved Learning Management System (LMS), which is currently Canvas. All training information for use of Canvas exists at this website hosted by the University Technology Office. 

ii. Canvas is the most appropriate place to post the course syllabus, reading materials, lecture materials, homework, and quizzes. The gradebook feature of the Canvas is a matchless tool to securely and privately communicate to students in realtime their assessment scores (assignments, exams, etc.).

10.Supporting all students

a. Supporting students with disabilities

b. Supporting first generation students

c. Supporting deployed students (active military)

              i. If a student is currently deployed for active military service, have the student(s) reach out to the faculty member for their course and encourage them to ask for specific accommodations that would support their needs. If a faculty member feels it is critical, they may ask for a copy of the student’s orders. We encourage the faculty to be sensitive to students who may not be able to share the details of their deployment or who may not feel comfortable providing details, and to trust their students when they provide information about the need for an accommodation. In some cases, we have seen commanding officers provide brief letters saying the student is currently deployed. Faculty should not request this documentation unless they feel it is essential information. 

             ii. We recommend for deployed students to:

                  1. Schedule assessments around their schedule, during breaks and while off base. 

                         a. This would depend on the dates of the course and the willingness/ability of faculty to move due dates (strongly encouraged by SOLS).

                  2. Find out the nature of the limitations involving RPNowIs the student using a computer on base with restricted internet access?

                         a. Is the student using a personal computer but having issues with secured/limited internet access?

                         b. Is the student not comfortable with recording their surroundings for RPNow? (because it may disclose their location)

                  3. If the student has access to a personal computer with a webcam (and no internet restriction), the student should:

                         a. Ask their commanding officer(s) about security measures they can take on base (e.g. setting up a private room/space for the proctoring) 

                         b.Communicate with the professor. If the professor allows the student’s commanding officer to proctor their assessments, and their commanding officer is willing to assist the student, then this may be a possibility. However, it will depend on an agreement between the student, the professor(s) and the commanding officer(s). 

                   4. Finally, if these options are not possible, please contact the Pat Tillman Veterans Center. They can help process a Military Activation Form and assist with removing the student from the class if need be (ARC/Backdate Withdrawal).